You may know Inter-Faith Food Shuttle as a Triangle organization, but our Nutrition Education department reaches across the entire state, from Boone to Morehead City!
How is that even possible? One word: Satellites. As the lead partner for Share Our Strength in North Carolina, we train and support agencies and organizations (i.e. Satellite Partners) across the state to implement Cooking Matters in their local communities.
IFFS expands the reach of Cooking Matters and Cooking Matters at the Store by “training the trainer,” and teaching other community organizations how to deliver the Cooking Matters programming in their own communities. IFFS currently has 22 Satellite Partners … double the number we had in 2014! In 2015 our Satellites provided 40 courses and 86 tours, more than we could ever hope to accomplish with our staff and local volunteers alone.
Our Satellite Partners are crucial to our ability to expand our reach hundreds of miles beyond Raleigh—into homes and communities that are eager to utilize Cooking Matters curriculum to learn about seasonal produce, recipes, shopping tips, and health improvement. A key to Cooking Matters’ success is active learning and skills training-- practical information that empowers families to eat healthy on a budget.
One of our Satellite Partners, Southwestern Community College in Sylva, shared the following feedback with us after a training with clients who were in the vocational rehab system:
[quote]“I am pleased to report that one of the clients got a job in food service, partly because of his participation in Cooking Matters. Another client has diabetes and we noticed he changed some of his habits thanks to what he learned through the program. Lastly, a grandfather reported that his grandson became more adventurous with trying new foods at home. So it was very much a success!”[/quote]
County lines should not be a barrier to acquiring nutrition knowledge, healthy eating habits, cooking skills, and financial planning skills. Our wonderful and hardworking Satellite Partners make sure that all North Carolina residents have an equal opportunity to better provide for themselves and their families. Thank you for all your amazing work!
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By Sally Bache, IFFS Administrative Services Manager. Contact: Sally@FoodShuttle.org