As the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic brought some Food Shuttle programs to a halt, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle looked for ways to innovate and continue to serve the community digitally. This unique opportunity allows the growth of Food Shuttle programming and exposure of learning curriculum to a wider audience than traditional in-person programming previously offered. Concentrating on the areas of Community Health and Urban Agriculture Education, the Food Shuttle’s new digital programming is expanding its reach to focus on one of the organization’s greatest strengths: education as a means of empowering people to overcome the burden of hunger. This is a true expression of the Food Shuttle mission to pioneer innovative, transformative solutions designed to end hunger in our community.
Since May 2020, the Food Shuttle has been presenting “Cooking Matters at Home” webinars, a virtual extension of the popular Cooking Matters program. These digital classes teach participants to shop smarter, use nutrition information to make healthier choices, and cook delicious affordable meals. The “Cooking Matters at Home” webinars have featured topics such as “Kids in the Kitchen” and “Cooking Matters at the Store Virtual Tour”. Even digitally, participants receive a $10 Food Lion gift card by mail after attending. Staff also are working with community partners who normally host Cooking Matters classes to offer private nutrition webinars to their populations such as seniors, elementary students, and families. The Food Shuttle is an implementation partner for Share Our Strength's nutrition education program, Cooking Matters, through the Community Health Education program. Information on the next webinar, “The Family Kitchen: Food Storage and Safety,” can be found here.
Within the Urban Agriculture Education program, production is underway on video series for Seed to Supper and Sprout Scouts. Seed to Supper is a six-week beginning gardening course teaching individuals how to grow their own fruits and vegetables, build backyard gardens, and sustain their harvest. The digital version of the course will comprise six units, each 30 to 45 minutes in length, with a goal to reach more individuals with the program than traditional in-person classes offered. Sprout Scouts is an afterschool skills-based program developed by FoodCorps and Life Lab. While students may not be in classes indefinitely, Sprouts Scouts education will teach students about cooking, gardening, and nutrition education in a hands-on, fun and engaging way. The video version, produced as 20 episodes, 8 to 12 minutes each, features Gardener Allison and her sidekick Maizey.