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This pin and all program supplies are available from our partner site MakingFriends®.com.
Suggested Prerequisite
Completing the Nutrition Advocate Patch Program® is a suggested prerequisite for earning your Nutrition Delegate Pin. Your advocate experience will help provide you with the knowledge needed to become a delegate for good nutrition. You can also opt to complete the Nutrition Advocate Patch Program® requirements during the time you earn this Delegate pin.
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Requirement 1: Choose It!
Points to Consider When Choosing a Nutrition Delegate Service Project:
- How much food is wasted in restaurants? Helpful Link: The Startling Reality of Food Waste in Restaurants
- How much food is wasted in Grocery Stores?: Helpful Link: Do You Know How Much Your Supermarket Wastes?
- How does poor nutrition effect a child’s ability to learn? Helpful Link: How Diet and Nutrition Impact a Child’s Learning Ability
- How does nutrition effect a person’s mental health? Helpful Link: Diet and Mental Health
- How does a person’s weight effect their self-esteem? Helpful Link: Self Esteem, Insecurity and Obesity
- Why do people overeat? Helpful Link: Why stress causes people to overeat
- Why are many people living in poverty overweight? Helpful Link: Why are so many low-income people so overweight?
- What are the long term effects of poor nutrition caused by an eating disorder? Helpful Link: Health Consequences
- Why are obese teens and children bullied? Helpful Link: How Obesity and Bullying Are Connected
Some Ideas:
- Start a food bank in your community.
- Make and stock a Little Free Pantry
- Set up a soup kitchen at your place of worship.
- Join with No Kid Hungry to expand their school meals program.
- Create a program to pair seniors with community members willing to provide home cooked meals.
- Start a carpool for those without transportation to go to the supermarket.
- Organize a community effort to provide healthy meal baskets with recipes to your local food pantry.
- Start an eating disorder hotline to direct people where to go for help.
- Collect extra food from restaurants and grocery stores to make meals for the homeless.
- Teach low income families how to make healthy meals on a budget.
Project considerations:
- What are your skills and talents?
- Do you need a mentor or adviser? Who will it be?
- Will there be legal or permit issues to resolve?
- How many others can you recruit to help?
- Will your volunteers need special skills or training?
- How many hours can you devote to the project?
- Will there be a project deadline?
- How much money will you be able to raise for the project?
- Can you get a sponsor to help with the costs?
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Requirement 2: Plan it!
Project considerations:
- What are your skills and talents?
- Do you need a mentor or adviser? Who will it be?
- Will there be legal or permit issues to resolve?
- How many others can you recruit to help?
- Will your volunteers need special skills or training?
- How many hours can you devote to the project?
- Will there be a project deadline?
- How much money will you be able to raise for the project?
- Can you get a sponsor to help with the costs?
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Requirement 2: Plan it!
Goal Setting
Setting goals will help give you a long-term vision and short-term motivation. It helps you to organize your thoughts and determine exactly what needs to be done.
- Decide exactly what you want to accomplish and give your project a name.
- Break it down into smaller steps.
- Set up a timeline.
Recruit Volunteers
Although smaller projects can be done alone, many projects will require a team. As the project delegate, one of your most important roles will be building a successful team. Helpful Link: 7 Super Steps to Recruit Volunteers.
- Find a mentor with experience in your project area.
- Enlist an Advocate to help you recruit volunteers. Consider using a volunteer release form especially if you are working with children. Helpful Link: Volunteer Release Form
- Decide which jobs you can do alone.
- Will you have teams?
- How many people will you need for each team?
Budgeting
Budgeting allows you to create a spending plan for your project. Sticking to your budget ensures that you will have enough money for the things you need to complete it. If you copied the table above you will see there is a section for budgeting.
Raise Money
There are many ways to raise money. If you are working with an organization such as Girl Scouts* check first to see what is allowed. Helpful Link: A Beginner’s Guide to Fundraising
- Consider GoFundMe, CrowdRise, DonorsChoose, or Kickstarter.
- Organize an event like a car wash, bake sale, or benefit dinner to raise awareness around your fundraiser.
- Host an event such as a walkathon, run, or bike rides.
- Ask local businesses and community members to donate items for a silent auction or a live auction.
- Sales of customized products like tee shirts, pens, and buttons will not only raise funds but generate awareness about your project.
- Invite the local media to your fundraiser or at least supply them with a photo and caption after the event.
Specific ideas for Nutrition Fundraising
Get clever with your ideas. Think of things related to your cause. It will help bring awareness and set up a “fun” atmosphere, while raising the money you need to complete your cause.
- Host an Empty Bowls project.
- Instead of a spaghetti dinner, host a spaghetti squash dinner.
- Have an allergen-free bake sale.
- Convince a local chef to give “free” cooking classes in exchange for a donation from participants.
- Raffle off healthy food baskets.
- Make and sell a healthy food recipe cook book with recipes submitted by the community.
- Get neighborhood Dads to compete in a “Best Barbecued Chicken” contest. Each vote costs $1. Voting is not limited to one vote each. Dad’s can vote for themselves.
- Sell smoothies at a local event.
- Sell bags of seasoned air-popped popcorn after school.
- Give recognition gifts for sponsorships. Set donation levels such as $20 for a nutrition pin or $40 for a tee shirt.
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Requirement 3: Do It!
You should now be ready to put your plan into action. Join in during your project to supervise and provide assistance at all levels.
After completing the plan, remember to thank the community.
Ways to say Thank You:
- Personally thank individuals and businesses who helped. A handwritten letter is always nice. Helpful link: How to write a thank you letter.
- Thank the community as a whole with posters.
- Create a follow up press release and include the names of individuals and businesses who participated. Helpful link: How to write a press release.
- Give certificates of appreciation.
- Thank the community as a whole on social media.
Congratulations on completing your nutrition action project! The Nutrition Delegate pin makes a great reward for completing your project. It also makes a great gift to program sponsors and mentors.
See all our current Delegate level pin programs:
Related Fun Patch Ideas:
Note: Many of the links provided to assist with completing our Patch Program®s are external and do not imply an endorsement or recommendation. At the time of publication, external content was vetted to the best of our ability. Your views and ideas may vary and we do not intend for you to substitute our opinions for yours. Research the topic thoroughly before beginning a project. As always, make sure children access the internet only under safe-surfing conditions.
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