FEED MY PEOPLE WELL EVALUATION

Overview: The W.E.L.L. (Walk. Eat. Learn. Live.) program is a three-pronged effort to improve health and reduce the rates of obesity. This intervention emphasizes individual-level education, interpersonal relationships, and community-level involvement. Clients of Feed My People, the largest food pantry in the St. Louis metropolitan area, will learn how to choose healthy alternatives when they purchase, prepare, and serve foods through education sessions, cooking classes, and taste tests. Recipients will also participate in walking groups to increase levels of physical activity and build supportive networks. An additional component of the W.E.L.L. project provides Feed My People donors and the greater St. Louis community with information about the importance of making healthy food donations to food pantries.

Purpose: The main goals of the W.E.L.L. project are to:

• Enhance nutrition and physical activity knowledge and skills of people who receive assistance from Feed My People in order to help them prepare and consume food in healthier ways and incorporate activity into their daily routines.  
• Increase access to healthy foods donated to Feed My People food pantries and access to places to be physically active.

Partners:

Feed My People
Missouri Foundation for Health,
Operation Food Search

Our Role:

• Research, planning, and technical assistance with grant writing
• Development of nutrition and physical activity education materials
• Participation in client and volunteer recruitment efforts
• Participation in intervention activities (e.g., educational seminars, cooking classes)
• Collection, evaluation, analysis, and dissemination of project data

Population: Feed My People’s clientele is predominantly Caucasian and live at or below the poverty level. The W.E.L.L. program is offered to all clients, volunteers, and staff at both the Lemay and High Ridge locations.