This resource, adapted from the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants (NRC-RIM), is designed to help diverse populations navigate healthy eating on a budget in the United States. Originally created for Afghan newcomers, it now caters to a broader audience, incorporating nutrition education standards from the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) and principles of cultural humility. The material is also inspired by the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots Food and Agriculture programs.
The toolkit aims to assist resettlement staff, who may not have a nutrition background, in introducing healthy eating basics to newly arrived populations. It provides a user-friendly approach for refugee service providers to expand their food access work by including nutrition education and budgeting components. The content emphasizes the importance of adapting its information to specific program constraints and population needs, recognizing that many newly resettled populations live in food deserts with limited access to fresh and culturally appropriate food.
Key approaches include cultural humility, trauma-informed nutrition education, experiential education using real objects, and social learning theory. These methods consider newcomers’ diverse cultural traditions, experiences of trauma, literacy levels, and family structures. The resource encourages service providers to respect participants’ cultural authority, focus on positive knowledge gains, use multi-sensory learning techniques, and promote family engagement in healthy behaviors. Additionally, it includes a facilitation guide, a slide deck, and supplemental handouts to support its implementation.
