It was a full house at Verdant Health Commission’s new Community Wellness Center in Lynnwood Saturday, as people of all ages toured the new facility that Commission Superintendent Carl Zapora predicts will become “a hub” of health and wellness programming and activity for South Snohomish County.

Zapora pointed to the “gorgeous state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen” where cooking classes emphasizing healthier recipes will be offered free of charge. On Saturday morning, nearly two dozen people gathered around the shiny new kitchen — which was designed with help from PCC Natural Markets Chef Lynn Vea — to watch Swedish Edmonds dietician Megan Ellison prepare a Kale, Avocado and Chickpea Salad.

Starting in February, the nearly 9,000-square-foot wellness center will begin offering a variety of classes at low or no cost, focusing on areas ranging from stress management and relaxation, to a parent information night on teens and marijuana, to a “Couch to 8K” training program. Zapora was proud to report that one of those stopping by the open house was a woman who had participated in a Verdant-sponsored Six Weeks to a Healthier You program and lost 80 pounds. You can see a schedule of classes under the Featured Events heading here.

According to Zapora, the health commission recognized that South Snohomish County has a shortage of meeting space, so the new wellness center has several meeting rooms of various sizes, which will be offered to organizations for health-related programming. See the link here for guidelines.

The center will also house a community resource advocate, Nancy Budd, who will serve as the South Snohomish County contact for the 2-1-1 program, a phone referral service where people can call for health and human service information and referrals.

The Community Wellness Center is located at 4710 196th St. S.W., across the street from the Lynnwood Fred Meyer store. For more information see verdanthealth.org.