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Thanks to 100 Women Who Care Caledon, Palgrave Community Cooking Club continues to make a difference

February 19, 2026   ·   0 Comments

The “Community Cooking Club” has been meeting in the Palgrave United Church commercial kitchen for two years now. The club is a collaboration between Gratitude for Food Caledon, a subcommittee of ecoCaledon, and the Palgrave United Community Kitchen (PUCK). 

The purpose of the club is to bring community members together to cook healthy plant-based meals, package them in serving-size containers, and donate them to the Exchange.

Since its initial funding from a 100 Women Who Care (Caledon) grant in 2023, the direct costs have been subsidized by a private grant and by the Peel Public Health Healthy Living Grant. In November 2025, 100 Women Who Care voted to support the Cooking Club again, allowing the club to run through most of 2026.

The Cooking Club is led by Carolyn Vallejo and Lucrezia Chiappetta, co-chairs of ecoCaledon’s Gratitude for Food subcommittee. The members are a roster of cooks with varying experience who gather to learn new recipes and make new friends. 

Carolyn loves the opportunity to connect with community members and chat and laugh while cooking a healthy meal. 

“It’s a plant-based meal, and it’s economical, it’s easy, and then we get to share it with the rest of the community,” she says.

The group produces approximately 50-60 individual servings per month. Since its inception, over 1,200 servings have been donated to the Exchange Food Bank.

The club meets on the last Thursday of every month, excluding July and August.  Those interested in finding out more about the club or attending a future meeting can indicate their interest by emailing info@ecocaledon.org.

         

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