Hamilton Food Share teaches nutrition on a budget

A group of local high school students has been given a lesson in hunger and nutrition during a visit to Hamilton Food Share.

They were treated to a cooking demonstration by Scott Riess, the Hamilton Club’s executive chef, who prepared a meal based on nutrient-rich ingredients that are commonly found at a food bank, as selected by Hamilton dietitian Shannon Crocker.

Her task was a recipe that could feed a family of four, for under $15.

Crocker hopes it creates an understanding that “healthy eating is delicious” and that it can be done on a budget.

The students also helped to unload 6,000 boxes of pasta donated to Hamilton Food Share by Catelli. Pasta was among the ingredients featured in the demonstration, along with items such as chickpeas, cheese and tomatoes.

Food bank usage has increased 28 per cent in Hamilton over the past decade, according to food share’s latest “hunger count”, which also shows that nearly 20,000 residents are assisted on a monthly basis, and 38 per cent of them are children.

Hamilton Food Share executive director Joanne Santucci adds that 49 per cent of users are spending more than half of their income on rent. She stresses that the “depth of poverty is something we need to concentrate on” in the community.