2017 Iowa Hunger Directory 2017 Edition | Page 77

Girl Scouts Produce Cookbooks for Eating Healthy on a Budget July 7, 2014 In addition to common challenges of time and money, it is important for kids to be involved when their families decide to eat more healthily. Realizing that some of the people being helped at area food pantries are kids their own age, Girl Scouts in Story County are tackling these challenges with a new cookbook of healthy meals that are low-cost, simple enough for kids to help with preparation, and tasty so that kids want to eat them. The Girl Scouts toured three food pantries in their community to get an idea of what foods were available. They wanted to create a cookbook that would utilize primarily those ingredients or other items that could be purchased inexpensively at local grocery stores. The Scouts also toured 2 grocery stores, and talked to dietitians and Iowa State Extension for additional information. They wanted simple, nutritious and easy recipes that anyone could make and would appeal to kids of all ages. Originally the girls sold cookbooks directly to offset the printing costs. More recently the United Way of Story County partnered with the Girl Scout Troops to apply for a grant to print 500 copies of the cookbook. For more information, or to purchase copies of the cookbook, contact the girl scouts at [email protected]. Page | 76