Being a mom is a tough job--trying to feed your family a healthy meal while staying healthy yourself can be challenging. Thanks to a partnership with the Junior League of Sarasota, we were able to provide new moms in our area with valuable tools to make healthy, cost-effective choices for meals.

The Junior League held three "New Mom Nutrition and Slow Cooker Demonstration" classes, including yummy samples of meals made in the slow cookers. Moms were then sent home with a slow cooker provided by the Junior League and a bag of ingredients to make the meal sampled during the class.

In addition, the Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County was on-hand to provide assistance to moms interested in getting a breast pump. If moms had insurance, they could help them navigate their insurance to provide a pump, refer them to WIC if eligible, or if all avenues were exhausted, provide a double-electric Medela pump and accessories. These pumps--along with milk storage bags for easy freezing and feeding, adaptors to use the bags, and breast pads--were also donated by the Junior League of Sarasota. This was a fantastic opportunity to fill gaps in services in our community.