The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Adopt a School Trust is a national charity that sends chefs into schools to educate children about food and healthy eating - in a holistic way. The sessions provide children with the opportunity to engage with food outside the classroom environment and learn vital information which many wouldn’t get at home.
The scheme is supported by a number of top chefs in the industry, including Philip Howard, Jason Atherton, Heston Blumenthal, Raymond Blanc and Brian Turner.
Since it launched in 1990, Adopt a School has reached almost half a million children, changing the lives of many. Deepak Mallya, who attended an Adopt a School lesson himself when he was a child, has gone on to become a chef at the Ritz and is planning to ‘adopt’ a school of his own in the near future.
To get involved, following training, chefs can volunteer to go into schools and deliver the sessions or add an optional £1 to their menu for a month and donate the proceeds. Businesses can sponsor a range of dinners, auctions and events. Schools can download fundraising packs and pay for sessions themselves. And, members of the public can donate via the website or sponsor a session at a local school.
A session for 30 children costs from £300, and currently there are more schools on Adopt a School’s waiting list than they can afford to visit. To help support the education of 25,000 children on healthy eating follow @ChefsAdoptaSch and tweet - Childhood obesity is an epidemic, help us educate 25k children on healthy eating. RT & follow #adoptaschool25k - during National Childhood Obesity week (6-12 July). For more information visit the Chefs Adopt a School website http://www.chefsadoptaschool.org.uk.