If you have been reading our posts you will know that we have been writing about some of the local youth programs such as South Whidbey Commons and the South Whidbey Youth Conncection.

Whidbey Island Nourishes is another program on island that was founded 4 years ago by Mary Fisher, Jonni Reed, Dorit Zingarelli and Shirley Collins upon hearing about homeless children living on South Whidbey. With the help of many volunteers, W.I.N. now provides sack lunches and foods at a la carte locations. These include high protein sandwiches, fresh vegetables, fruit, trail-mix, string cheese, pasta salad and yogurt, which have been carefully chosen for their diverse nutrient content.

Good Cheer is a sponsoring partner; W.I.N. manages their own volunteers and is responsible for fund raising for their sack lunch program. The lunches are made in the kitchen at Good Cheer’s Bayview site. Good Cheer provides the space for storing W.I.N.’s supplies and provides them their needed program insurance. Good Cheer also serves as two of the four locations where one can pick-up a W.I.N. lunch. It is a strong partnership that has been built on trust with a unified effort in feeding the hungry on South Whidbey.

Sack Lunches can be found at:

Good Cheer Food Bank at Bayview and Good Cheer Two in Clinton

Individual food items can be found at:

S.W. Commons Coffeehouse Bookstore and  Behind Richard Epstein Construction office between Wells Fargo Bank and U.S. Bank.

Student volunteers from Bayview High School helping out, they had the peanut butter and jelly routine down!

Good Cheer wanted to reach out to the youth who may be hungry but were not receiving food directly through the food bank. We partnered with W.I.N., South Whidbey School District, South Whidbey Commons, and Youth Connections all programs with a youth focus.  If there were youth who weren’t receiving food directly from the food bank we helped to put together programs that would get food to them.

Part of the success of this program can be laid at the feet of our young people. It appears that there has been no stigma attached to accepting these sack lunches; it has been accepted by the other kids. In a world of bullying it is nice to see that our young people have the wisdom to see the need that is present in our community.

One of the problems that is not easily recognized is food insecurity. You might ask what is food insecurity? When you don’t have the money you tend to eat cheaper foods which are often less nutritious. Sure there is the dollar menu at McDonalds but we all know that fast food is not good. People also tend to buy more processed foods which are higher in sodium and often filled with other chemicals.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a tragic report on hunger in America. The report found that 49 million Americans; about 16% of the population lacked dependable access to adequate food last year. That was an increase of 13 million people over the previous year, when 12 percent of Americans faced what the government calls “food insecurity.” Of that number 23% were children.

The Good Cheer Food Bank is set up very much like a grocery store that happens to have it’s own organic garden. There are a number of programs in place that range from healthy eating to coupon clipping.

This year W.I.N. added a new program which is designed to teach children the value of nutritional food and how to prepare it for themselves. Last summer WIN was given access to the home economics classroom at Langley Middle School. They used the opportunity to teach sustainability and how important it is to buy locally rather than to consider only the price of an item.

Helene Chandler provided those valuable classes on etiquette. Teaching what the table settings should be, how to arrange flowers and knowing the difference between eating utensils. Pretty important information and more appreciated as you grow older.

I spent some time with Miriam Coates who is very passionate about our youth, teaching sustainability and food studies. Miriam is active with Whidbey Island Nourishes where she is in charge of education and food procurement. She is eager to bring Farm to School options to South Whidbey, Miriam also serves on the school district’s nutritional advisory committee. Wouldn’t it be nice to bring organics into our schools?

Both of our programs believe strongly in:

Nourishing a connection to our food systems, to the land and to the farmers who provide our food.

Nourishing is a sense of personal empowerment through education about health, nutrition, cooking and healthy lifestyle choices.

Nourishing our environment by fostering a deeper understanding of the environmental impact of food and waste management systems.

Nourishing independence through practical life skills (growing food, reading labels, budgeting, cooking and menu planning).

Nourishing social skills and table fellowship through etiquette, manners, grace and courtesy.

Nourishing inquiry and pride through the exploration of various cultures, traditions, and agricultural practices.

Nourishing and protecting health through hygiene, food  storage and safe food handling techniques.

Nourishing connection within the local and global community.

Good Cheer is true to its mission in wanting to create a hunger-free community.  Alone it would be a mission impossible, but together we can get it done.  Why?  Because we live in a community that is caring and supportive, with programs dedicated to working together for a common cause.

Good Cheer!