Name: The Beecher’s Foundation
What They Do: The Beecher’s Foundation is a team of “change-makers, stubborn optimists, and unapologetic eaters” who believe when you teach kids good habits early in life, the lifelong impact is clear. The Beecher’s Foundation believes in the power of individuals to make everyday choices that will transform our food system. They are working to change the supply of overly processed, heavily sugared, additive-laden food in the Seattle and New York City region by shifting the demand through education, public relations, and community engagement.
Through education and community engagement, The Beecher’s Foundation inspires people to eat real food and vote with every food dollar. The Beecher’s Foundation operators two major programs: The Pure Food Kids Workshop and Sound Food Uprising.
How They Do It: Pure Food Kids Workshop are a free food education class for 4th and 5th-grade students. During the 2.5 hour “indoor field trip” students become food detectives equipped with the tools to better understand what is really in the foods that they eat. The workshop teaches kids how to read nutrition labels and ingredient lists, raises their awareness and understanding about how food companies market to kids, and encourage them to become their own chefs, cooking and learning about healthy recipes through a demo. The workshop pairs a learning standards-aligned curriculum with a team of instructors who are inspiring kids to make healthy food choices. Any elementary school in NYC can request a free workshop for their school by filling out this form.
Sound Food Uprising is a course offered to employees across the Puget Sound. The program educates participants in cohorts of 20 about the state of today’s food system and provides the tools and resources for individuals families and employee peer groups to envision and demand a better food future.
Mission: Building a better food future for all
Latest project/campaign: In addition to the in-person workshops and courses, The Beecher’s Foundation offers free resources to those who have participated in the programs or are simply curious about learning more. Examples of resources include: Guide to Smart Snacking; Guide to Herbs and Spices; Guide to Salads; and Fruit and Veggie Exploration. They also offer challenges such as the Awareness Challenge which provides participants with the tools to shift their mindset towards healthier food choices.
Major Funding: Sugar Mountain, a creative food company that is home to food brands and restaurants and individual and corporate donations
Profit/nonprofit: Nonprofit
Annual Revenue: N/A
Interesting fact about how they are working to positively affect the food system: According to their website, 287 schools participated in The Beecher’s Foundation 101 workshops in the 2018 school year and 24,699 students became “Food Detectives” through completion of the Pure Food Kids Workshops. Based on the pre- and post-workshop quizzes, students gained knowledge on how to calculate sugar, how to interpret calorie count and ingredient lists, and where to check for artificial colors. 87.9 percent of the teachers surveyed found the workshops personally informative, providing them with the skills and knowledge to teach what’s really in the foods we eat. 98.9 percent would recommend the workshops to fellow educators. A full breakdown of the survey results can be viewed here.
FACT SHEET
Location: 41 Madison Avenue, Floor 31, Suite 3134 New York, NY 10010 and 1725 Westlake Ave. N STE 150, Seattle, WA 98109
Core Programs: Food Literacy, Nutrition Education, Cooking Skills
Number of staff: Approximately 25
Number of volunteers: N/A
Areas served: New York City and greater Seattle, Washington area
Year Started: 2004 in Seattle, WA and 2014 in New York, NY
Founder: Kurt Beecher Dammeier
Contact Information: info@new.beechersfoundation.org
Website: https://beechersfoundation.org
