By Rose Kaplan, Virtual Intern
Editor’s Note: I asked Rose Kaplan to write about her work for National Nutrition Month and explain what she does at the food bank. I am thrilled to see that Rose is truly making a difference in the nutrition world.
Imagine what your life would be like if you did not have healthy food to put on the table. Now, imagine what life would be like if you did not know when your next meal would be or where it was coming from. This situation is the reality for families all across the country, with more than 17.6 million American households considered to be food-insecure.
To break that down even further, last year, 33 million adults and 16 million children did not get the food they need. This is what we call being “food insecure.” Childhood hunger is devastating. Hungry kids are more likely to experience short- and long-term health issues, have trouble learning in school, and be more prone to emotional and behavioral problems. While many of us think of nutrition as choosing the healthiest foods, catering to our specific dietary choices, or even trying a new recipe, nutrition to 1 in every 5 children is whether or not they will have a meal to eat. In Cincinnati, Ohio, programs such as Power Pack are aiming to combat this issue.
After receiving my Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from Miami University in Ohio, I began working at the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati, where my job is to coordinate the Power Pack backpack meals program. This program provides 4,000 children most at-risk of hunger a shelf stable bag of food to take home from school, every weekend of the school year. The phrase “shelf stable” is not usually synonymous with healthy food. My job is to change that.
Starting next month, April 2014, we will be launching a redesigned, healthier backpack meal, which has not been an easy task. Healthy shelf stable items are hard to obtain, and those that exist are usually pricey. However, after months of research, a new backpack that better caters to the nutrition needs of school-aged children has been developed. Cereals high in sugar have been replaced with whole grains, naturally sweetened granola bars, and organic applesauce. Orange-flavored beverages have been replaced by a blended fruit and vegetable juice. Canned meats and pastas have been replaced with heart healthy options, such as sunflower butter (also known as sunbutter) and sunflower kernels.
Though 4,000 children is a small percentage of the 16 million who go hungry each day, making these changes matters. During this National Nutrition Month, I ask that you expand your horizons from testing out a new healthy recipe to helping provide nutrition for somebody, especially a child, who might not be able to eat otherwise. Hungry children are simply not getting the resources they need. Please consider donating money to your local food bank. We can all make a difference, one child at a time.
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