Volume 2, issue

Dear Dr. Tastebud,

I am a 35-year-old single mother with two
children. I am currently working two jobs
while my children are in school. Trying to keep
up with bills and rent, I find affording food
and preparing meals challenging and limited
for my family. Cooking in the house consist of
frozen or pre-packaged meals. Some nights I
wish I could provide homemade meals like my
mother use to make. Where can I go to find
more help for food? Thanks for listening.

Food Assistance Programs

There are numerous programs that are helping
to feed the community. Whether that is personal
items, food, clothes or everyday utilities, they
are willing to find ways to help meet everyones
needs.

Sincerely,
Hopeless Mother
Dear Hopeless Mother,
You are a strong woman and you are not alone.
There are many mothers and children going
through the same challenging situation as you.
The issues that you are facing is related to food
insecurity. Food insecurity is when someone is
not sure when they will get food, if the food will
be healthy, or when getting help is found
embarrassing. In 2015, the USDA found that the
food insecurity rate was the highest for single
mother households at 31%. Nutrition is
important for both mother and children to reach
optimal health and help the children maintain
focus in school.
Effects of Food insecurity
Children have low scores on health measures,
behavior functioning and academic
performance.

Poor health/ Iron deficiency

Child development
Behavior problems/Depression

Feeding America
This is the nations largest domestic hungerrelief organization. They provide a nationwide
network of food banks that feed the majority of
every community in the USA through food
pantries and meal programs. They collaborate
with agencies to provide food to help families,
students, and seniors facing hunger and poverty
to make ends meet.
Food for Thought
A mobile pantry that carries both shelf-stable
and fresh food choices for those experiencing
food insecurity and do not already have ready
access to a pantry in their neighborhood. They
are located in the Toledo area, but starting to
venture out into the surrounding communities.
Candidates need only a photo e ID to receive the
service.

Presented by the BGSU Dietetics Program, School of Family and Consumer Sciences

Government Assistance Programs

WIC
A Special Supplement Nutritional Program for
Women, Infants, and Children that provides
Federal grants to States for supplemental foods,
health care referrals, and nutrition education.
This program is for low-income pregnant,
breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding
postpartum women and infants and children up
to the age of five who are found to be at
nutritional risk. They provide the essential foods
for living such as nutritious food like milk, eggs,
whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables.
Food Stamps
SNAP offers nutrition assistance to eligible,
low-income individuals, families and benefits to
the community. This service can provide breads,
cereals, fruits and vegetables, meats, fish,
poultry, and dairy products. Many individuals
are eligible for SNAP, but do not utilize it.

Anytime Meal
15 minute Recipe: Roasted Chicken and
Vegetables (with rice or pasta)
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 cup bell pepper
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- onion
- cup of tomatoes
- 1 zucchini
- tsp black pepper
- tsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive
** Can use any vegetables on hand **
Directions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F
- Chop all veggies into large pieces and
cut the chicken. Add olive oil, salt and
pepper, and Italian seasoning; combine
everything in bowl and toss. Pour into a
medium roasting pan or sheet tray.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until everything
is cooked through and tender.
**Cut vegetables first, and then chicken**
Wood County, OH Residents
For emergencies, contact the Brown Bag Food
Project for assistance by phone or email. Find
this information on their website below.

Recipe Ideas
There are different websites or sometimes box
recipes available to help relieve some stress of
what to cook for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
There are also recipes on healthy snack options
that can be made with five ingredients or less.
Some meals can be made into other dishes by
adding a vegetable on the side or adding
something new to the dish such as mushrooms
or peppers to make more than one dish out of
the meal.

For more information, visit.

-http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local
foodbank/?referrer=https://www.google.com/
-http://brownbagfoodproject.org/
-http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infantsand-children-wic

Presented by the BGSU Dietetics Program, School of Family and Consumer Sciences