Thanks to a grant from the Weldon F. Osborne Foundation, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank will lead nutrition education sessions at Orchard Knob Elementary School on Friday from 9-11 a.m. Holly Martin, CAFB’s nutrition education coordinator, will conduct a “Fruit Focused and Water Wise” presentation to 2nd grade and 4th grade classes where she’ll demonstrate simple and creative ways to incorporate healthy food into daily routines.
The session is a core part of the CAFB Sack Pack Nutrition Program currently active at the school.
“We are thankful to the school administrators and the Weldon F. Osborne Foundation for this
opportunity to provide nutrition education and good, nutritious food to children at Orchard Knob
Elementary, said Ms. Martin. "Their support is critical to meeting the needs of the kids in our region who are most at risk of hunger.
Due to the school’s high need and CAFB’s longstanding, working relationship with school
administrators, Orchard Knob Elementary School has been chosen as the pilot partner for CAFB’s Sack Pack Nutrition Program. This program, geared toward feeding children, provides nourishment for growing bodies, and is a way to educate entire families about the availability of food assistance.
The program is comprised of nutrition education presentations, equipment and supplies, and weekly Sack Pack delivery to Orchard Knob Elementary. CAFB works with Orchard Knob to identify children who receive free or reduced lunches during the school week and provides them with weekly Sack Packs— supplemental food to take home for the weekends, when children are at the greatest risk of hunger.
Research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that children’s “lack of access to a nutritious and adequate food supply has implications not only for the development of physical and mental disease, but also behaviors and social skills.” In order for children to grow and thrive, CAFB recognizes efforts must be made to not only supply nutritious food, but also provide correlating nutrition education, said officials.