About Project Healthy Kids

Our Purpose:

Project Healthy Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to create a sustainable, regenerative food system in West Virginia - one that allows children and communities to live lives integrated with health, wellness, and dignity.

We work at the intersection of nutrition, workforce, education, and food access—believing that real transformation begins in the kitchen and radiates outward through the community.

That’s why our efforts are organized across four focus areas: Central Kitchen Expansion, Food System Development, Nutrition Education, and Workforce Development.

What We Do

Through strong partnerships and collaborative models, we support system-wide transformation in four key areas:

Central Kitchen Expansion Food System Development Nutrition Education & Food Literacy Workforce Development

Central Kitchen Expansion

We help communities build and grow from-scratch kitchens that use locally sourced, nutrient-dense ingredients to serve children, seniors, and everyone in between.

- North Central WV Expansion (Funded by Benedum Foundation):
  Supporting central kitchen infrastructure and food preservation strategies that enable year-round use of local produce.
- Huntington Central Kitchen (Funded by Pallottine Foundation):
  A new flagship kitchen childcare centers, private schools, and other community programs.
- Replicable Models for Rural WV:
  Documenting and sharing kitchen blueprints and food system strategies that can scale across Appalachia.

Learn More

Food System Development

We build food system infrastructure that supports local farmers, strengthens institutional markets, and reconnects communities to real food.

- WV Food System Expansion Project:
  In partnership with WV Food & Farm Coalition and others, this project will deliver 1M+ fresh meals annually and invest $4.3M into local agriculture across 16 counties.
- Summer Feeding (Funded by Milan Puskar Foundation):
  Supporting the preparation of more than 40,000 meals to children across the state.
- Technical Assistance:
  Providing hands-on support to partners and businesses building regional food infrastructure.

Nutrition Education & Food Literacy

We believe that knowledge empowers change. Our programs support individuals and institutions in making healthier food choices.

- WV FED UP:
  A statewide youth-led initiative supporting middle and high school students to drive school wellness through gardens, hydration stations, and advocacy.
- School Cook Training:
  Hands-on training for school food staff to learn scratch cooking, new recipes, and healthier menus.
- Project Healthy Plate:
  A Cabell County-based community education program focused on nutrition and local food awareness for all ages.

Workforce Development

We create pathways into the culinary and food system workforce through training, job placement, and recovery-informed models.

- Food First Program (Funded by Benedum Foundation):
  A culinary training program for individuals in recovery that explores the full food system—from seed to service—through a healing, trauma-informed lens. Learn More about our Recovery Workforce Program
- WRAPS Training Partner (Funded by Coalfield Development):
  Onsite job training for 10 weeks that provides adults with barriers to employment hands-on experience in a commercial kitchen. Learn more about the WRAPS employment program.
- Kitchen Volunteer Experiences:
  Internships, student programs, and volunteer opportunities for anyone interested in food, farming, or nutrition.

Our Work with Social Enterprises

Project Healthy Kids serves as the nonprofit engine behind social enterprises like Healthy Kids Inc. and other next-generation food system and social enterprise innovators working to fill critical gaps and strengthen our regional food infrastructure.

Our unique experience across business, nutrition, agriculture, and culinary innovation positions us to do what few others can - bridge sectors, scale community-rooted solutions, and power transformational change.

We provide workforce training, community engagement, infrastructure, and education programming that amplifies the mission of our partners for even greater impact.

Together, we are shifting West Virginia’s food future - meal by meal, farm by farm, child by child, system by system.

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Our Team

At the heart of Project Healthy Kids is a team, board, founders, and partners, all driven by innovative thinking and relentless solution-seeking to create a holistic local food system. United by our love of children, our local communities, and a commitment to revitalize agriculture, our team is making tangible shifts in WV food systems. Through our collaborative efforts, Project Healthy Kids is becoming a testament to what can be achieved when passion is paired with expertise and a deep commitment to social issues that improve the health of children and communities.