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It was such a joy to connect with fellow Austinite Shaleiah Fox to talk about the organization she co-founded, Fresh Chefs Society. Fresh Chefs is a local nonprofit dedicated to creating positive life experiences through food for youth in foster care (something Shaleiah happens to know a lot about having grown up in the system herself). In this episode, Shaleiah dispels misconceptions about the foster care system and encourages everyone to find ways to get involved in their communities.
We discussed:
- What Shaleiah is passionate about and the work she's doing in the world.
- Why foster care isn't actually the best solution for the problems it's been used to solve.
- The importance of creating opportunities for foster care youth to exercise their agency.
- How common it is for kids in foster care to have minimal choice in what, when, and how much they eat.
- The ways Fresh Chefs Society is meeting foster kids where they're at and helping them grow through food.
- How Fresh Chefs has adapted their programming given the pandemic.
- Ways to get involved in your local community without doing harm.
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Featured in This Episode
Shaleiah Fox (she/her) is dedicated to uplifting the community and spaces she calls home through showing up, giving generously, and persistent and thoughtful advocacy. By day, she oversees fundraising for Black Studies at UT Austin, and moonlights as the Co-Founder of Fresh Chefs Society, a local nonprofit dedicated to creating positive life experiences through food. Shaleiah champions causes that celebrate and support foster care youth, empower the success of women of color, and create true equity in education. She is a committed partner to Reid and mother of two future leaders, Miles and Zuri. You can keep up with Fresh Chefs Society on the organization's website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Did you benefit from this episode? You can show your appreciation by supporting Fresh Chefs. The organization is looking to create a library of cooking videos, and anyone can participate in the project. If you're interested in contributing, please shoot an email to info@freshchefssociety.org.
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