Page 45 - February 2018 FOP Newsletter

Things are cooing with rd istrict CP
n BY NICK SWEDBERG
Whipping up shrimp with pineapple and tomatoes, or throw- ing together a one-pot pasta dish, aren’t things one would ex- pect to see at a Chicago Police district headquarters. But those meals are exactly what children in the 3rd District made during a special cooking class held in December and January.
Officer Delbert Howell, who has four years on the job, has been running the Cooking with Cops program in his district. He said the classes, which brought together about 15 children and some of their family members, were held in the headquarters community room. This offered a challenge for baking and cook- ing, he said.
“Our oven actually is in the lockup, so it’s kind of a rough thing to do, bring the food in and bring it back out,” Howell said.
Howell is working with Bella Cuisine Cooking Club, which is made up of local chefs who volunteer their time to teach chil- dren how to cook. The Cooking with Cops program “utilizes the power of food to help heal and strengthen communities,” ac- cording to the club’s website.
Howell said he initially put the cooking program together on the fly. For the first class, he had to grab a few officers who hap- pened to be on duty to help out. Nevertheless, the students have loved the class, he said.
“We have some parents that even hang around and stay,” Howell said.
Every year, Howell brainstorms a new program or event for the community. He has hosted a summer fishing event in the past. An avid cook himself, Howell wanted to develop a “differ-
ent and concrete” activity for children. He hopes they’ll bring what they learn back to their families. His overall goal is to pro- mote a holistic change in the community.
“I just wanted to do something different for the kids, some- thing tangible that they could bring back home and maybe im- press their parents with,” Howell said.
Going forward, cooking classes are scheduled for the South Shore Cultural Center, which has a full kitchen and chefs who teach at the center, Howell said. The classes are held on the first Saturday of each month, with the next one coming up on March 3.d
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