family members stood up to speak about the positive changes they've seen in their loved ones over the course of the program, and our teen participants took one last chance to share appreciations for the program and maybe trade a few good-hearted jabs. The event was magical, and that's not an overtatement. It's been one crazy awesome year with this group. In case you missed it, here's why our Community MVPs deserved all the fanfare of our final graduation celebration, broken down in numbers:

 

SEVENTEEN

The number of teen participants in our Community MVPs program. These teenagers come to Brainfood's Mount Vernon location to hone their cooking skills and perfect their teaching skills twice a week from October through May. 
 

EIGHT 

The number of healthy cooking workshops the MVPs led across the DC community, teaching kids, teens, and adults alike about topics like food waste prevention, African food culture, healthy alternatives to favorite foods, and food deserts. 
 

2,066

The cumulative number of community service hours our MVPs logged this year. 
 

250

The number of DC-area residents our MVPs taught in hands-on cooking workshops this year. From pre-schoolers to grown adults, our MVPs mastered the art of engagement with DC residents using food and cooking. 
 

121

The number of recipes MVPs made during the program year - from brocolli stem pesto and homemade ravioli to homemade dosas and potato chickpea masala.