Healthy Food Night at Green Bank School

Green Bank Elementary/Middle School hosted a very special event May 24. Pocahontas Memorial Hospital was onsite to prepare and serve a healthy meal to approximately 100 students and their families. Funded by a grant through the Family Resource Network and originating from Lucy Rittenhouse’s and Lori Wayne’s idea, the evening proved to be both fun and educational.

PMH staff served as wait staff, serving each attendee a meal of beef and turkey sliders, summer rice salad, black bean salsa, and a fruit tart for dessert. As families ate, Registered Dietitian Katie Brown, Pharmacist Kari Cooper, RN and COO Terry Wagner and PMH Public Relations Coordinator Susan Wilkins discussed the preparation and nutrition of each dish.
More than $1,000 in door prizes were given away throughout the evening including bicycles, Fitbits, kitchenware, a trampoline, gift certificates to Pocahontas IGA and Trent’s and much more.

With Pocahontas County reporting a 32 percent obesity rate, events like this are an important way to introduce families to healthy cooking and eating. Tips about drinking more water and increasing physical activity were also discussed.

At the conclusion of the evening, recipe cards were available for families to take home. Numerous people and organizations made the event possible: Pocahontas Memorial Hospital staff and volunteers, Green Bank Elementary/Middle School staff and cooks, Pocahontas IGA, and the Pocahontas County Family Resource Network.

PMH works closely with the FRN on several projects throughout the year, but this was a very unique and original idea. Over the last five years, PMH has cultured a strong commitment to community education and prevention.