Nonprofit Feeds Healthy Lessons To Local Families

Like a lot of moms, Kathyrn Guylay found herself with extra time on her hands when her youngest child headed off to kindergarten and ended up with a meaningful second career of helping needy families.

In doing some soul-searching, the Winnetka mother of two wanted to use her time in a useful way, and so she asked herself: "What are my gifts and how can I use them to embrace my passion and interests? How can I create something that will be beneficial to others as well?"

Her answer?  She went back to school and earned a nutritional education certificate at Trinity College of Natural Health. In 2008, she established Nurture, a nonprofit that provides nutrition and wellness education at no charge to struggling families in the northern suburbs of Chicago.

With a background in management and 10 years of experience as a product manager and management consultant, Guylay had plenty of business know-how. But her true passion had always been nutrition.

"I grew up in a household where nutrition was always a hot topic," she said. "And I knew it was possible to eat well on a limited budget.

"In graduate school, I lived on rice and beans, grains and healthy vegetables – a lot of the same things we teach in our cooking classes at Nurture," she added. "Being on a tight budget doesn't mean that you can't eat healthy food. I was convinced that I could pass on my knowledge and help others." 

She wrote up a business plan and began sharing it with people. Her first two volunteers were a registered dietitian and someone with a doctorate in nutrition.  A personal trainer and more like-minded volunteers quickly followed.

Then Nurture was up and running, conducting cooking classes in collaboration with local social service agencies, such as Family Focus of Evanston, Family Network in Highland Park, the New Trier Food Pantry, the Northfield Food Pantry and the Kellogg School of Management's Business with a Heart.

Nurture classes teach cooking skills, shopping tips and nutrition. The participants receive such equipment as a rice cooker to use at home. They are taught how to prepare economical, time-efficient, healthy and delicious meals for less than the cost of fast food.

In 2010, programs were expanded to provide after-school classes for children at Chippewa Middle School, Des Plaines; Dewey and Willard elementary schools, Evanston; and Oak Terrace Elementary School, Highwood.

First lady Michelle Obama has brought national attention to the need to help children develop healthy habits in her campaign to combat the rising childhood obesity rate. Nuture's volunteers are doing just that: engaging children with fun activities and getting them excited about making healthy dietary and exercise choices.

In March, a gardening program was started. The Nurture Demonstration Garden at St. Philips Lutheran Church in Glenview has volunteers helping families to learn about organic practices in tending to garden plots. Participants take home most of what they grew, but some make donations to the Northfield Food Pantry .

 Nurture's mission is based on the proverb "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."  To find out more about the organization, go to www.nutureyourfamily.org.