Improving Health within North County’s Food Bank

I am Kelly Shaughnessy, a current intern at North County’s Food Bank. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Foods and Nutrition, I am presently fulfilling my Community Nutrition rotation for my dietetic internship - on my way to becoming a Registered Dietitian.  Over the past 20 years, North County’s Food Bank has grown from a small cooperative serving 5 agencies to a full-blown food banking system serving over 75 agency partners and their clients.  Food distribution through the program has increased a remarkable 1,275% since its inception, and today serves every community in Northern San Diego County.  Working with our agency partners in addition to direct food distribution sites, senior outreach initiatives and our other emergency food relief services, North County’s Food Bank now serves over 18,000 individuals each month.

During my time spent in this organization, I have discovered nutritional needs that should be addressed within the service population of North County’s Food Bank.  For instance, it is documented that low-income individuals are more overweight or obese than individuals with a median-income or above.  This occurrence may be due to many factors: limited or no knowledge of nutrition, limited access to healthy foods, and no safe locations for physical activity.

In light of this, the goal of North County’s Food Bank is two-fold: 1. Reduce food insecurity in the community by providing food to those who need it, and 2. Meeting this need by providing well-balanced and nutritional provisions of food. With this in mind, I have developed a program (described below) that has been recently implemented at North County’s Food Bank with the specific objective of reducing overweight and obesity rates and their related diseases within the community. The Assisting Low-Income Families with Nutritious Foods Program  will include interventions related to decreasing obesity rates in the community and increasing awareness on how to improve the health of low-income families’ diets.

Temporary Food Assistance boxes (TFA boxes) are food boxes filled with perishable and non-perishable food items, given to low-income families and individuals in need of food. With the implementation of this program, the TFA boxes were transformed into a more nutritiously balanced box of food for those who are eligible.  Before the program was put into place, a typical TFA box was too high in saturated fats and cholesterol due to too much meat and processed grains, and there were insufficient amounts of fresh produce. Now, there is more fresh produce, less processed grains and less meat (therefore a more healthful box).

Also, Spend Light, Eat Right brochures on how to eat healthy when on a budget are provided with each TFA box, along with SNAP (Food Stamp) brochures and resource lists for additional support. 

With overweight and obesity rates still on the rise, even in low-income populations, there is a dire need for help. It is hopeful, that as this Assisting Low-Income Families with Nutritious Foods Program continues, the health of the North San Diego County residents will improve.