The Vermont Foodbank is piloting a nutrition education program, VT Fresh, in partnership with 11 Network Partner food shelves across the state. VT Fresh aims to increase access and improve availability of fresh fruits and vegetables at community food shelves.
Vermont Foodbank staff and volunteers will be offering cooking demonstrations and taste tests 1-2 times per month at selected sites. Our hope is that this will engage visitors of community food shelves by providing an opportunity for them to taste recipes that use a specific fruit or vegetable as the primary ingredient.
In February 2014, all 11 VT Fresh pilot sites were surveyed. Five primary goals were identified:
- Increase the prominence of fruits and vegetables
- Increase the availability and variety of fruits and vegetables
- Increase the convenience of fruits and vegetables
- Provide timely reminders
- Facilitate preference change
You can read more about the goals and strategies here (click the image to download the pdf):
For more information on VT Fresh, or to see which food shelves are pilot sites, please visit our website.
Programs like this would not be possible without the support of our donors, volunteers and network partners. If you support programs like this, please consider giving to the Vermont Foodbank today!