“The world
is not a safer place when more people are sick or hungry.”
--Bill Gates
I have always been inspired by the
priorities of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Go to gatesfoundation.org and the first
thing you see at the top of the landing page is this statement: “ALL LIVES HAVE EQUAL VALUE.”
The above statement describes how I approach the work of the Growing Healthy Kids charitable organization. As a faith-based organization seeking to bring improve the health and lives of America's children, these are three of our core beliefs:
- All children deserve access to healthy food.
- All people with special needs deserve access to healthy food.
- All parents deserve access to education and resources about how best to raise their children in safe communities.
Something many people don't know about me is that my experience includes teaching
adults with special needs basic cooking skills. When I had this job, we would travel to local farms to see the fields where vegetables were growing and meet the farmers. We would pick up baskets of freshly picked greens, peppers, tomatoes, and whatever
else was in season that week back to the kitchen and prepare outrageously fragrant meals
together. I don't know who had more fun - the adults in the class or me.
Those adults who happen to have special needs taught me that if you are not able to use your voice to communicate, there are
other ways to communicate that sharing a wonderful meal together matters to
them. You see it in their eyes, as
they smell the flavors cooking together and they make eye contact with you. You see it in their behaviors, when there is a lack of inappropriate outbursts or acts of agression. You see it on their plates, when they eat every morsel and hold up
their plates asking for more.
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| Clockwise from top left: French lentils, broccoli, rolled oats, and a peach. |
The adults with special needs I used to serve no longer have the opportunity to create healthy dishes in their cooking classes using vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and
legumes. Sometimes the commitment to sustain a positive change is difficult. Inspirational
leadership is not easy, especially when you cannot see the forest for the trees. Are those with special
needs in your community given meals that an inmate at the
county jail might be fed? No one can thrive
when they consume primarily processed foods high in sodium, fat, and
sugar. Garbage in, garbage out.
Serving those with special needs is no different than our health ministry serving children at risk for obesity and obesity-related
diseases like diabetes. Parents
routinely drop off their children for our classes and tell us, “They don't like those vegetables.” When given the
opportunity for kids to learn how to cut, peel, chop, grate, and mix vegetables, it is always a surprise to parents to see their kids coming out with samples for their parents to enjoy. Most kids will eagerly taste what they have prepared.
Falling in love with good food is a very good
thing. It can only happen when ALL people have access to healthy food.
With love and gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich, MPH
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
