DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Obesity remains a public health concern in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 5 children struggle with it, putting them at risk for having serious health conditions.
A Delray Beach non-profit organization offers nutritious meals for children and families who simply cannot afford to buy groceries or put healthy meals on the table.
Their goal is to prevent, reverse and reduce childhood obesity and other diet-related health conditions.
“There’s a lot of foods that contribute to disease, so if you’re not feeling your best, you’re not performing your best,” Eat Better Live Better (EBLB) Founder Debra Tendrich told CBS12 News.
They have access to donated fresh produce daily, according to Tendrich.
Volunteers with Eat Better Live Better then pack those items, along with ‘superpower’ snacks and nutritious foods into bags before they’re distributed.
“We feed with dignity. We want the parents to come and get a grocery bag, full of these healthy foods, that when they take it home, it doesn’t look like they went to a food bank,” Tendrich said.
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They want to give families facing financial hardships one less worry on their plate.
“We have families that come through with hypertension, diabetes, chronic pain because of arthritis. When you reduce the inflammation, you provide healthier foods. You’re focusing on prevention and prevention is a lot cheaper than treatment,” Tendrich said. “When you have a balanced diet, you have a balanced mind.”
The program not only offers food, but online courses for kids guided by certified experts.
“A lot of kids don’t even know they like these items because they’ve never had it. We’ll make them familiar with it in order to create these positive habits around them,” she said.
Click here to learn more about EBLB.
