Meet Chef Q. Ibraheem from Chicago. An executive chef, she also trains youth in culinary art and teaches urban agriculture. "We actually execute a free farm-to-fork chef camp for the kiddos," Chef Q says. During the pandemic, Chef Q founded Kids with Co-Workers—a free meal program for kids with families financially impacted by Covid-19.
"When school closed, my first thought was, a lot of these kids get free lunch. For a lot of children in America, that free lunch may be their only well-rounded, balanced, healthy meal for the day. So the first thing I did was call some of the social service agencies that I work with. I used my support system so we could support our community. Everyone jumped in...and that's where Kids with Co-Workers was developed. This was a community effort," Q says. "The first thing I wanted to do was make sure that everyone was served with dignity. The food is always 5-star quality food. It's beautiful, it's delicious."
To help Q continue to fight food insecurity in her community, our friends at Valli Produce are donating $10,000 to Kids with Co-Workers.