Food for Homeless People
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | October 6, 2009
Washington Post | The Checkup
What's better to bring to the homeless shelter, a bag of apples or a tray of lasagna?
Probably the apples. But the good-hearted, well-meaning folks who donate food to shelters often choose otherwise. So says Juliette Tahar, founder of the nonprofit organization Healthy Living, Inc. and the subject of this week's "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy" column.
Tahar tries to help people living in homeless shelters learn how to eat more healthfully. But, she says, her education efforts extend beyond the residents to include the volunteers who bring them food.
"It's an important issue in the shelter system," Tahar says. "A lot of volunteers bring a lot of comfort food. There's a perception that that's what [people in shelters] need. But how do you tell a volunteer who's prepared that tray of lasagna with love and caring that that's not what we want?"
Tahar encourages the people she counsels to build new relationships with food, to understand why they eat the things they do and to make more healthful choices when possible. She believes in their taking "baby steps" toward a more nutritious diet, substituting water for soda, for instance, and keeping an eye on portion size.
Read the full article here.
Feeding America
Another great resource site:
Homeless Shelter Directory
Washington Post | The Checkup
What's better to bring to the homeless shelter, a bag of apples or a tray of lasagna?
Probably the apples. But the good-hearted, well-meaning folks who donate food to shelters often choose otherwise. So says Juliette Tahar, founder of the nonprofit organization Healthy Living, Inc. and the subject of this week's "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy" column.
Tahar tries to help people living in homeless shelters learn how to eat more healthfully. But, she says, her education efforts extend beyond the residents to include the volunteers who bring them food.
"It's an important issue in the shelter system," Tahar says. "A lot of volunteers bring a lot of comfort food. There's a perception that that's what [people in shelters] need. But how do you tell a volunteer who's prepared that tray of lasagna with love and caring that that's not what we want?"
Tahar encourages the people she counsels to build new relationships with food, to understand why they eat the things they do and to make more healthful choices when possible. She believes in their taking "baby steps" toward a more nutritious diet, substituting water for soda, for instance, and keeping an eye on portion size.
Read the full article here.
Feeding America
Another great resource site:
Homeless Shelter Directory
posted by bowen at 12:04 PM
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