At Amicitia Reciproca, food sits at the center of everything we plan to do. Our founder puts it this way: for people with spinal cord injuries, food is medicine. For volunteers, food is culture. For us, food is the bridge.
Food as medicine
A spinal cord injury changes how the body works. Energy needs often go down while the risk of heart disease and diabetes goes up. Digestion becomes closely tied to what and when you eat. Protecting and healing skin takes enough protein and nutrients. Everyday food choices matter more than ever.
At the same time, cooking is one of the daily activities people most often lose after a serious injury. Without help in the kitchen, meals can become whatever is fastest, and eating alone becomes common.
Food as culture
Many of the volunteers we hope to welcome come from cultures with deep food traditions, where meals are shared and cooking is how people care for each other. Those traditions often feature whole foods, beans and vegetables, and regular shared meals: the same kinds of habits that support good health after a spinal cord injury.
Cooking together
Our plan is simple. Volunteers and their friends will cook together, using recipe and ingredient kits from around the world and family recipes from the volunteer's home. Cooking will be adapted to each person's abilities, so everyone has a hand in the meal. As we grow, we hope to bring friends together for community meals where everyone brings a dish and a story.
No lectures and no meal plans handed down from a clinic. Just good food, made together, at a shared table.
Help us set the table
Our first cooking kits and shared meals depend on supporters like you. A gift today helps us get ready for our first friendships in Fort Collins.
