Author: Katie Felkins           Major: Food Nutrition and Health 

Katie Felkins is trying out recipes to use for the pamphlet.

Hello! My name is Katie Felkins and I am in the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture and Life Science. I am working towards my Bachelor of Science degree in Human Environmental Science majoring in Food, Nutrition, and Health. Ms. Buckley, an instructor in the Human Environmental Science department is advising my project titled Food Bank Foods: Creating Diversity with Food Bank Staples. I will defend my thesis and graduate in the fall of 2021. I intend on continuing my education in Kansas City at the Research College of Nursing where I will pursue a Bachelor of Science in nursing.

I had the opportunity to pursue creative work that will directly benefit the community of Northwest Arkansas. The final result of this project will include recipe pamphlets and nutrition information that will be handed out at local food banks. The recipes will only include foods that
the patrons have access to via the food bank, allowing them to make new dishes with foods they are often encountering.

Ms. Buckley was an integral part of helping me find my topic. She was working on a grant very similar to this when I talked to her and together, we were able to identify a whole project that could come off of this. After having Ms. Buckley for principles of food, I knew she was knowledgeable about cooking and creating recipes. A lot of my time with her in principles of food was spent in the cooking lab learning new cooking techniques. This semester, I got to spend more time in that same lab, this time creating recipes for the food bank patrons. Ms.
Buckley was able to serve as my taste tester to help perfect the recipes I was creating. As the semester comes to a close, I have 17 recipes that use the food bank foods to include in my recipe book.

I learned a lot about the food challenges that food bank patrons face. Sometimes their only food source is the food bank, and there are many staples that they rarely receive. While making recipes, the main ingredient that I found to be missing was cooking oils. Cooking oils are typically the base for sauteing, pan-frying, etc., and cooking oils are not donated to the food banks. This forced me to find creative new ways to cook without using oils in each recipe. I researched oil-free cooking and found workarounds so that each recipe is as inclusive as possible.

In the fall of 2021, I will finalize the recipe book, and take it to print! My hope is to be able to go to the food banks and hand out the recipe books to the patrons. This is all dependent on the regulations regarding the pandemic at that time. Ms. Buckley and I have also talked about hosting a cooking demo, or nutrition information session at the food bank for the patrons to attend. Overall, in the fall, my goal is to see the real-world impact of this project. I hope that these recipes will make their way into the homes of the patrons and they will feel inspired to create new dishes. I will also present my project in the fall to my thesis committee before the semester ends. I am so thankful for the honors college grant, supporting me as I work to make an impact on the patrons of the foodbanks in Northwest Arkansas. If you ever have the opportunity to donate to a food bank, think about the different
ingredients in your kitchen you can’t go without (oil, spices, your nonstick pan) and consider making a donation to help out patrons. Making food enjoyable helps people eat better and in return, live happier healthier lives!