Taking nom! Children to regional Western Australia

A collaborative partnership with Hancock Iron Ore, Hawaiian and Telethon supports Foodbank WA’s nom! Children program.   

 Foodbank WA’s nom! Children program empowers parents with young children aged 0-5 years with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to create nutritious meals, giving young children the best start in life.

The program aligns with our strategic aim to empower people through ‘education’ with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively plan and prepare healthy meals on a budget. This program is supported through the collective generosity of Hancock Iron Ore, Hawaiian and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.

Hancock Iron Ore generous contribution, along with other partners, has helped deliver a total of 54 programs, equating to 215 sessions, reaching 478 families across Western Australia in the first twelve months of funding.  The support from Hancock Iron Ore support has enabled the team to travel to the Pilbara region to bring the program to families located in Newman, Port Hedland, Karratha and Roebourne. Over four week-long trips the team reached 80 families.

Through the amazing support of numerous organisations and community groups, including parenting and family organisations, Child and Parent Centres, community organisations, local governments, various state government departments, and Aboriginal organisations, we have established some incredible delivery partners. These organisations have built trusted relationships with many families within their local areas, and we are thrilled to tap into this and continue strengthening these partnerships as we work together to support families.

The impact and outcomes of the program are significant with 69% of parents reporting an increase in their vegetable intake and 63% reported an increased vegetable intake for their children, while 93% of parents reported improved food literacy skills and an increase in confidence to plan and prepare healthy food for their children after completing the program.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with comments such as: “Thank you very much Telethon & Roy Hill for funding this program. Thank you very much to our amazing facilitators who were excellent in presenting the information and helping us through this journey. I have learnt a lot and will try to implement this in my life. I found this program very valuable“ and “Thank you for this program, I learned so much from it and I love how easy and nutritious recipes are. My kids can even help me cook now and it makes them want to eat more and enjoy food!”

We’re excited how the first year of support from Hancock Iron Ore has been received and we look forward to the next two years of bringing nutrition education and cooking to parents in Western Australia.

Watch this space for what nom! Children has in store in the coming months.