Operation Food Search, Inc.

Operation Backpack provides weekend backpacks filled with kid-friendly, easy-to-prepare, nutritious food to 8,500 low-income students in St. Louis City and County Public Schools.  Nearly 90% of children in these schools rely on free or reduced-cost meals during the week, but go home on weekends to houses with very little food.  These backpacks provide a bridge of vital nutrition over the weekend.

Community Nutrition is a program for low-income families, children, teens, and senior citizens.  Coordinated and taught by OFS registered dietitians, it provides hands-on experience with meal preparation, food budgeting skills, and nutrition classes.  It is motivational in nature, helping people to make healthy food choices, so they may move towards a greater self-reliance.  Nearly 7,000 adults and children participate in the Nutrition Education classes and other OFS nutrition outreach programs annually.

For many kids and families in the St. Louis region, summer is often anything but a vacation. Instead of a relaxing break to explore new interests and places, it’s often a time when many struggle to afford nutritious food to eat––especially children who rely on free and reduced-price school meals. When school is out, kids are more at-risk for hunger and obesity. Nearly 173,000 children in our bi-state region bear the burden of food insecurity.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), funded by the USDA, ensures that children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Operation Food Search, a SFSP Sponsor, is connecting thousands of children 18 years and younger to food while they enjoy fun activities that stimulate their minds.

Hunger After The Bell Rings
Many kids approach the end of the school day not knowing when they’ll receive their next meal.
OFS provides nutritious super snacks to fuel the minds and bodies of children so they can be successful for the rest of the day. These Super Snacks provided by the Afterschool program are healthy grab and go light meals that include a fruit, vegetable, protein, dairy and whole grain to ensure children receive a well-balanced meal.

Fresh Rx: Nourishing Healthy Starts is a fresh food program that will eliminate food insecurity during pregnancy in order to produce better birth outcomes for both moms and babies.

This innovative program provides families with weekly shares of food from local farmers and producers, in addition to cooking classes, nutrition resources and supportive services.

Fresh Rx: Prescribing Healthy Futures is a holistic, fresh food program working to support a healthy, hunger-free, nutrition-forward campus at Normandy High School through the systemic transformation of the built environment.

Fresh Rx: Prescribing Healthy Futures works with qualifying students and their families by providing a prescription for whole, fresh, local food, student-centered support, and connections to resources in the community.