Interfaith Food Shuttle teaches children healthy eating on a budget

This month, WRAL News is partnering with the Interfaith Food Shuttle to help erase hunger in our community.

One of one of the organization's efforts is teaching children how to eat healthy on a budget. It provides children a foundation of nutritional knowledge.

Wilhelmina Thornton, the Interfaith Food Shuttle’s Director of the Community Scholars After-School Program, said the cooking class is a pivotal part of the after-school program.

Interfaith Food Shuttle programs like Cooking Matters aim to get kids to “eat outside the box” and get away from the processed foods. They even give students to the tools to take what they learn back home.

“Many of our students are on free and reduced lunch, and they have an opportunity through Cooking Matters to come and learn about nutrition and how to eat and be healthy,” Thornton said. “And that helps them stay awake and be more alert during school days.”

May Cespedes, the organization’s community health education programs manager, said the food shuttle curates its curriculum to its audience, so the information is relevant and entertaining for the kids.

“We've noticed that they usually love when we include some kind of activity related to foods and colors and puzzles,” Cespedes said. “So, we try to include that in our lessons and make it very fun.

The programs provide kids an opportunity for them to try new foods too.

“One important thing that we do, is we send them home with a take-home bag that includes a few of the ingredients for the recipe, along with a recipe card in both English and Spanish,so they can cook at home with their parents,” Cespedes said. “That also allows them to engage with the parents and cook as a family.”

Visit the Interfaith Food Shuttle’s website to learn more about the program, to donate or to volunteer.