Sometimes you have to think outside the box to ensure what’s inside is useful. That’s what MANNA Food Bank’s Cody Carver realized when he processed a Healthy Opportunities Pilot referral for a woman living in a tent in Transylvania County. Cody knew that a healthy food box would only be helpful if she was able to prepare the food inside it.
After receiving the referral, Cody reached out to the client to identify what cooking tools she needed and could use in her living situation. Each week, he tucked a different implement or ingredient in her food box. The first week, it was a knife and a cutting board; the next, some cooking and eating utensils. Over the course of the month, he provided everything she needed to make the most of the nutrient-dense food MANNA delivered each week.
The client, of course, was grateful; more importantly, she was empowered to make nutritious meals for her entire household. This is how one healthy opportunity often leads to another.
