Consumer Wellness Center Awards Nutrition Grant to Michigan Non-Profit Delivering Fresh Produce to the Economically Disadvantaged

Thursday, January 22, 2009 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: food bank, health news, Natural News

(NaturalNews) The Consumer Wellness Center, led by Executive Director Mike Adams (editor of NaturalNews) has announced its third grant in its Nutrition Grant Program. The Consumer Wellness Center (CWC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to promoting nutrition education. The Executive Director position is a non-paid position.

Our Nutrition Grant Program awards $1,000 grants to individuals or institutions dedicated to the promotion and sharing of nutritional knowledge among children, expectant mothers and other important groups.

The grants are awarded based on the number of people that can be positively impacted, the detail of the grant proposal and the enthusiasm and commitment of the teacher or administrator using the funds. Each award recipient is asked to report the results of the grant program to the CWC. Our intention is to then post these nutrition "success stories" on NaturalNews.com so that the most effective strategies of nutrition education can be shared with the world.

The "Fresh Produce" food bank in Michigan

Our third Consumer Wellness Center Nutritional grant of $1000 has been awarded to Kristina Wood C.N.H.P., Director of Family Care Network; a 501(c) 3 non-profit located in Manton, Michigan.

The Consumer Wellness Center grant will enable the Family Care Network to plant three garden plots (completely free of pesticides and chemicals) and to purchase seeds, compost, seed starter kids, garden tools and hoses to support the garden. After a season of growing, this will allow them to put fresh produce into their food bank.

This food bank produce will then be distributed to over 160 families and 50 senior citizens throughout the summer and fall months of 2009, bringing them fresh produce instead of the typical canned and processed foods donated to food banks.

This effort is also educational: Recipients of the program will also be taught how to grow a portion of their own food, and a series of nutritional classes for kids, families and seniors will be made available to participants. These classes will teach nutritional strategies for specific age groups, cooking tips and how to stretch the family food budget.

Family Care Network has committed to reporting back to the Consumer Wellness Center with pictures of class attendees, garden plots and recipients of the fresh produce. They've also promised testimonies regarding the impact of these events on local families.

"We are ecstatic to partner with such a dedicated, compassionate supporter of humanitarian food aid to economically disadvantaged families," said Mike Adams, executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center and editor of NaturalNews. "This program exemplifies the kind of grassroots, person-to-person fresh food programs that provide the nutritional foundations for a healthier, happier population and a better world," Adams said.

Background on Kristina Wood and the Family Care Network

Starting as a volunteer in the local food pantry housed in a church in Manton, Kristina soon found herself deeply concerned about the lack of nutritional knowledge among the poor coming to the food pantry for assistance.

Her local communities, Wexford and Missaukee Counties, were hit hard by economic woes. The closing of factories and small businesses has left many families jobless and hungry.

"I was seeing all kinds of ailments from respiratory to diabetes and even cancer," Kristina told NaturalNews. "In the children, I saw chronic allergies, ADD/ADHD and autism. All these conditions can be improved with proper nutrition. Knowing what I do about food, it became increasingly difficult to "bless" those in need with food that I knew would harm them. So, I did something about it."

Between May and October of last year (2008), fresh organic produce from Kristina's efforts were distributed to over 50 families. The foods included carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, basil, lettuce, watermelon, squash & spinach -- all 100% free of chemicals! That success will be expanded in 2009 with the help of CWC grant money and, of course, seeds, soil and sunlight from Mother Nature.

Congratulations to Kristina Wood of the Family Care Network for earning our third $1,000 nutrition grant from the Consumer Wellness Center.

Learn more about the CWC at www.ConsumerWellness.org

Sponsors of the CWC include Boku Superfood (www.BokuSuperfood.com), Ed Group's Global Healing Center (www.GHChealth.com), Magnetic Clay Baths (www.MagneticClay.com), Health Products Distributors Inc. (www.IntegratedHealth.com) and many others.

Donations are needed to continue funding the CWC's nutrition grant programs. If you or your organization would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the CWC, you may do so at this page: http://www.consumerwellness.org/Sponsorship....

Thank you for your continued financial support. With your help, we are pioneering new models for nutrition education and lifelong wellness.