Everyday Food Smarts a Success!

Today we launched a new program - Everyday Food Smarts - in collaboration with the SD Domestic Violence Council and SD HHSA.  This program was a variation on our Food Smarts Training Program.  We took apart our curriculum and reassembled it to be used throughout an organization's existing programming in a coordinated way by staff members.  Breaking our activities and discussions apart from a workshop setting is a great solution for organizations who want nutrition and health to be a priority, but who are hesitant to add another program to the mix.

We had 14 participants from a wide variety of DV and non-DV agencies.  YWCA, Crisis House, City Heights Assembly of God, South Bay SDA, IRC, San Ysidro Health Center, South Bay Community Services, Women's Resource Center, and Shakti Rising were all in attendance.  Participants were given basic nutrition information by Ruthi Solari of SD HHSA and then taken through several activities from the toolkit as well as given an overview of how organizations can intentionally and strategically empower their clients without adding programming, or taking a lot of extra time.

As usual, we snacked and lunched - putting the participants in charge of Quinoa Veggie Salad, Hummus and Veggie Wraps, Oat Bran Banana Muffins, and Spinach, Orange, and Cranberry Salad.  Delicious!

I had a great time - and we plan on offering this programming more regularly.  Our only change will be a slightly longer format.  I think the ideal length would be a full day instead of only a morning!

Welcome My Tu!

We are pleased to announce that My Tu Duong has joined the Leah's Pantry staff as a full-time Registered Dietician and Program Coordinator.  

My Tu graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science. Prior to Leah's Pantry, she worked as a Degreed Nutritionist at Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center WIC program in the East Bay serving low-income families. Working there confirmed her passion for working with low-income and underserved populations.  She recently completed her dietetic internship with the Central Valley WIC in Fresno, with an emphasis in Community Nutrition.  My Tu's hobbies include running, dog-walking, cooking, dancing, singing, traveling and photography. 

My Tu will be working as a nutrition educator in San Francisco and on projects throughout Caifornia.  She can be reached at mytu@leahspantrysf.org.

We are hiring a part-time workshop coordinator!

We are looking for a workshop coordinator/facilitator to help out with our workshops in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area.  This is a part-time, 20 hour per week position.  Candidates must be bilingual in either Spanish or Cantonese.  Check out the full description here and pass the word!

San Francisco FSTP: 4/19-4/20

Spread the word: our next Food Smarts Training Program is scheduled for April 19-20th in San Francisco. This program is FULLY FUNDED for organizations serving low-income populations. Funding includes free registration, curriculum materials for two workshops and a food stipend for the workshops run by graduates. This is a GREAT opportunity.

Register here.

Leah's Pantry, HSA, and SFFB awarded large grant for SNAP-Ed

San Francisco Human Services, Leah's Pantry, and the San Francisco Food Bank recently received a large grant to provide nutrition education to CalFresh recipients in San Francisco.  This multi-faceted grant, title Fresh Approach, will include our 6-week workshops and Food Smarts Training Program.  We are hoping to run 75 workshops in San Francisco over the next 17 months in addition to 4 training programs.  The Food Bank will offer 1-day nutrition workshops to partner agencies in addition to food safety training.  Also included is a nutrition education website linked to BenefitsCalWin, the website where SF residents can apply for nutrition assistance.

After five years of hard work building a curriculum that delivers results, we could not be happier to have been included in this project!