It’s still early in the days of Courageous Kitchen and we really appreciate everyone helping to let people know about the important work we’re doing in Bangkok.
For this week’s popup event in New York, Dwight made a special thank you video (sidenote: apologies for the sweaty appearance, it really is burning up in Bangkok at the moment!) to both introduce the charity and thank everyone who has put in so much work in his absence.
Special thank you to Christy Innouvong, part of the Courageous Kitchen team who has put in so many hours to make this happen. Also special thanks to the I Eat Lao Food team and everyone who attended, ate, and gave!
We’ve officially been granted 501(c)3 tax exempt, public charity status by the US government.
What does that mean?
501(c)3 refers to section of the federal tax code making some charities and foundations exempt from some taxes. US citizens and organizations making donations can claim them on their taxes, encouraging more people to give. More importantly, it is a prerequisite on many grant applications and public funding appeals (for example, some crowd funding web sites).
The status is also retroactive since our incorporation, meaning any donation American citizens have made as of December 28th, 2015 could be claimed as tax deductible.
A photo posted by Dwight ดนัย (Bangkok Fatty) (@bkkfatty) on
What’s next?
Our work isn’t finished. We still have more work to do to complete the process and contact our donors to let them know. Then we will be on the hunt for grants that will help us grow as an organization, both internally and in the outreach programs we can offer.
In the future we hope this will allow us to accept donations via paypal without incurring the 3% service charge.
How’d you do it?
None of this would have been possible without your support over the past five years. Courageous Kitchen, previously known as In Search of Sanuk, began by giving $15 to a handful of families in need so they could purchase food. Today we help about 20 families survive each month and the new charity status will help bring our form of full bellied hope to more people struggling to feed their families.
We want our students and volunteers to know the most important ingredient in the kitchen is heart. That’s why we were proud to have Siri of the youtube channel Spoon, Fork, Heart to join a special cooking session where she taught two Thai recipes.
“The chefs and foodies who make the biggest impression are the ones who love people, as much as they love food.”
Siri isn’t the first friend from Youtube to check out our program and we certainly hope not the last. We’re always excited to connect with big hearted, like minded foodies and certainly appreciate all the help we can get spreading the word about our charity!
In the main community where Courageous Kitchen operates, people struggle to feed their families. It’s not uncommon in this poor neighborhood outside of Bangkok’s tourist sites to see families scavenging through the trash for leftovers that can be used to feed their families.
“Food isn’t a Fun Topic for Everyone”
Often, this includes children who can dig through trash piles without drawing ire or attention from those nearby. So when you bring up food in this community, versus the food loving crowd of teens a similar age at Bangkok Patana (a prestigious international school in Bangkok), the reactions are drastic.
I’m proud to say we’re changing that and if you’re new to our organization we do it in three important ways:
We distribute nutritious food, most often fresh produce, to the families in the community.
We provide a pre-school for students 3-6 years old, and a Saturday school with English and cooking lessons. Lunch is provided to all of the students and adults participating.
Courageous Kitchen identifies the most vulnerable families and provides emergency support for housing, medical expenses, or emergency needs.
This three-fold, holistic approach to reaching out to the community means we’re changing attitudes about food and our students anticipate cooking classes and opportunities to practice their cooking skills at home. The proof is the look on their faces when it’s time to cook!
We couldn’t do this without your support, thank you!
In a way, the kitchen is just like the real world.
It can be a scary place to navigate on your own. Each of us need people who guide us into life’s arenas and illuminate us with wisdom that makes what was dark and and dangerous seem familiar and even friendly.
“A safe place to fail is an easy place to learn…”
That’s the goal of the Courageous Kitchen. We aren’t only building up young cooks, but we’re bolstering well rounded, amazing young people who will lead their community into the future.
We do that by giving them a safe place to fail. A place where they can make mistakes, get second chances, and learn to cope and rebound from failure.
What has failing with the proper support taught you in the kitchen or elsewhere?
