NUTRITION EDUCATION

Nutrition knowledge and skills empower our neighbors to make the healthy choice the easy choice and to prepare nutritious home cooked meals.

About

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank offers free nutrition education programming for the communities we serve to address food and nutrition insecurity. Our nutrition education program is neighbor centered with the goal to empower individuals to gain the confidence and skills to improve their health and the health of their loved ones. Our team of nutrition educators offer classes, both virtually and in-person, to our partners and community organizations, as well as distribute evidence-based nutrition materials and recipes.

Programs

Nutrition Workshop: A nutrition education training for your neighbors served.
- Central Pennsylvania Food Bank nutrition staff will teach classes to equip your clients with information on healthy eating and practical ways to reach their nutrition goals. This includes nutrition basics, eating healthy on a budget, tips to help encourage their kids to be healthy eaters, and importance of physical activity for health and well-being.
- Workshop location options: at your location, in the Teaching Kitchen at the Central PA Pennsylvania Food Bank, Virtually – live or recorded
Point-of-Service: Short and simple nutrition education opportunities, brought directly to where clients choose or receive food.
- The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank nutrition staff can demonstrate a healthy recipe using foods available to clients at the pantry or offer a food tasting.
- This may also include handouts with a recipe and nutrition information for foods being distributed at the pantry. This can be a way for clients to feel more confident in choosing healthy foods they can prepare in easy and delicious ways.
Train-the-Trainer: Training for volunteers, staff, community partners at your agency or program to provide nutrition education or support to clients.
- Central Pennsylvania Food Bank nutrition staff can provide nutrition and health trainings, materials, and lessons to staff/volunteer/community members to be able to talk to clients about nutrition and guide them to make healthy choices.
Nudges: Changes to the food environment to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
- Making simple changes where clients eat, shop, and receive food empowers them to make food choices that benefit their health and well-being.
- Some changes may include: transitioning to more client choice options; creating nudges that make nutritious options a convenient and abundant choice; creating signs to provide education and encouragement of healthy choices; and/or creating meal-kits with recipes and nutrition information for a pre-packaged pantry model.
- Example nudges programs include:
  - Feeding PA’s Healthy Pantry Initiative
  - Supporting Wellness at Pantries
Nutrition Education for an Event
- A fun, interactive nutrition education table run by staff from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank for food pantries, food distributions, health fairs, community outreach events, etc.
Nutrition Education Resources
- For our partner agencies, we can provide free nutrition education materials like recipes, produce information cards, posters, and chronic disease prevention handouts to distribute to their guests.