Fox Valley Food for Health volunteers each week prepare and deliver free, fresh, healthy meals to residents in the Tri-Cities area who have a serious illness. (Photo courtesy Fox Valley Food for Health)

There’s something special happening inside a small Fox Valley test kitchen where dozens of teenage and adult volunteers meet each week with aprons on and smiles plastered across their faces.

In the last three years, the group, working together as Fox Valley Food for Health, has procured, prepared and delivered more than 15,000 free meals to residents in St. Charles, Batavia and Geneva who are suffering from serious illness.

“We really focus on cancer patients,” said FVFFH Executive Director Susan Leigh. “We really have a good understanding of what treatment does to them and how our food can help their bodies.”

Mary Fremgen, a registered dietician, and Leigh, a professionally trained chef, founded Fox Valley Food for Health in 2012 because they saw a community need not being met by existing local charities and support services.

Not only did Leigh and Fremgen want to assist families in getting the food they need, they also wanted to educate volunteers, clients and the community about wellness through education, food literacy, cooking, gardening skills and nutritious eating.

Their mission worked. For the last three years, FVFFH has worked to provide fresh, healthy, mostly organic meals to patients and their families who are struggling, and could use a break and a meal made with love. The meals are funded through private donations, fundraisers and small grants, then prepared and delivered by the FVFFH group.

“That’s 15,000 people who have sat down to a beautiful, delicious healthy meal since we began,” Leigh said. “And believe me, what comes out of our kitchen is beautiful.”

The meals are delivered weekly to residents for a period of eight to 12 weeks, but rarely do they get to see what goes on behind the scenes to make each delivery possible.

Leigh said the kitchen is where most of the magic happens.

According to Leigh, in addition to helping those in need, FVFFH also serves to mentor and teach teens to grow and prepare locally grown and organic meals and to understand the strong connection between healthy nutrition and lifelong wellness.

Some of the teen volunteers join because they want to give back. Others just love being in the kitchen, Leigh said.

“We know when they start giving back as teens and see the difference they can make, they will likely continue to volunteer their entire lives,” Leigh said.

Recently, however, the community need for nutritious meals is far outweighing FVFFH’s current operation.

“The demand outweighs what we can do, and we’re moving to a bigger kitchen,” Leigh said. But, this also means having to pay rent for the first time.

Teenagers are an important segment of the dedicated volunteer team with the Fox Valley Food for Health organization. The teens learn about good nutrition while helping in the kitchen. (Photo courtesy Fox Valley Food for Health)

Until recently, the group cooked in a donated space. With their expected move comes rental costs, and new equipment purchases — not to mention, more food.

“We knew when we started that there would be a time when we needed to move,” Leigh said, predicting that FVFFH will double or triple the number of meals it prepares over the next six to 12 month period.

“Now, we need the community’s help,” she said.

The organization’s largest yearly fundraiser will take place at 6 p.m. on May 20 at the Mill Creek Golf Club in Geneva.

The Backyard BBQ Fundraiser includes food, entertainment, a live and a silent auction, as well as other activities that will be offered over the course of the evening.

Tickets are $75/person and can be purchased at backyard-bbq-2016.ticketleap.com

“This is a critical fundraiser for us,” Leigh said. “We would love the community to get behind us and support us (getting into a bigger kitchen). Just get involved–as a volunteer, as a donor–just make a difference in your community.”

For more information on FVFFH visit http://www.foxvalleyfoodforhealth.org/.

— Fox Valley group makes, delivers healthy meals for cancer patients  —