Walter Magazine, April 2020
TABLE: Growing Healthy Habits
Children tend to be the most vulnerable when it comes to food insecurity. Around 6,000 kids qualify for the free and reduced lunch program in Orange County alone. But what happens when the kids go home? TABLE’s mission is to ensure that children have access to healthy food for every meal.
The nonprofit has a two-part solution to the issue. Its weekend meal backpack program delivers over 700 bags, each containing five to six meals and snacks, to 30 different sites weekly. Its nutrition education program, Snack Chef, brings food education to after-school programs in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Children are introduced to healthy snacks, like avocado toast, and can bring the recipe and ingredients home to share with family and friends.
“Our goal with both of our programs is to expose children to healthy food,” says Suzanne Tormollen, Director of Community Relations at TABLE. “It’s to encourage them to try new food—especially local, fresh foods—and in doing so help them learn to make better choices and develop healthier eating habits that will last them the rest of their life.”
With the Thrive NC donation, Tormollen estimates TABLE will be able to provide an additional 10,000 meals and 2,000 backpacks to the community. “That’s a huge, huge impact going directly back into our community,” she says.
To read the full article, visit here.