The Feed the Hungry kitchen at the Emiliano Zapata preschool (kinder) in the community of Ejido de Tirado opened in 1997. Located just 3 km from Feed the Hungry headquarters, it is an urban yet very poor community.
During school year 2023-2024, our kitchen served a hot lunch to as many as 200 children every school day—nearly 40,000 meals per school year. Purified water is also delivered to the school for meal preparation and consumption by students and teachers.
The seasonal menus are designed by the Feed the Hungry nutritionists, and tasty and healthy recipes are created by the staff chef. This team trains the salaried cooks as well as the volunteer mothers who help to serve the children their school meals. The children are weighed and measured periodically to measure progress.
There are nine children aged between one and three years old (and their mothers) who also benefit from the delivery of food supplies every two weeks through Feed the Hungry’s Early Childhood Nutrition Program.
Home visits are conducted by Feed the Hungry staff to evaluate the conditions of the homes and to observe family eating habits. “Healthy cooking” classes, designed around foodstuff that is readily available, as well as recipes and instructional guides to good nutrition, are provided. Workshops are offered to promote safe food handling, balanced meals, and physical activity at home.
Nutrition Report – School Year 2023-2024
For the latest Nutrition Report, Feed the Hungry San Miguel staff nutritionists assessed 133 kinder students through height, weight, and body fat measurements.
| Condition |
2023-2024 133 Students Measured |
|---|---|
| Light underweight | 14% |
| Moderate underweight | 7% |
| Severe underweight | 1% |
| Normal | 68% |
| Obese | 1% |
| Overweight | 4% |
| High risk of overweight | 5% |
Underweight children are mainly in the second-grade group. Often, children entering preschool come from families with unhealthy eating habits or lack of adequate food of any kind. New foods and preparations are gradually integrated since these children may be unfamiliar with the ingredients.
The highest percentage of children who are obese, overweight, or at risk of becoming overweight are in third grade. We strive to prevent this situation from progressing by providing the balanced school meals as well as offering nutrition education workshops for the children and their mothers. Although the community is located in an area with access to healthy foods, many parents are unschooled in the preparation of inexpensive yet nutritious meals.
Clinical signs of malnutrition observed included dry hair, dry skin, and dental caries, likely due to a deficiency of foods rich in protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Contributing to cases of obesity and overweight is the consumption of sugary drinks and processed foods with high levels of sugar and trans fats, which are very easy to acquire due to their wide distribution. Most of the children told us that their breakfast at home commonly consists of cookies, yogurt, or foods high in sugar.
We remain committed to helping these children have at least one healthy meal per day and learning from an early age the importance of choosing the right foods for their growing bodies.
Learn about other communities where Feed the Hungry San Miguel operates a school kitchen, including demographic information and the results of student health assessments.
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