When was the last time you and your family enjoyed a healthy, stress-free meal around the dinner table, prepared together?

The Community Classroom Project (CCP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reducing stress through creativity, launched the Community Classroom Kitchen (CCK) to bring life skills into the kitchen and kitchen skills into life — and is committed to gathering families and neighbors to make those shared meals a reality.

CCK starts with training a passionate culinary workforce, inspiring young adults to become food entrepreneurs by connecting them with chefs and culinary experts.

Founder and CEO Ali Kaufman explains that she created CCP in 2017 and CCK, which was always on the radar, in 2020 in response to COVID-19.

“CCK started with the Meal Box Project (similar to Blue Apron) so that we could help families cook together at home and help local purveyors and restaurants,” she says.

CCK offers a wide range of programs designed to engage and inspire. Families and individuals can participate in cooking classes, workshops and special events, including themed dinners and parties. For aspiring chefs and food entrepreneurs, CCK provides vital resources such as a lending library, a commissary and a test kitchen. Teens and young adults benefit from hands-on workforce training, both front- and back-of-the-house, while culinary professionals can collaborate through the Culinary Industry Think Tank. The One-For-One Meal Box Project, launched with Founding Chef Blake Malatesta, continues to bring families together in their own kitchens, reinforcing CCK’s mission of innovation and community.

“CCP uses creativity to reduce learning-related stress and improve learning engagement at any age,” says Boca Raton resident Kaufman, 49, who comes from a restaurant industry background and whose passion project involves partnering with youth groups.

Community Classroom shares a campus with Space of Mind, a modern schoolhouse in Delray Beach founded by Kaufman in 2004 as a private family coaching company. A quarter of the proceeds from Space of Mind community programs support CCP.

“CCP also has amazing event sponsors supporting us and has received grants from organizations like the Children’s Services Council and the Quantum Foundation.”

In April 2024, CCP debuted its 1,000-square-foot Culinary Collective commercial teaching kitchen on its Space of Mind campus.

“We’re also working to launch workforce training programs in all of the creative areas, beginning with culinary, music, art and digital media — and host fundraising events like monthly dinners,” Kaufman adds. “There’s lots of opportunities for adults and kids.”

For more information or to support the Community Classroom Project, call 561‑229-1111 or visit yourccp.org.

ChildNet’s 10th Annual “Care for Kids” Luncheon, presented by debt.com, will be held on March 7 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Boca West Country Club. This year’s “touchdown”-themed luncheon promises to be an inspiring and impactful event, bringing together community leaders and advocates in support of Palm Beach County’s Community-Based Care (CBC) lead agency.

At the heart of the luncheon will be the recognition of this year’s honorees, former NFL player Don Silvestri and his wife, Alissa Marks-Silvestri. The Silvestris will share their extraordinary journey with foster care and adoption. Together, they have fostered 14 children and adopted four, exemplifying the transformative power of love. As part of the Boca Raton community and with a background in marketing, Alissa brings a unique perspective to their advocacy efforts. Their story is a testament to the joy and fulfillment of changing a child’s life forever.

The funds raised from the “Care for Kids” event will provide ChildNet with the flexibility to prioritize the needs of its children, youth and caregivers and take advantage of opportunities that arise and react to unforeseen challenges. By joining the stakeholders at this year’s event, attendees will have a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact. Together, the community can help ensure that every child has the chance to thrive in a safe and loving environment.

ChildNet was selected by the Florida Department of Children & Families to serve as the CBC lead agency in Palm Beach and Broward counties. As such, it is the single private nonprofit entity responsible for administering the local child welfare system in each county. The agency’s mission is to protect abused, abandoned and neglected children across the communities it supports.

The Boca Raton Observer is the event’s exclusive media sponsor.

For more information, call 561-352-2500 or visit childnet.us.