Cornerstone’s Nutrition Education and Gardening Programs
Understanding where food comes from, how it grows, and how it fuels our bodies.
Our Mission...
The mission of Cornerstone’s Children’s Nutrition Connection is to improve food equity for children and families in underserved neighborhoods by improving food access and to empower the community to make sustainable lifestyle changes through nutrition education
Cornerstone's Community Garden
Established in 2017, our garden provides a sustainable food source in the midst of a food desert neighborhood while building community through service, nutrition education, and inspiring families to take control of their health!
We encourage people of all ages to join us in the garden! Not only will you get to learn about growing your own food, but you will have the opportunity to grow and harvest fresh produce for those who cannot afford it.
Cooking With Kids
Cooking with Kids provides garden to table education to help children and youth learn healthy habits at a young age by teaching them where food comes from, how it grows, and how it fuels their bodies. The program uses produce from Cornerstone’s Community Garden to teach children about food sourcing, to encourage them to try new foods, and to empower them to make smarter food choices for long term health! Cooking with Kids classes take place in early learning classrooms, after school programs, or right in our garden. This program is free to all childcare centers under Cornerstone’s Childcare Food Program sponsorship.
In partnership with…
USDA and Team Nutrition
Florida Department of Health
Hillsborough County UF/IFAS Extension
Cooking Matters for Families and Childcare Centers
Cooking Matters is a best practice nutrition education program through Share Our Strength that is sponsored in the Tampa Bay area by Cornerstone. Cooking Matters teaches participants to shop smarter, use nutrition information to make healthier choices and cook delicious, affordable meals. Each 6 week course is team-taught by a volunteer chef and nutrition educator and covers meal preparation, grocery shopping, food budgeting and nutrition. Adult and child participants take home a gift card at the end of each class so they can purchase groceries to practice what they have just learned at home. During the course, participants also have the opportunity to participate in a grocery store tour, which provides hands-on education as they shop for food, giving them skills to compare foods for cost and nutrition.
Ways To Serve
Volunteer at the Cornerstone Community Garden on Tuesdays from 9am-11am and every second Saturday from 9am-11am
Be a garden champion! Engage your group or business to sponsor one of our garden beds
Donate food vouchers for families to use at our Groceries-on-the-Go mobile grocery truck
Volunteer to help facilitate Cooking Matters, Cooking with Kids, or a garden field trip
Volunteer to help facilitate a week of summer camp
If you are passionate about helping children and families improve their health and investing in initiatives to improve food access in food desert neighborhoods, check out ways you can serve alongside us in our mission!
Get involved with our Nutrition Education and Gardening Programs today!
We welcome individual and group volunteers in our Community Garden on Tuesdays and second Saturdays from 9am-11am. Contact Jennifer Heartcastle at 813-281-1269 ext. 230 for more information! – 2801 N. 17th Tampa, FL