Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
By Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is proud to announce a significant milestone in its efforts to promote healthy eating habits among elementary-age children. Partnering with a local health service provider, a Foodbank nutrition initiative has garnered crucial support in its mission to foster positive relationships with food.
Kids In Nutrition, a national organization dedicated to enhancing food equity and improving the health of marginalized youth, has embraced a set of educational guidelines created by the Foodbank’s Programs and Education team. At the heart of the initiative is a set of seven core beliefs titled Principles for Fostering a Positive Experience with Food. Embracing values such as diversity, empowerment, happiness, health, language and unbiased teaching methods these principles serve as a guiding framework for promoting a healthy and balanced approach to eating habits.
Kids in Nutrition adopted the principles to help train student instructors at the nearly 100% volunteer-driven non-profit. Michelle Nicolet, co-founder and CEO at Kids in Nutrition, emphasizes the importance of training volunteers to foster a positive narrative surrounding nutrition. “We must empower our volunteers to communicate about nutrition in a manner that inspires excitement rather than instills fear,” says Nicolet. “By instilling a sense of joy and curiosity around food, we can encourage healthier eating habits among children.”
Jareli Jimenez, the Foodbank’s assistant director of education, helped develop the list of instructional guidelines. “It’s amazing knowing we are going to make a greater impact and that organizations see its value and importance,” says Jimenez. “Having a healthy relationship with food is so important and growing up with that messaging makes a huge impact as kids grow older.”
As the Foodbank continues to champion nutrition education initiatives, partnerships like these underscore its commitment to building a healthier future for children in the community.
About the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County’s mission is to end hunger and transform the health of our community through good nutrition. The Foodbank is the primary hunger relief and food empowerment organization in the region. Last year, through a network of 250+ nonprofit partners, the Foodbank distributed 10,884,809 pounds of healthy food. In Santa Barbara County, one in four people receives support from the Foodbank – 38% of the individuals we serve are children.
For more information, please visit FoodbankSBC.org or contact the Foodbank at (805) 680-0625.
