Blog

You help ensure pantries and School Food Centers are a welcoming space for everyone. We believe this is vital especially for those experiencing hunger in our community.

Since 2016 the Food Bank of the Southern Tier has been implementing the Just Say Yes (JSY) Healthy Pantry Initiative, a program supported by the New York State Department of Health. The initiative provides support from the Food Bank staff along with resources that promote nourishing foods, like baskets and chalkboards, nutrition tips, and recipes. This has directly resulted in increased ordering of more fresh produce, legumes, and whole grains.

“This program has given us a unique opportunity to establish a strong partnership with our food pantries and School Food Centers.” – Matt Griffin, Director of Health and Nutrition for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier

When Ithaca High School opened its School Food Center, the director of their site, Rachel McDonald, worked to integrate the Healthy Pantry Initiative. Rachel notes, “The program really helped to make the space inviting and made it easier to showcase the healthy choices.”

Rich and Pam Russell from the Valley Food Pantry in Waverly have found the baskets provided by the program make it easier to display items, which has made a meaningful difference. “It is just like being in the grocery store, and when clients see the items, we find they actually take them,” notes Rich.

The Community Market at Ithaca High School in Ithaca, N.Y., Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
(Photos by Heather Ainsworth)

Sharing recipes, increasing willingness to try different foods, and providing a connection with community resources and outreach are some of the benefits you help offer through the Healthy Pantry Initiative. The Meal Kits and recipe ideas have been a huge hit. Rachel shares that teachers from their school community have really embraced the program and encouraged students and families to use the center. Teachers have even shared their own delicious recipes, based on the available products, like Mr. Shyne’s Fish Taco recipe.

“Our students and families are gaining so much more than access to healthy foods, and the connections we have been able to make are making meaningful changes in lives,” notes Rachel. Sites use recipes provided by the Food Bank’s Health & Nutrition team, and volunteers also research healthier recipes using the foods their pantry is offering. Pam shared two recent recipe ideas that clients are receiving; Stovetop Cinnamon Apples and Curried Lentils.

Rich can see how the recipes make a difference. When their pantries first started offering collard greens, people were hesitant to take them. “Yet once simple ways to prepare collard greens were shared, most everyone will take them now, and even ask for them,” notes Rich.

The posters and signage to encourage nourishing foods have made a difference, too. The signage provides a tool for volunteers to work with clients and provide nutrition tips. “The Healthy Pantry Initiative got us thinking of healthier meal ideas we could share with clients. It is one of the best things we ever did, and our clients have gotten a lot of benefits out of the program,” concludes Pam.

You make a difference. THANK YOU! Together, we can build and sustain a hunger-free Southern Tier.

This article was part of our Fall 2024 Harvester newsletter, click here to view.