Food for Thought, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Since 1995, Food for Thought has been using the kitchen as a venue to support marginalized prenatal and postnatal women of Saskatoon to achieve improved health and well-being. The project reaches over 150 women each year. About 80% of all participants are Aboriginal and specialized services are provided to immigrant and refugee women. The Food for Thought team includes a project facilitator, two project nutritionists, a primary care nurse, project assistants and peer leaders.

Food for Thought is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP). In addition, the project has several community partners that provide valuable "in-kind" contributions, without which the program could not operate. These partners include: the Saskatoon Tribal Council, the Family Support Centre, Addictions Services, Mental Health Services, Healthy Mother Healthy Baby, KidsFirst, White Buffalo Youth Lodge, Saskatoon Community Clinic, Saskatoon Open Door Society, and Public Health Services. These community partners are all represented at the table of the program's Advisory Committee, providing valuable direction to the overall program vision and direction.

The project is offered at four different community sites each week: Saskatoon Open Door Society, Family Support Centre, White Buffalo Youth Lodge, and Westside Community Clinic. Food for Thought addresses accessibility issues for program participants by providing transportation and on-site childcare.

Issues such as poverty, food insecurity, inadequate housing, social isolation, and sexual, spousal and substance abuse are common among project participants. In addition, many women are experiencing a wide range of physical and mental health issues that provide unique challenges for project staff and the larger community. The project staff help women address these issues by advocating for them, providing emotional support, helping them access addictions and/or mental health counselling, and providing referrals to appropriate community agencies. Pam Woodsworth, the Project Facilitator explains, "We really focus on building relationships with women that are based on the principles of equity, empathy, and empowerment. I think it's through building relationships based on those principles and providing a safe and welcoming atmosphere, that women are able to look at the issues in their life and strive for some positive change." One of the participants builds on this concept saying, "They don't judge you here. No matter who you are, you'll be welcomed."

"The women really have an opportunity to form friendships and engage in relationships with women who are going through similar experiences. Many of them are very isolated socially," Pam says. "I saw a bunch of similarities with other women who had the same feelings and we got to know each other," explains one participant.

About 10-20 mothers attend each half-day session along with their children who are cared for by on-site childcare workers. Most of the women self-refer to the program, although the program also accepts referrals from all other professionals and agencies. The sessions begin with the participants cooking a meal together with a focus on low-cost, nutritious foods. Pam explains, "The cooking component provides a number of things; I think it puts people at ease because they are comfortable in the kitchen and it's a fairly non-threatening environment. Also, for people who don't have a lot of experience with cooking skills, it gives them hands on practice." The food is divided up among participants at the end of the session and taken home.

Following the cooking component, the women sit down and enjoy a healthy snack. Everyone then comes together for an education session. These sessions are participant-driven and focus on issues that are currently having an impact on the health and happiness of the women and their children. Topics include anything from labour and delivery, prenatal nutrition, and parenting skills to healthy sexuality and breast self-examination. To reinforce skills learned while cooking together, information on food budgeting and economical grocery shopping is provided.

Breastfeeding is strongly supported within Food for Thought through education and one-on-one support. Pam explains, "We are strong supporters of breastfeeding, but one of the most effective ways to support women to have a successful breastfeeding experience is to provide them with opportunities to see their peers comfortably breastfeeding their babies while at group."

All pregnant women in the program are also referred to the Healthy Mother Healthy Baby program offered by the Saskatoon Health Region, which, among other things, provides women with milk coupons and vitamin/mineral supplements.

Pam speaks highly of Food for Thought's effects and feels that there is one specific element that has the biggest impact on the lives of participants: "There is real evidence that this is a project model that works for this population. Somehow being with a group of women that is a mix of their peers and health professionals provides them with opportunities to think about other possibilities for their lives. It's difficult for people to have dreams if they don't even realize that there are other choices that they can make. I think in coming together, gaining some skills, forming friendships, and getting together to discuss issues that have an impact on them, they are able to really start thinking about making some different choices for themselves and their children."