Hays County Food Bank celebrates National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month and the Hays County Food Bank has numerous activities to establish a well-nourished community. 

National Nutrition Month is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, people are encouraged to focus on the importance of making informed food choices, developing sound eating practices and establishing physical activity habits. 

Nutrition education is a part of the Hays County Food Bank’s mission and it holds several cooking classes each month, hosts food demonstrations at distributions and offers nutrition education specifically for children and seniors. 

The food bank hosts a Food Wise Cooking Class — a nutrition and hands-on cooking class for the whole family. Families and individuals actively participate and learn the nutrient value of individual fruits and vegetables and how to prepare them. Fresh, seasonal items are used and lessons are aimed at teaching how to use foods received from the food bank. All ages are welcome.

Events are held on the second Monday, fourth Wednesday and final Thursday of the month at the following locations. 

• Second Monday: Springtown Villas — 503 Springtown Way — 2 p.m.
• Fourth Wednesday: Little Lambs Diaper Bank — 126 W. Hopkins St. — 10 a.m. 
• Final Thursday: — Chapultepec — 710 S. LBJ Dr. — 6 p.m. 

The Hays County Food Bank also hosts Kids Cooking Club, a cooking class just for kids that is hosted through partnerships with the Boy & Girls Club of South Central Texas and the Youth Crisis Respite Center. Children learn how to prepare and cook a low-cost and healthy meal. Kids are exposed to a variety of nutritious foods with a variety of textures and flavors. They learn about kitchen safety, knife skills, how to read a recipe, different measuring techniques and different methods of cooking.

Roland grates carrots that went into vegan gyozas during a cooking class at Springtown Villa.

The food bank also has a Community Nutrition Engagement Program, which aims to fight hunger through dietary and nutritional awareness. In collaboration with local schools and school programs targeting children, the Community Nutrition Engagement Program employs several different teaching tools to enrich the lives of young individuals, their families, and the communities in which they live. A trained nutrition professional provides an hour-long program which includes a nutrition lesson geared towards children, an interactive game to help solidify the lesson's concepts, and a food demonstration and tasting of a healthy, low-cost snack.

In addition, the Hays County Food Bank has a Senior Nutrition & Wellness Program. According to the food bank, a trained nutrition professional provides a 1-hour program which includes a stretching session, a nutrition lesson geared towards seniors and a food demonstration and tasting of a healthy, low-cost recipe. Participants receive their own copy of the recipe for future use. The food bank currently works with senior centers throughout Hays County to offer this program.

The food bank’s newest program is the Food Demonstration Program. The food bank recently decided to showcase their commitment to nutrition by preparing a healthy snack where clients go to pick up their food. The Nutrition Team utilizes items clients might receive and shows them how easy it can be to eat healthy. This month, the food bank is making Double Chocolate Zucchini Carrot Muffins and Mango Pineapple Lemonade.

Those interested in getting involved with the Hays County Food Bank’s nutrition programs can contact Jessica Cruz at 512-392-8300 x235 or by email at jcruz@haysfoodbank.org.