Food bank teaching smart shopping

Program aimed at thinking outside the box

The Interfaith Food Bank is striving to teach members of the community to choose healthy meals and get the best dollar value out of a grocery store with their new program.

Shop Smart and Collective Kitchen is a new two-day workshop that kicked off last week.

Program co-ordinator Robyn Jonassen-Armstrong met with a small group of Shop Smart participants at the Interfaith Foodbank on Wednesday before walking to Save-On-Foods together.

Once they arrived, Jonassen-Armstrong led the group on a tour, sharing tips along the way in an effort to teach them how to “make better decisions with their grocery shopping, not only in respect to their budget, but also nutritious as well.”

Jonassen-Armstrong sees far too many people at the grocery store shopping for convenient items.

“We’re trying to show them that it’s OK to think outside the box a little bit and also to use ingredients they are not necessarily familiar with because they can be more cost effective and more nutritious,” she said.

One of her biggest suggestions is to always go to the grocery store with a list that includes everything from ingredients to snacks.

“That way you’re not running out to 7-Eleven to grab a bag of chips at 10 o’clock at night because you’re hungry; if you already have healthy snack options at your house, you’re going to fall back onto those more often.”

Once individuals have taken the Shop Smart workshop, they’ll be prepared to put their cost-saving tips into action, starting with Collective Kitchen.

“I’m a strong believer in a meal plan.

“I run a two-week meal plan in my own house,” said Jonassen-Armstrong.

During those two weeks, she’ll have every ingredient needed to prepare her scheduled meals.

But not everyone can plan two weeks ahead.

“Our goal is to teach them how to make at least a five-day meal plan for dinners.”

During Collective Kitchen, participants will collectively plan and decided on a recipe that will provide five days worth of food for their families.

Afterwards, the group will meet again to cook and package their meals.

Basic ingredients will be provided and participants will only be responsible for sharing the remaining cost for their chosen recipe.

Shop Smart and Collective Kitchen will run again on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20, respectively.

To learn more or register for the upcoming workshops call 403-320-8779 or email robyn@interfaithfoodbank.ca.

Herald photo by Tijana Martin @TMartinHerald Robyn Jonassen-Armstrong, Shop Smart and Collective Kitchen program coordinator for the Interfaith Foodbank, leads a group tour through Saveon-Foods on Wednesday while sharing tips to save money and prepare healthy meals.