Bridgette Brick-Wells
The Healthy Lunch & Lifestyle Project (HELP) has been successfully producing and delivering healthy lunches, wellness policy support, and nutrition and fitness education to K-8 students in Shasta County since September 2008.
Currently, we serve more than 750 students in three schools, approximately 400 of whom are children who qualify for, and receive, free or reduced-price lunches from us. We are negotiating with several more public schools in our community for services beginning in the fall. As our demand exceeded the capacity of our previously donated and shared space at the Market Street Steakhouse, we began searching for a new commercial kitchen space in late October.
We are excited to announce that our new kitchen has been secured at 3595 Iron Court in Shasta Lake City, in the building where Party ExtraordinAIR is located.
We are also very excited to be partnering with Mid Valley Providers, a visionary group of women who are opening a trade school in the same building. MVP provides group, independent, and assisted living homes for developmentally disabled adults; they are now also creating a unique program that will provide work and life skills training and employment opportunities for the same individuals.
As many of you know, I have more than 20 years experience working with developmentally disabled adults and children; I cannot exaggerate the positive impact that MVP will have on this often overlooked, misunderstood, and marginalized group in our community.
HELP is incredibly honored to be working with MVP; through this partnership we will be able to provide job skills training and kitchen/food safety training for the trade school, as well as nutrition, gardening, and fitness education to their clients and employees.
Through this partnership, HELP will be able to expand and grow our student lunch program to reach even more students in Shasta County. We are also working with Party ExtraordinAIR to create field trip opportunities for area students to come to the kitchen for cooking classes AND physical fitness! Could it get any better??
Please contact Shasta Lake City Mayor Gracious Palmer, City Manager Carla Thompson, and Supervisor Linda Hartman to congratulate them and express your support of the work being done in their jurisdiction.
Thank you, as always, for your support and for your commitment to improving the health and wellness of children and their families in Shasta County.
