As many children return to school, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle prepares to kick off four child nutrition and education initiatives, ensuring children can have a healthy school year and reach their full learning potential. As a Back-to-School week feature, CBS 17's My Carolina highlighted the issue of child hunger and Food Shuttle initiatives geared toward providing children with the food they need to grow, learn, and thrive.
The week began with an interview with President and CEO, L. Ron Pringle, in which he discussed the broader issue of child hunger and the Food Shuttle initiatives which provide the needed access to food and nutrition education.
On Tuesday, Child Hunger Program Coordinator Joe Cashman visited the My Carolina set to talk about BackPack Buddies. BackPack Buddies provide nutritious, kid-friendly, pre-packed meals for the weekend when children have no access to their school’s free lunch and breakfast.
Senior Nutrition Programs Manager Chasity Newkirk brought the Food Shuttle’s new self-contained kitchen—the Charlie Cart—to the studio on Wednesday, and discussed Cooking Matters for Families while preparing two easy, nutritious afterschool snacks. Classes like Cooking Matters for Families emphasize healthy low-cost ingredients, kid-friendly recipes, and teaching families to get the most nutrition out of their limited budgets.
On Thursday, Agriculture Education was featured during a visit to a school garden with Agriculture Education Manager Ayn Corrigan. From Sprout Scouts to Growing Garden Classrooms, these initiatives teach students and empower educators with cooking, gardening, and nutrition education in hands-on, fun, and engaging ways.
Joe Cashman returned on Friday to talk about the important role of School Pantries. School Pantries offer a welcoming and convenient space for students and their families to access nutritious food.
All these initiatives are made possible through the support of generous funders in the community. Thanks to Chiesi USA, all back-to-school gifts will be matched, now through August 31, up to $25,000. Donations can be made at www.FoodShuttle.org/BackToSchool.