Media Release
Ontario, Oct 11: Few inspired youth from Peel Region and the Community Environment Alliance of Peel in Brampton, here recently united to carry out their philanthropic project with a simple mandate to promote the value of nutrition and to promulgate healthy eating habits.
Meals with Love (MWL) is a youth-initiated project that has recently been set up to bring about a positive change among low-income families in the Greater Toronto Area, in need of healthy food. Aaron Pinto (Project Coordinator), Amita Pande (Finance Director), Simona Rasquinha (Marketing Director), Shreya Bhandari (Communications Director), Zarmina Khan (Public Relations Director), Ranjana Mitra (Advisor) and Naunidhi Kaur (Advisor) hoped to make a difference in the world this summer through this initiative, starting first with their local community.
About MWL project
The MWL project provides nutritiously packed environmentally-friendly (zero-waste) food hampers which have an approximate shelf-life of one week. Over $1600 in donations was received from community organizations, agencies, middle-income citizens and local businesses helping to create a total of 50 hampers. The food hampers were provided to new immigrants, the aged, ill, abused, deprived, injured and even the recovering.
Each hamper consisted of organic and low sodium food items including: onions, potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, peaches, Canola oil, rice, whole-wheat bread, chocolate, a Peel Region PBA-free water bottle, and a $5.00 grocery store gift certificate. Along with the hamper distribution process, presentations on healthy eating were arranged to educate people of how to correctly maintain a wholesome diet.
Spreading awareness healthy meal
Rather than just supplying home-cooked meals, Meals with Love provide those at the South Asian Family Support Services (Scarborough, Ontario), the Interim Place (Halton, Ontario) and Surveyor’s Point Social Housing (Mississauga, Ontario) with the necessary ingredients to create a healthy meal. Through their interactive skit, they also provided useful tips and advised the audience about how to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy ingredients.
Project co-ordinator, Aaron Pinto says, “Truly, the MWL Hamper Distribution Day was, in my view, prosperous, as I had the opportunity to give back to my community in a very special way. It will definitely be a lifetime experience that I will never forget! But something in my heart tells me that my work is not complete – and that this is not the end.”
Future plans
Currently, the MWL team is working on a proposal that will be presented to the United Way of Peel in September 2009. If they are content with the proposal and deem it to be appropriate, the United Way will provide up to $2000 for the implementation of the MWL project in the coming year. The team is planning to create a harvest table event in the future.
The Community Environment Alliance of Peel thanks these passionate and hardworking youth for their excellent work. We wholly support their future endeavours! For more information visit website: www.mealswithlove.webs.com