Uniting Country SA (UCSA) is proud to be the winner of the inaugural SA Healthy Towns Challenge Award. The organisations Port Pirie Community FoodHub won the award with its “FoodHub Health and Wellbeing Project”

This project, led by FoodHub Coordinator Jacqui Mezzino, facilitated initiatives to improve people’s general health and wellbeing by increasing the communities understanding of the relationship between healthy eating and disease management. The project demonstrated how people on any budget can eat healthily, with activities that enabled people to learn how they can manage their own health and wellbeing.

Initiatives undertaken in this project included up skilling UCSA’s FoodHub volunteers, cooking classes, FoodHub activities, Meal Pack development, and promotion of the FoodHub.

Up skilling UCSA’s FoodHub volunteers included building their confidence to engage with customers and share nutritional and healthy eating options. The cooking classes taught people how to prepare simple and affordable meals for themselves and their families. Some of the FoodHub activities, included in store cooking demonstrations, static displays, hosting school students and client surveys. The meal packs developed by the Flinders University Dietetic Students assisted customers of the FoodHub to prepare healthy meals by providing a recipe and all needed ingredients. Promoting the FoodHub to the community involved meeting with agencies, case workers, business and community leaders, and discussing the benefits of the FoodHub and the necessity of nutritious diets.

Poor nutrition plays a significant role in diabetes, obesity and lead absorption. Increasing the communities understanding about the benefits of healthy eating is critical in empowering people to take control of their own health.

Uniting Country SA and the Port Pirie Community FoodHub relies on community support to provide services. Click these links if you would like to learn more about the organisation, volunteer, or donate.

“I appreciate the volunteers making suggestions to help me feed my family healthier”

• FoodHub customer

“Enjoyed the cooking in store with great ideas for hiding vegetables in food”

• FoodHub customer

          

Thanks to Dianah Walter for the use of her photo's