Most people think of City Harvest as the food rescue organization that collects unsold food from Greenmarkets, bakeries and restaurants totaling some 150,000 pounds daily. And while the nonprofit made its name by connecting entities with excess perishables to emergency hunger relief organizations, they’ve branched out into programming that supports long-term solutions.
Their Nutrition Education program focuses on providing resources to help people maintain healthy diets. It’s meant to foster the “ability and inclination to make better dietary choices,” associate director of nutrition education Maggie Meehan tells us.
This is accomplished through various methods. City Harvest volunteers guide shopping trips through supermarkets to teach shoppers how to find the best deals on a budget, and the program hosts more than 200 chef-taught cooking demos annually. They also host more comprehensive six-week classes with partner organizations, schools and senior centers.
City Harvest relies heavily on its extensive volunteer network for its nutrition education programs. Their orientation requirements are minimal — nutrition educators need only attend one general orientation and one hands-on workshop — and they’re looking for chefs and pro shoppers to help support this year’s programming. Whether you want to show off your well-honed knife skills in a one-off cooking demo or you’re interested in facilitating a longer class, consider volunteering with City Harvest this fall.
