New Program To Help School Children Make Healthier Choices
With school back in session, children and caregivers are faced with the important decision of a snack after school. Fruits and vegetables are very important in a child’s diet. Still, they seem to be last on a young child’s mind when they choose a “snack” for themselves. We have adapted a new program at the food bank called Pick a better snack™ to help with this challenge many face.
This program, funded by the Department of Child and Family Services, is a monthly nutrition education lesson delivered by a staff member from our nutrition services department. Each lesson introduces elementary students to a new fruit or vegetable in an interactive, age-appropriate manner. The fruit or vegetable is then tasted by the children as they give a “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down” to show if they enjoyed it.
“The goal of our program is to increase daily consumption of fruits and vegetables among elementary age children,” said Nutrition Services Manager Jordyn Barlow. “We hope these lessons can allow children the ability to make the right choice when choosing their snacks at home while also giving them a fun and informative lesson during their regular classroom routine.”
Currently, our funding allows access to these lessons in West Feliciana, Livingston and Pointe Coupee Parish. If you would like more information on these classes in the above parishes, please contact (225) 359-9940 or email info@brfoodbank.org.
Restaurant Week 2019: July 29 – August 3
