About Lifewerks Lifewerks is a nonprofit that encourages volunteering in those they serve. Using roughly 10,000 volunteer hours, they are able to supply around $100,000 worth of food and serve 15,000 people in various programs annually. As a relief organization, Lifewerks offers a wide range of programming that includes arts initiatives, garden, and other camps,…
Frozen peas, canned beans and potato chips. What do these three food items have in common? Any guesses? Keep reading to find out the answer! Since the onset of COVID-19 last spring, many Americans have been trying to limit how often they go to the grocery store. At the same time, we are…
About Pennsylvania Healthy Pantry Initiative (PA HPI) Through the Pennsylvania Healthy Pantry Initiative (PA HPI), Feeding Pennsylvania works with our member food banks to increase healthy food and beverage options available in food pantries. In addition to increasing access to nutritious food, nutrition educators will work at the pantries to encourage consumption of those…
Thanksgiving for many families in the United States is the biggest cooking holiday and is full of food traditions. Generally, Thanksgiving centers around turkey and lots of buttery, starchy sides: white potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams, corn, stuffing, rolls and of course pie(s) for dessert. Starches such as potatoes, bread and pasta are an important…
What is prediabetes? According to the CDC, Prediabetes is when a person’s blood sugars are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It is true, and the reason most do not know they have prediabetes is because there may not be any specific signs or symptoms of prediabetes….
Now is the time to take advantage of all the delicious produce Pennsylvania has to offer. Benefits to buying in season: -Tastes great -Less expensive -Supports local farmers -Packed with nutrition What is in season in Pennsylvania? There are so many options for produce right now including: beets, carrots, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, greens (such…
There are so many reasons (and benefits) to getting children involved in the kitchen! 1. Getting children involved can increase interest in food and cooking. Cooking is an important skill for children to learn and the more involved they get, the more likely they are to find it enjoyable. 2. The kitchen is a great…
Summer brings great opportunity for fun fresh food and recipes. There is local fresh produce in abundance, sunshine and gatherings (although they may look a little different this year). The time will go quickly so take advantage of all the fun seasonal foods and recipes out there! Not sure where to find local to you…
Eating healthy on a budget is not always easy, but with some planning it can be done. Find out below how the healthy pantry nutrition educators go about eating healthy while watching their budgets. To get started, here are some general tips we noticed as we planned: Look for items that are on…
Potatoes can be a part of a balanced, nutritious diet. A medium potato is about 150 calories, high in fiber, fat and cholesterol free and low sodium. Potatoes also contain several important vitamins and minerals including potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6. Potassium and fiber are both nutrients that Americans on average do not get…