WHAT
WE DO
The first step in fixing any problem is recognizing that there is one.
Everyday approximately 46,000 children in Tucson struggle with food insecurity.
This lack of nutrition can go on to affect these children for the rest of their lives…
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO.
It’s time to break the cycle.
The Tucson Family Food Project is in the process of fundamentally changing the landscape of childhood food insecurity for Tucson’s school-aged children through a revolutionary approach.
Every week TTFFP teaches kids how to cook a new recipe FOR THEMSELVES using fresh, local, and seasonal produce. We believe that we must try something new to fight this incredibly urgent problem!
Through instructional YouTube videos and easy to follow instructions, The Tucson Family Food Project is giving kids the life skills they need to make food for themselves - giving them their best chance of living a happy and healthy life.
A Problem Worth Solving
Food insecurity affects a child’s entire life. When a child doesn’t get the proper nutrition to fuel their brain they suffer from aggression, lower nutrient intake, cognitive problems, anxiety, anemia, obesity - especially in girls, and chronic illness.
This lack of nutrition has devastating effects on a child’s educational experience. Children who suffer from food insecurity are more likely to be suspended, more likely to repeat a grade, they have higher absence rates, they perform worse on standardized testing, and they will have a limited chance for long-term academic success.
After school, children who suffered from food insecurity will have limited job qualifications, lower lifetime earning potential and more chronic health problems. These consequences will eventually lead to the one thing we know is a direct cause of childhood food insecurity - poverty - starting the whole cycle all over again.
HOW WE DO IT
Every Friday, The Tucson Family Food Project provides the kids in its program with a meal kit that will feed at least four people - this way we don’t just feed the child, but we feed the household.
Here is where The Tucson Family Food Project is different. The meal kits we provide to our students aren’t simply handed out for them to eat, they’re given to them RAW.
Through accompanying instructional YouTube videos and easy to follow instructions, The Tucson Family Food Project teaches kids an absolutely essential life skill - how to feed yourself.
Every week, our students are in the kitchen getting a real world lesson in how to prepare food. At TTFFP we’re teaching them about nutrition, we’re teaching them kitchen skills, and ultimately we’re teaching our students how to be self-sufficient human beings.
BENEFITS
Cooking at an early age can help kids develop math concepts, build their language skills, build their self confidence, and lay the foundation for healthy eating habits for the rest of their lives.
Additionally, we’re finding that we’re teaching some of the parents how to cook. However, one of the most important things we’re hearing from parents, is that our program is creating bonding time for them and their children as they cook together at home. Feeding families it turns out, strengthens the bond of the family as a whole.
FEED THE KIDS.
JOIN OUR MONTHLY GIVING PROGRAM AND SUPPORT TUCSON FAMILIES
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
JUST $20/MONTH WILL COVER THE COST OF ONE OF OUR STUDENTS FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH. BECOME A RECURRING $20/MONTH DONOR AND WE WILL SEND YOU A TUCSON FAMILY FOOD PROJECT SHIRT OF YOUR CHOICE!
By joining our Monthly Giving Program, you'll be providing consistent and reliable funding that enables us to continue our important work and grow our organization so that we can feed Tucson’s kids.
Here are just a few reasons why you should consider becoming a recurring monthly donor:
Flexibility: You can increase, decrease, or cancel your monthly donation at any time, as your circumstances change.
Impact: Your monthly donation will provide steady and ongoing support that we can count on, allowing us to plan and deliver programs that have a real impact on the lives of Tucson families.
Sustainability: Regular monthly donations help us build sustainability for our organization and ensure that we can continue to provide support to those who need it, now and in the future.