EatFresh a Success! Looking Into 2018
The end of the year is always a great time for reflection — a time to look back on the successes and struggles across the calendar and make plans for the year ahead. As 2017 draws to a close, here at the Chester County Food Bank, we’re taking time to consider the progress of our community program, EatFresh.
This educational/hands-on initiative offers cooking and nutrition classes for youth and adults who are at risk of food insecurity. Over the course of six weeks, participants learn and practice cooking skills, as well as how to select healthy recipes and get their hands on fresh produce, whole grains and other healthy staples. At the end of each class, participants can take home the fresh produce from the session to continue the healthy eating at home!
The goal: By regularly working closely with nutritious ingredients and trying out different cooking techniques, participants will be less wary of trying new things and more likely to integrate healthy cooking and eating choices into everyday life.
In 2017, EatFresh classes were offered at La Comunidad Hispana (LCH) in Kennett Square, as well as ChesPenn Health Services in Coatesville. For the 2017 season, Catie Hargraves, CCFB’s food security initiatives program associate, taught the LCH beginner and advanced classes, and Heather Leach, a community member who assists with both our EatFresh and Fresh2You programs, taught both sessions at ChesPenn. The classes were offered in a bilingual fashion, with English and Spanish recipes and handouts provided for participants at both locations.
At the end of each of our six-week EatFresh sessions, we surveyed the participants to see if the progress we see among them each week translates to tangible changes outside of the classroom. It’s always exciting to see significant results from these surveys, especially as we’re wrapping up the year and preparing for next year. One participant at ChesPenn said, “I had a personal goal to change my eating habits for health reason, and EatFresh helped me to meet that goal this year.” Check out some of the recent results and see the success for yourself!
Our post survey showed:
- 95 percent of EatFresh participants tried a new fruit or vegetable through their class experience.
- After the EatFresh classes, 20 percent more participants said they always think about healthy food choices when deciding what to feed their families.
- EatFresh classes resulted in a 17 percent increase in participant confidence when it came to helping their families eat healthier.
- There was a 13 percent increase in participants adjusting the recipes they make at home to include more fruits and veggies.
- When focus group participants responded to a question asking for suggestions to improve the program, all responses included a call for classes to be held more often!
As we look to 2018, we hope to add more classes and keep spreading the joys of healthy food and nutritious home cooking to more children and adults!
Want to learn more? Sign up for our newsletter and stay connected. You can also donate food, funds and time to help us achieve our mission. Call (610) 873-6000 to speak to someone about getting involved or requesting a tour. Thanks to you, we’re growing a healthier community.
The Chester County Food Bank is the central hunger relief organization serving more than 120 food cupboards, meal sites and social service organizations throughout Chester County. We take a steadfast approach to provide food and build support in the neediest communities, while raising awareness and engagement among our community.