Hand, Heart and Soul Project Receives USDA Farm-to-School Grant to Increase Kids’ Love for Local Veggies
Atlanta, Ga. December 9, 2021-
Contact: Wande Okunoren-Meadows wande@handheartsoulproject.org (770) 596 6890
Erin Croom erin@smallbites.club (404) 620 0231
Nonprofit Hand, Heart and Soul Project (HHSP) will partner with Small Bites Adventure Club (SBAC), an Atlanta-based, women-owned company to incorporate agricultural curriculum at early care and education (ECE) centers and provide healthy, local food to foster lifelong healthy eating habits in culturally respectful ways.
Hand, Heart and Soul Project is a not-for-profit organization that provides children and families access to nutrient dense foods and works with early childhood education programs to develop holistic programs focused on health, wellness, nutrition and education in disinvested areas of Clayton County.
The USDA grant includes programming surrounding gardening, curriculum, and school farm stands at five early childcare centers in Clayton County. HHSP received a USDA Farm to School Agriculture Education Grant to fund their efforts in expanding agriculture education and program growth.
“Working with early childcare centers throughout our county to promote nutrition and farm to ECE is one of the tenets of our organization. Small Bites Adventure kits advance our goal to make classroom and program implementation turnkey. What is critical for us is the intentionality of sharing with those who interact with the kits, not only the taste test aspect, but where their food comes from and the people behind the food,” says Wande Okunoren-Meadows, Hand, Heart and Soul Project Executive Director.
SBAC provides children with activities to learn about, grow, and prepare fruits and vegetables, and through their innovative “Taste Test Boxes” that include nutrition education supplies and technical assistance to HHSP sites. (Think Blue Apron for nutrition education in classrooms.) Together, SBAC and HHSP increase children’s access to fresh foods and agricultural education. Dr. Caree Cotwright, University of Georgia, will oversee an evaluation of this program to determine the impacts and next steps for growth.
Small Bites Adventure Club Co-Founder and CEO, Erin Croom says, "We believe that children will not only eat fruits and veggies but love them when they have a chance to get great hands-on learning and access. We are proud to work on this innovative food education program with Hand, Heart and Soul Project to serve children and families in Clayton County - and hope that this partnership serves as a model to serve other programs.”
Read our interview with Wande in this blog post to learn more about how she creates engaging childcare, her role at Little Ones Learning Center, and what success means to her.