Are beans, corn flour, and rice among the pantry staples you enjoy cooking with routinely at home? For many of the households served by the Capital Area Food Bank, having access to these healthy foods are key to cooking regularly. This is why the CAFB recently committed to making a selection of the foods commonly requested by the Hispanic neighbors we serve—largely residing in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Prince William and Fairfax County– available all of the time.
This means that the food assistance partner non-profits who serve children, families and seniors of Central and South American background can provide corn flour, dried beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables from the CAFB. All of these foods fit the CAFB’s standards for wellness: they’re high in fiber, low in sugar, and low in salt. The CAFB team plans to bring even more Hispanic foods to the menu as they’re available; for example plantains, which will be offered free of charge, as are all fresh fruits and veggies at the CAFB!
Spanish speakers are a large and growing part of our community, with over 1.25 million Spanish speakers in the Washington metro area. Many of those who receive food from the food bank, too speak Spanish; 38% of those served by the CAFB identify as Hispanic, and about 27% use Spanish as the primary language in the household. In addition to the new menu items which form the backbone of a traditional Latin diet, the CAFB provides recipe cards, as well as guides to using fresh fruit and vegetable varieties, in Spanish; partners can order them for free when placing an order of food.
