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Students enjoy the crop-planting event that is the finale of The Goodness In Food program. | Photos courtesy of Feeding America Riverside San Bernardino
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An Inland Empire food bank is offering an interactive program this month for elementary school kids that aims to raise awareness about the need to reduce food waste and address hunger.
Feeding America Riverside San Bernardino’s The Goodness In Food program features four Saturday sessions for children in kindergarten through 2nd grade.
“The TGIF program teaches kids about nutrition education,” FARSB Program Coordinator Emily Saunders said. “As they learn, we will ask questions along the way. If they answer and participate, they will be awarded raffle tickets. At the end of each week, the raffle tickets will be turned in for the chance to win prizes such as games, toys, pencils, books and more.”
Through TGIF, food bank personnel guide a group of 40 students through interactive lesson plans that teach techniques for reducing food waste and long-term solutions to hunger, according to FARSB.
The inaugural lesson this Saturday will include instruct students on managing food waste and composting techniques, Saunders said.
The first three sessions start at 10 a.m. at the FARSB warehouse, 2950 Jefferson St. in Riverside. In addition to Saturday, classes are also scheduled for March 11 and 18.
The program culminates with a day at a local garden where kids spend an afternoon planting fruits and vegetables on the farm, according to the FARSB website. Crops that students plant will eventually go to help support families experiencing food insecurity throughout the Inland Empire.
This year the TGIF planting event is scheduled for March 25 at Overflow Farms, 4850 Jurupa Ave. in Riverside.
“This program provides all the material the kids need each week,” Saunders said. “They will have a one-hour series designed to help children … understand the importance of food waste. … And at the end of the month, we will take a field trip to a local farm here in the Inland Empire, where the kids can learn about planting and harvesting. They will even have the opportunity to take home some produce from the farm. Each participant will also receive a certificate of completion from the program.”
FARSB started in 1980 as Survive Food Bank distributing about 10,000 pounds of food monthly in partnership with about 20 local nonprofit agencies, according to the organization’s website. Currently the food bank distributes more than 2.5 million pounds each month and partners with over 250 local nonprofits.
“Nutrition education is the first step to ensuring a healthy, hunger-free community,” according to FARSB.
For more information on the TGIF program or FARSB, call 951-359-4757 or send email via www.feedingamericaie.org/contact.
