Nutrition & Wellness

Eating well helps improve lives and build strong, healthy communities. So we’ve put nutrition at the core of our work.

Good nutrition means everything

The science of nutrition is clear: good eating habits can have dramatically positive effects on health and wellbeing. But for many of the people we serve, the same barriers that make it hard to obtain enough food for themselves and their families also make it difficult to secure food that contributes to wellness. That’s a truth we’ve taken to heart, and the reason we’ve made health a priority.

We were one of the first food banks in the nation to put nutrition at the center of our operations. We adopted a food acceptance policy limiting high sugar donations from retailers, and we are one of the first to employ a wellness tracker to monitor the nutritional content of our inventory. Now, more than one-third of the food we source and provide is fruits and vegetables, and 85 percent is what we call “wellness food”: high in fiber and/or low in salt and sugar. Because our goal isn’t simply to provide food to our neighbors in need; it’s to help them thrive.

Good Nutrition Can:

Lower blood pressure
Lower the risk for diabetes and heart disease
Help children achieve more academically
Lead to longer life expectancy

Resources to help our neighbors live healthier lives

Produce Guides

Want to know how to store a certain fruit or vegetable? Or how to cook it? Or what goes well with it? We have guides for many of the most common types of produce.

Recipes

You don’t have to spend a lot to eat well. Our healthy food recipes show you how to turn inexpensive ingredients into tasty, nutritious meals. Each one feeds a family of four for $7 or less.

View Recipe Videos

7 Ways Cards

Whether trying out a new ingredient or looking for a fresh way to use a kitchen staple, our 7 Ways Cards are designed to bring creative and nutritious options for ingredients that we regularly distribute. It can be seven new ways to look at a familiar item, or it can be seven ways to try something new!

Use food as your medicine. I see food make all the difference, and I’m proud to be working together to help the community that needs it.

Mary Roach Food Pantry Partner

Help us continue to provide nutritious foods

Want to help get fresh produce and other healthy food items onto the plates of people who need them? You can! With a donation, you’ll help provide nutritious foods to people all across the greater Washington region. Every dollar you contribute helps provide 2 good, healthy meals.

Donate