The St. Louis Area Foodbank is doing more than helping feed people throughout the region. It also strives to provide nutritious foods that meet respective community needs.
Through an alliance with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), during the next two years the St. Louis Area Foodbank and 31 organizations will implement nutrition ranking systems.
PHA will help partners assess nutritional quality of inventories “and make strategic decisions within and across food categories to improve nutritional quality, enhancing food equity for the communities they serve,” according to a release.
“Our mission at the St. Louis Area Foodbank is to nourish people, empower communities, and transform systems – all with the lens of ensuring that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences to live an active and healthy life, Meredith Knopp, St. Louis Area Foodbank president and CEO, said in a release.
“This means that we are listening to our partners, understanding the unique cultural and dietary needs of our communities, and building new relationships with food producers to raise awareness and access to the very best foods for our community.”
St. Louis Area Foodbank received $35,000 in grant funding from PHA to begin implementation of Healthy Eating Resource (HER) guidelines and the Supporting Wellness At Pantries (SWAP) ranking tools, and for distribution of nutritionally dense fresh produce.
Knopp said the “turn-key resource will allow all of us to directly impact the health and wellness of those we serve in our 26-county service area.”
“PHA’s Healthy Hunger Relief partners serve as the foundation of our mission to transform the food landscape in pursuit of food equity,” said Nancy E. Roman, PHA president and CEO said.
“Through our work together, we’re ensuring that communities and families all across the country have access to healthier, high-quality, culturally relevant, and nutritious foods.”
Last year, PHA committed to providing 50 million servings of vegetables, fruits, and legumes to food-insecure families by 2025.
