SuperFood Drive, a San Diego nonprofit I blogged about last year which is solving the increasing hunger dilemma with healthy foods, is one of five finalists in the nationwide Sambazon Warriors of Change contest. The winner will receive $10,000 to expand their nonprofit’s mission and vision; with a win, SuperFood Drive could get healthy food into food banks throughout California. Their ultimate goal is to be in every city throughout the country. Voting ends on January 20th so please vote immediately.

SuperFood Drive finished the holiday season with some very successful drives throughout San Diego County, with the help of Whole Foods La Jolla and Hillcrest, four locations of Jimbo’s…Naturally!, Extraordinary Desserts, Rock Bottom Brewery and Slow Food Urban San Diego events, over 3,000 lbs of nutritious non-perishables such as black beans, whole grains, fruit in its own juice, nuts, seeds and dried fruit made it into the San Diego Food Bank. From there, the food gets disbursed throughout the county through San Diego Food Bank’s many nonprofit partners.

Check out this recent NPR article about food banks being overburdened with junk food. SuperFood Drive aims to make healthy food accessible to everyone, regardless of financial situation, through educating the public about how to select healthy variations of standard shelf-stable fare. With small changes (black beans instead of refried in lard, and more access to fruits and vegetables), food banks can be providers of nutrient-dense food for those in need.

This dynamo nonprofit is busy piloting the service-learning SuperKids for SuperFoods program, which includes a 30-60 minute educational presentation to students about hunger in San Diego County and the importance of good nutrition. Students are provided with a tool kit to host their own SuperFood Drive to benefit their local community.

SuperFood Drive is also recruiting Board members, specifically individuals with experience in marketing and PR, finance and business. They are also accepting internship applications for current college students.

Vote today for this worthy cause! To learn more, see this short inspirational video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0LaIBRcm MU

SuperFood Drive Staff

San Diego has many people working to make a difference, and one that shines with her efforts at promoting health and veggie food while solving the hunger problem is Ruthi Bozman-Moss Solari, a Certified Nutritionist through the Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy.

According to the latest study by Feeding America, one in eight Americans are dependent upon food banks. Solari started a nonprofit called SuperFood Drive in June 2009 when she saw the opportunity to provide nutritious foods to an enormous target population.

“There is a huge population that has no choice — people eat what is provided to them each week in a bag from the food bank or food pantry…and by making small changes (brown rice instead of white, black beans instead of refried with lard, etc.), there is the possibility to make a huge impact on the health of many,” said Solari.

While SuperFood Drive primarily promotes veggie food — whole foods in non-perishable form like whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, dried fruit, canned fruits and veggies (in their own juice or water, with no syrup), and low sodium soups — they do use a few animal products like canned, water-packed tuna and wild salmon. Solari has been vegetarian for 12 years except  for occasional seafood; that makes her a pescatarian.

SuperFood Drive is gearing up to launch their “SuperKids for SuperFoods” campaign to bring healthier, kid-friendly snack items to students nationwide. In addition, they are encouraging individuals to host their own SuperFood Drives this spring and summer. There is always a big push for food drives during the holiday season; however, there is a dry spell with people going hungry during the rest of the year.  Solari encourages people to visit the website to learn more about how to help.