‘Slay and Sauté’ culinary program teaches LGBTQ+ youth cooking and life skills

The challenges for LGBTQ+ youth include finding acceptance, including within their own families.

Cesar Toledo, the executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation in D.C., said 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+.

He told WTOP, nationally, one out of four Americans who come out as young adults are forced out of their homes by family members.

Speaking with WTOP’s Kate Ryan

Currently, he said, “On any given night, more than 200 LGBTQ+ youth are unhoused and put in very dangerous life situations here in the District of Columbia alone.”

That’s where the Wanda Alston Foundation comes into play.

Toledo said each client they serve is between the ages of 18 and 24, and each is assigned a case manager.

“We also have an employment and housing specialists, so we really try to provide these wraparound services to meet our youth where they’re at, and help them through their period with us,” which can last up to 18 months, he said.

Toledo said the foundation got good news, followed by what he called “not so good news,” this year: “We were awarded a FEMA food and shelter grant. However, because of the federal funding freeze, we are unlikely to receive any of those resources.” The grant, he said, would have been up to $15,000.

But, the foundation turned to D.C.’s very supportive community. They partnered with the D.C. Front Runners organization and held the Pride 5K, which raised nearly $7,000 toward their goal. Toledo said he took part in the run.

“I am absolutely not a runner, but I did speed walk. I did try my best and was able to do a decent job,” he said with a laugh.

He noted the upbeat tone of the event, with a sense of playfulness as people ran — or walked. And he said, “There were dogs out there, folks had tutus. It was just a beautiful moment for community to come together and rally around a good cause.”

With the money they’ve raised so far, Toledo said the foundation can launch its “Slay and Sauté” culinary program, a series of classes and workshops that will allow the youth in the organization’s shelters to learn a life skill, and perhaps, provide a launchpad to a new career in food service.

“So now, we’re going to be looking for chefs,” Toledo said. “Anyone who wants to get involved, please reach out.”

Read more in WTOP here.

Preps under way for WorldPride

The biggest week of WorldPride in D.C. is underway with a whole host of events planned over the next several days, all leading up the parade Saturday.

This is the third and biggest week of WorldPride, with events for everyone. As Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos explains, this is prime time for pride in the District.

"Yes, Pride is about partying until two in the morning, but it's also important to support our community," Cesar Toledo, executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, said.

The foundation, which provides housing to homeless LGBTQ+ youth, has launched a campaign called Slay and Sauté in an effort to raise $15,000 to replace funds from a federal grant that was frozen earlier this year.

The money will be used to buy healthy cooking appliances and provide cooking lessons for the young people they house.

"Any given night, there's over 200 unhoused LGBTQ youth, and because of that, that puts them in really dangerous situations," Toledo said. "And so that's why it's important for, as a community, we need to come together."

Coming together and showing support: two of the major themes of WorldPride.

Read more here at NBC4 Washington.

Wanda Alston Foundation launches culinary program for LGBTQ youth

The Wanda Alston Foundation, the D.C. nonprofit organization that has provided housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth since its founding in 2008, announced it has launched a campaign to raise $15,000 for a new culinary program to “equip our LGBTQ+ youth with cooking skills, kitchen gadgets, and a taste for joy,” according to its executive director, Cesar Toledo.

In a May 14 statement, Toledo said the Alston Foundation had been selected to receive food and shelter funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, “but due to the federal freeze, it’s unlikely those critical resources will reach us.”

He said the new program being launched is in partnership with the DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K organization, an LGBTQ runners group. The funds will be used to provide 20 Alston House residents “with air fryers, rice cookers, smoothie blenders, healthy food, and condiments,” Toledo said.

Read more in the Washington Blade here.

Slay & Sauté for at risk LGBTQ+ youths

WUSA9’s Marcella Robertson interviews Cesar Toledo, Wanda Alston Foundation Executive Director, to learn more about the organization's Slay & Sauté campaign.

Campaign for LGBTQ+ youth culinary program in DC launches

Washington (DC News Now) — The Wanda Alston Foundation, which helps young homeless and at-risk members of the LGBTQ+ community, said it is looking to provide some of those young people with cooking skills and “a taste for joy” through its “Slay & Sauté” campaign.

The effort, which is in partnership with DC Front Runners and the DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K, hopes to raise $15,000.

The goal is to provide LGBTQ+ youth whom the foundation supports with air fryers, rice cookers, smoothie blenders, healthy foods, and condiments. Additionally, the campaign is intended to help launch monthly cooking classes, teaching young people how to prepare fun and affordable meals.

Read more at DC News Now.