Cooking Matters for Maine provides hands-on cooking and nutrition classes to low-income families to teach them skills to prepare healthy, affordable meals. Since 2010, over 500 families have participated in the program's six-week classes held in community centers and housing sites. Good Shepherd Food-Bank now collaborates with organizations in 11 counties to offer the program. In 2012, the goal is to hold 100 classes across 12 counties reaching over 1,000 families. However, the partner organizations need donations of cooking equipment like knives, pots, bowls and utensils to fully equip their classes.