A free program to promote healthy families

1. Newsome Park Elementary School:

13,328 total lbs. serving 90 kids a week

2. Briarfield Elementary School:

12,742 total lbs. serving 70 kids a week

 3. Aberdeen Elementary School:

10,976 total lbs. serving 70 kids a week

 We Produce…Produce & “Food for Kids” are the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula’s own outreach programs for economically disadvantaged communities.  The Foodbank established produce drop-off sites at pre-determined locations throughout our service area.  The Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula’s focus is on inner-city, rural, low income, and senior resident housing complexes throughout the Peninsula.  The Foodbank in partnership with community volunteers coordinate the distribution for each site.  We Produce …Produce and “Food for Kids” volunteers pick-up produce throughout the week to distribute them to housing complexes, Kids Cafe Sites, and elementary schools. This effort helps make fresh produce such as asparagus, eggplants, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts available to those who cannot afford fresh produce because of a limited or fixed income. 

The Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula has included Nutrition Education as a component of the We Produce…Produce & “Food for Kids” Programs.  This component will provide nutritional information such as the value of adding more fruits and vegetables to the diet and suggestions on how to prepare, properly handle, and store a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Why are fruits important?   Fruit and fruit juices provide important amounts of vitamins A and C and potassium.  They are low in fat and sodium.

What is the Best Nutrition Advice?   Follow the seven guidelines for healthful diet advice for healthy Americans 2 years of age and up.  The United States Department of Agriculture, Health, and Human Services offers the best up-to-date advice from nutritionists which are the basis of Federal nutrition policy.

•   Eat a variety of foods to get the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need for good health.
•  Balance the food you eat with physical activity - maintain or improve your weight to reduce your chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, a stroke, certain cancers, and the most common kind of diabetes.
•  Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits, which provide needed vitamins, minerals, fiber, and complex carbohydrates, and can help you lower your intake of fat.
•  Choose a diet  low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart attack and certain types of cancer and to help you maintain a healthy weight.
•  Choose a diet  moderate in sugars. A diet with lots of sugars has too many calories and too few nutrients for most people and can contribute to tooth decay.
•  Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.