WOOSTER, Ohio — Students with the Boys and Girls Club of Wooster are experiencing fresh local food this semester, thanks to Project Chop.
Project Chop is a partnership between Local Roots Market and Cafe and the Boys and Girls Club. Through a grant from the Wayne County Community Foundation, Local Roots is able to prepare 80 fresh snacks for the kids four times a week.
"We really love it," Christine Zerby, kitchen manager at Local Roots, said. "It's been fulfilling and its just great to drop it off to the kids. They're really enjoying the fresh, nutritious food we're sending over."
Sandwiches, walking tacos, and parfait are just some of the snack options. When News5 met with Zerby, she was preparing Bento Boxes filled with meats, cheeses, cantaloupe, and a muffin.
"Something simple," she said. "You know kids. They're going to be picky. So, we just go with what we can, but we try to keep it on the healthier side."
Harzler's, a local dairy company, is another partner of the project. The company provides fresh milk weekly to the club.
The Boys and Girls Club hopes this project will solve two problems in the area: access to food and childhood obesity. The club said about 51% of the kids it serves are economically disadvantaged and receive free or reduced lunches. The Wayne County Department of Health estimates about 35% of kids in the area are considered obese.
"It's so important to us to really build up the whole child," Caitlin Petit, director of operations with the Boys and Girls Club of Wooster, said. "Not only are we giving them really amazing and intentional experiences through the programs that we offer, but we want to make sure that they are getting that really good locally sourced food."
The feedback from the students has been resoundingly positive.
"I really, really like the snacks," Lark Sorenz, a student, said. "I think the people who are making the snacks need to get a raise."
Right now, Project Chop has enough grant money for one semester. Zerby said she would be willing to dish out more snacks in the future.
"So far, it's been a really good thing," she said. "It really fits our mission here."
