NOURISH
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Overview
The EPRC's newest Core Research Project for the 2024-2029 PRC funding cycle is called NOURISH (Nurturing Opportunities and Resources in School Pantries for Health) which is focused on fostering food security and improving the nutritional quality of foods distributed to school ages children and families in rural Georgia.
Among children and adolescents, food insecurity is associated with a range of negative outcomes, including worse general health, delayed medical care and more Emergency Department visits, behavioral, academic and emotional problems, asthma, and depressive symptoms. The objective of this study is to identify barriers and facilitators to equitable implementation of the Federal Food Service Guideline (FSG), especially increased access to healthy foods, through school-based food pantries participating in the Helping Hands Ending Hunger (HHEH) program. The EPRC will examine the program’s procurement partnerships and practices that aid in distribution of uneaten school cafeteria food and meals to their food insecure families. This study will be conducted with volunteers, school personnel and parents, food procurement partners, and community organization staff affiliated or with potential to be affiliated with the HHEH program. The goals of this study will be completed through HHEH program record review, direct observation of processes via school site visits, and qualitative interviews with program volunteers and community partners.
Community Partner
Helping Hands Ending Hunger (HHEH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 with a powerful mission: to combat childhood food insecurity, reduce school food waste, support academic success, and promote healthier communities. At the heart of HHEH is its innovative “Kids Helping Kids” program, which empowers student leaders to rescue uneaten food from school meals and redistribute it to families facing hunger. A central message of the program is that food is medicine, not waste.
Thanks to persistent advocacy and policy change efforts, HHEH now operates the only program in Georgia that has been formally reviewed and approved by both the Department of Public Health and the Department of Education/School Nutrition. This approval allows the safe recovery of cold-stored foods (such as milk, yogurt, cheese, and fruit), as well as packaged dry goods, and their redistribution to students during weekends and school breaks—when the need is often greatest.
As a nonprofit committed to rigorous food safety standards, HHEH eliminates liability concerns for food donors under both state and federal laws. Additionally, the program’s unique student-led model ensures that, once implemented, it requires minimal involvement from school staff and fits seamlessly into existing school routines.
