Ramsey County Healthy Meals Coalition
A coalition approach to improving nutrition in shelters and meal programs
Saint Paul - Ramsey County
Ramsey County

population of 506,278

most densely populated county

most racially diverse county
Health in Ramsey County
Health is closely tied to a person’s zip code
Chronic conditions are widespread - Homeless population is
at high risk for chronic disease
Hunger-obesity paradox
Sources: ‘Homeless in Minnesota’, Wilder Research, October 2010
‘The Unequal Distribution of Health in the Twin Cities’ Blue Cross Blue Shield, 2010
Homelessness in Ramsey County
Ramsey County one-night estimates:
2,312
Of
homeless individuals
those, 700 homeless children
Food services [food stamps and hot meal programs] are very
important to the homeless population
Sources: ‘Homeless in Minnesota’, Wilder Research, October 2010
‘The Unequal Distribution of Health in the Twin Cities’ Blue Cross Blue Shield, 2010
Issues Facing Meal Programs

Lack of consistent source or quality food

Food is procured from a variety of sources

Increasing nutritional quality of meals served is an imperative to the populations
meal programs served
Meal Programs
Menu analysis from Loaves and
Fishes
Project Homeless Connect
survey
Meal tracking at Dorothy Day
Center
Loaves and Fishes Nutrition
Survey
Why start a coalition?
Shelters and meal programs face significant barriers
to improving meals alone:

Limited
time, money and staffing
Lack
of communication between programs
Little
knowledge of available resources
Ramsey County Healthy Meals
Coalition
Began in January 2011
Charter Agreement
Elements defined so far
Leadership
Mission
structure
and vision
Workgroups
Internal
Evaluation
Mission

Develop and implement practices that enable Ramsey
County shelters and meal programs to provide healthy,
culturally responsive, and cost-effective meals.
Vision


By 2015, the Ramsey County Healthy Meals Coalition will
creative an effective, feasible, and replicable model for
providing healthy, culturally appropriate and cost-effective
meals for shelters and meal programs in Ramsey County.
This model will embody a new, collaborative approach to
distribution, menu development, volunteer training, food
sourcing, and client health resulting in a healthier community.
Successful Elements

Establishing benefits and expectations for coalition
membership

Creating a shared mission and vision

Building a sustainable leadership structure

Networking between organizations
Successful Elements

Decision-making process

Effective communication

Goal-setting, monitoring and assessment

Leverage resources like stakeholder event
Tools &
Resources
Promising Practices Guide

To be used by shelters and meal programs in
Minnesota and across the country as a model for
improving the nutritional quality of meals in these
settings
Promising Practices Guide

Collaborative Coalition
Building Process

Meal Planning Tools

Volunteer Training Tools

Community Resources

Future Tools
Baseline
Assessment
Baseline
Assessment


Assessment was a way to
both establish baseline
and build support for the
coalition
Key informant interviews
from (79%) identified
meal programs
Over 10,000
people served
per year
by Ramsey County meal
programs
Over 1 million
meals served
per year
by Ramsey County meal
programs
Baseline Assessment

Sourcing

Meal planning and preparation

Training

Support
Recommendations




Engage in organization-based goal
setting to commit to healthy
changes
Make nutrition the healthy default,
not just the healthy choice
Utilize coalition members and
community resources
Consolidate purchasing for cost
savings based on collective power
Recommendations

Implement routine nutrition training for all who prepare meals

Increase participation in Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

Set standards for accepted donations

Connect with larger initiatives
Case Study
Union Gospel Mission
Menu Before
Pre-cooked breaded chicken (deep
fried)
Cheezy Potatoes
Canned Corn
Donuts
2% Milk
Koolaid (or other sugar/water drink)
Menu After
Chicken (oven cooked)
Rice
Vegetable Medley (frozen)
1% Milk
100% Juice
Salad Bar
Box of Apples/Oranges for dessert
Challenges
·
Change
·
Buy-in
·
System
Stakeholder
Response
·
Client Response
·
Staff / Admin
·
Donors
Impact of
Coalition
·
Health / Nutrition Awareness
·
Menu
·
Momentum
Role for Public Health

Neutrality

Sustainability

Potential policy implications
Next Steps for Ramsey County
Healthy Meals Coalition


Coalition goal-setting
process
Stakeholder meeting
Steps for your community
Discussion
For more information




Ben Johnson, RCHMC Co-Chair
[email protected]
Katie Wahl, RCHMC Executive Committee
[email protected]
Shirley Johnson,RCHMC Co-Chair
[email protected]
Emily Torgrimson, University of Minnesota
School of Public Health [email protected]