Sunday Suppers: Creating Behavioral Change through the “Power of Family Meals”

Abstract

Summary

Family instability, poor access to healthy food choices, and higher rates of nutrition-related illness. These are some of the manifestations of poverty and hunger in low-income neighborhoods that Sunday Suppers is trying to address in an innovative way. Founded in October 2010 by Linda Samost, the program’s mission is centered on the power of the family meal. The adverse effects of poverty on nutrition and access to food are a major cause for concern. In 2009, 25 percent of people in Philadelphia and 50 percent of the people in Sunday Suppers’ target community of West Kensington were living below the poverty level (TRF PolicyMap 2010).

Sunday Suppers’ (2011) charge “is to strengthen the health and wellbeing of families through the transformative power of family meals” by providing families with access to healthier food, hands-on education about how to prepare healthier meals and make better decisions at mealtime, and the tools necessary for families to make long-term lifestyle changes. The primary vehicle that Sunday Suppers uses to reach their target population is a weekly meal served in a church in the heart of the community. During this meal, participants are provided not only with a nutritious meal in an inviting and comfortable setting to spend invaluable time with their families, but they are also given recipes and the necessary ingredients to replicate the experience in their own homes. The desired outcomes for the participants are a more cohesive and supportive family structure, a better understanding of how to access and prepare healthy foods, and improvement in key health-related outcomes.