Armed with affordable fresh produce, skills imparted by top local chefs and advice from nutritionists, a number of local families are participating in a program to both increase access to nutritious food and build healthy cooking and eating habits.
The Minnesota Hunger Initiative is all about bringing together groups and resources to create better opportunities for healthier, and well-fed people. Through combined efforts of the Minnesota Hunger Initiative, Medica, Solutran, and University of Minnesota Extension, the Healthy Savings Program has come into place!
The Healthy Savings Program is a 12-week voluntary program that provides access to free and discounted food, while also offering educational opportunities to focus on things such as cooking skills and shopping tips. Participants in the Healthy Savings Program receive:
• Healthy Savings Card loaded for 12 weeks of free produce, continued benefits for healthier foods, and benefits to shop at local farmers’ markets
• Cooking class to learn knife, nutrition, and safety tips
• Kitchen supplies for easier and faster cooking
• A grocery store tour where participants learn how to use the Healthy Savings Card, tips on reading labels, weighing food and budgeting
• A dietary log to measure current and post-pilot eating habits
• At the end of the project, a survey to measure behavioral changes.
Right now five food shelf programs are working to enroll people into the program, and this will only continue to grow. For a full press release and more information about the Healthy Savings Program, as well as the partners working on it, click here.