Press Release: Healthy Helpings

Open Table Introduces Healthy Helpings Program with Community Health Network Area Grant

Collaborates with Acton, Carlisle and Concord Councils on Aging to distribute healthy meals and groceries to seniors

Concord and Maynard, MA (March 29, 2021) – Open Table, the Concord and Maynard charity dedicated to fighting hunger and building healthy communities, announced today that it has launched a new mobile Healthy Helpings program in partnership with the Acton, Carlisle, and Concord Councils on Aging (COAs). Funded by a Community Health Network Area grant, the Open Table Healthy Helpings program will deliver healthy meals and groceries that support the DASH diet to each of the COAs for distribution every other week.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a lifelong approach to healthy eating that’s designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure (hypertension). The DASH diet plan was developed to lower blood pressure without medication in research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

In addition to providing DASH-compliant meals and groceries via the Healthy Helpings program, Open Table also has designed educational content, which will change every month, to help both staff and clients. A DASH diet information sheet is provided to volunteers who fill out online orders at the Open Table pantry and to clients to educate them on how much sodium to eat every day. A Bingo Card is distributed with each order to motivate guests to make better diet choices.

“The Healthy Helpings program leverages two of Open Table’s greatest strengths,” said Jeanine Calabria, executive director, Open Table, Inc. “Our expertise in cooking healthy meals and selecting groceries that address the most prevalent health issues as well as our expanded ability to deliver mobile food assistance to the local community.”

If you are interested in joining the Open Table Healthy Helpings program, please contact your local COA in either Acton, Carlisle or Concord. If you do not live in one of those towns, please contact us directly at info@opentable.org.