Plot to Plate: Community Youth Cooking & Sustainable Living Program

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

Long Beach South LA

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

In Los Angeles County, particularly South Los Angeles, Long Beach, and East Los Angeles, foster care and low-income youth face layered challenges that extend beyond basic needs. Food insecurity, systemic barriers, healthy eating, and access to cultural food practices affects 41% of low-income households here, nearly triple the national average of 14%.
For foster youth, frequent placement changes and instability further isolate them from healthy eating habits, cultural food traditions and vital cooking education. Nearly half of children in poverty lived in food-insecure homes. As a result, vital knowledge about sustainable living and culturally relevant food practices is being lost.
Our program seeks to close this gap by providing youth with tools to grow, cook, and connect within their community. By combining farm-to-table experiences and sustainable living, we aim to empower youth to reclaim food traditions, improve food literacy, and build a more resilient, healthier community.

This grant will support Plot to Plate: Community Youth Cooking & Sustainable Living Program, an initiative designed to empower foster care and low-income youth in Los Angeles County, with the skills and knowledge to lead healthier, more self-sufficient lives. Through a comprehensive, hands-on curriculum rooted in self sufficiency and sustainable living, the program will teach youth how to care for themselves, grow their own food seasonally, understand the importance of eating in season, and navigate grocery shopping with a focus on affordability, nutrition, and cultural relevance.
Each week, youth will engage in cooking sessions held in a dedicated kitchen space, learning how to prepare balanced meals while exploring the stories and traditions tied to food within their communities. Field trips will expose them to fresh, local produce and connect them with local growers, reinforcing food literacy and access. The program also incorporates SEL and mental health awareness through guided discussions, reflections, and activities that build self-confidence, emotional regulation, and teamwork.
By blending practical life skills with cultural exploration and emotional development, this initiative not only equips youth with the tools to care for themselves but also helps them reconnect with their roots and community. The goal is to create lasting impact, encouraging youth to live intentionally, eat mindfully, and grow their futures from the soil up within a community setting.

If successful, Los Angeles County will begin to see foster care and low-income youth emerge as confident, self-sufficient individuals with the tools for self sufficiency. Through learning how to care for themselves, grow food, cook meals, and shop with intention, youth will experience immediate benefits, better nutrition, improved mental wellness, and stronger emotional regulation through SEL.
For foster youth, self-sufficiency is especially vital, as it helps build stability in the face of constant change. These skills provide a sense of control, identity, and purpose. As youth learn sustainable habits, they will inspire those around them, strengthens families and communities.
Food, our program’s centerpiece, becomes a universal connector where shared meals and cooking experiences will create bonds between individuals who may never have crossed paths otherwise. The result is a more resilient, connected, and empowered Los Angeles led by youth who are learning to live with intent.