Frequently asked questions

Answered by a team member at Pilot Light

• What is your mission?

  At Pilot Light, we believe that food education is a vital part of students' development requiring the same attention as academic development.
  Since 2010, we have supported Pre-K-12 students with food education that is part of regular classroom instruction that energizes learning. We support students as they learn and advocate for informed choices by bridging the lessons they learn in their classrooms to the foods on their lunch trays, at home, and in their communities.

• How are donations used?

  In the decade since Pilot Light was founded, we’ve grown, listened to, and learned from our teachers, their students, and their communities, and we’re still on that journey. Donations support our Food Education Fellowship and Food Education Center. The Fellowship is a year-long program through which teachers receive professional development and one-on-one coaching to facilitate delivery of our standards-aligned lessons and hands-on food experiences and advocacy projects in their classroom. The Food Education Center is an online library of 162 food education lessons, videos, and other resources that support learning in the classroom. Registered users can download lessons and videos to support advancement of learning as measured against Common Core, NTSS, and our own Food Education Standards.

• What progress has been made already thanks to your donors?

  20,000 children in grades PreK-12 across our nation have experienced engaging Pilot Light food education experiences, and over 250 teachers have been trained to deliver standards-aligned lessons. 50,000 educators and parents have registered on our Food Education Center where they have accessed food education resources and videos and downloaded 3,000 lessons.

• What is the history of your organization?

  Pilot Light began in 2010 when four Chicago chefs—Jason Hammel, Paul Kahan, Matthias Merges, and Justin Large—wanted to give back to their Chicago community by teaching students about food through food.

  They collaborated with educators and other experts to develop a unique Common Core-aligned Food Education curriculum that teaches students where food comes from, how it grows, and how the choices they make affect their bodies and the environment. The first lessons were delivered in a single Chicago public school, where the model was tested and honed. Today, Pilot Light lessons are being delivered in classrooms across the country.