Picnic Project recognized as a Nutritious Pantry

On September 12, 2024, Picnic Project was officially certified as a Nutritious Pantry by Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. As part of the first cohort, Picnic Project is one of six food pantries in our region that has specifically committed to distributing and promoting access to nutritious foods.

To reach Picnic Project's level of certification, agencies must offer at least one food group as client choice, have at least 70% of trackable foods qualify as healthy, promote nutritious items at each distribution, offer nutrition and cooking education and/or resources, connect participants with local clinics and health resources, and survey our neighbors about their food preferences and nutrition needs.

To be able to meet these requirements and ensure that we always have a variety of wholesome foods available would not be possible without our partnerships with organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank, The Bishop's Storehouse, Society of St. Andrew and Feed Hunger Now. Additionally, our team of volunteers are invaluable - they are the ones who sort, pack, glean, and help to distribute all those fruits and veggies!

Picnic Project has recognized the direct link between healthy food access and community health outcomes. Some desired upshots include lower incidences of and managing the symptoms of chronic disease, children performing better in school, and less sick days.

Thus, providing the opportunity to choose fresh produce, spices, and whole grains has been established of one of our core priorities.

In addition to the nourishing foods that we share, Picnic Project is making efforts to promote healthy eating in others ways too. One of the main ways we do this is our monthly Eat Well, Live Well lunch and learn series in partnership with AdventHealth. At each session we hear from a guest speaker about a relevant health topic, have a live cooking demo, share a healthy lunch, and offer produce for attendees to take with them. If you are interested in attending, they are at 11 a.m. on the second Monday of each month and you can register through our event calendar.

With the ongoing work of Picnic Project, the support of our community, partners and volunteers, and like-minded organizations, we can ensure that all of our neighbors can choose to eat well and be nourished. If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved, email info@picnicproject.org. For more photos, check out our album or our Facebook post!