Pantry Plus More is making sure families in need know how to use the foods they receive.
When Pantry Plus More volunteers realized a while back that families were turning down certain types of foods because they didn’t know how to prepare them, a light bulb went off.
The group brainstormed ways to teach families how to turn the foods Pantry Plus More often distributes into quick, easy, and nutritious meals. “We believe that it is not only important to have food available for our most vulnerable, but to teach them how to prepare the food we give them in a healthy manner,” says Pantry Plus More Nutrition and Education Committee Co-Chair Mike Miller.
Then they worked with students and professors at WVU’s School of Public Health to create recipes featuring foods that are often donated to pantries across Monongalia County and containing an assortment of proteins and nutrients.
And last Saturday, along with its regular distribution of food and other items, Pantry Plus More passed out nearly 80 cookbooks and measuring cups and spoons to families and individuals who face food insecurity.
The recipes are housed inside 3-ring binders so families can add more recipes as time goes on. And they’re created with children in mind, Miller says, so they, too, can make easy and nutritious meals. The recipes can be found on the Pantry Plus More website.
Families were excited to receive the cookbooks, says Miller, who has cooked and enjoyed every recipe. Pantry Plus More plans to distribute more cookbooks as funding for photocopying and for purchasing binders allows. “This has been made possible by the community,” Miller says. “People in this community are incredible and try to help those in need as much as they can.”
Donations to Pantry Plus More feed hungry children in Monongalia County. To donate, visit pantryplusmore.org.
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