For many of us, thoughts of summer take us straight to the water. The unrelenting Tennessee heat begs for long afternoons on the lake, wakesurfing behind a boat or swimming with friends. Water Walkers, a local organization focused on empowering young people through outdoor adventure, creates equitable opportunities for many youth in Nashville to enjoy these formative summer experiences.
Founded in 2016, Water Walkers was born from the idea that there should be no boundaries between under-resourced urban communities and the transformative power of outdoor adventure. Their programming runs year-round to offer adventures like hiking, biking, rock climbing, zip lining and more, but during the summer, they spend every day they can on their double-decker pontoon boat, enjoying water activities.
But what’s a boat day without a picnic? Thanks to Sweet Peas Summer Eats for Kids, sponsored by Jackson National Life Insurance Company (Jackson®), Water Walkers can count on daily deliveries of made-from-scratch meals that keep these young bodies nourished and able to learn, grow and play while on the water. This summer, we’re sharing about 200 meals each week with this innovative organization — and they are just one of many stops that connect youth with nutritious food on our morning distribution routes.
This summer, organizations geared toward daytime programming for children comprise about a quarter of our food access partnerships. Earlier this year, a Vanderbilt Child Health poll reported that of Tennessee families with children, over 40% report food insecurity — with that number climbing even higher for families of color. While Metro Nashville Public Schools provides free lunches to students during the school year, Jackson’s sponsorship helps us fill a major gap in food access for many children during the summer months. By the end of this summer, we will have shared about 100,000 summer meals and snacks with children through Sweet Peas thanks to support from Jackson over the last six consecutive years.
It’s a priority to us to ensure that these youth are eating the best of what summer has to offer, too. Thanks to local farms who consistently share their excess with us, meals this summer have been chock-full of seasonal produce like tomatoes, peppers, summer squash and greens. Food access challenges in urban areas mean that what’s readily available and affordable often are not the healthiest choices. For these active kids, it’s important that their diets are providing nutrients that keep them energized. This summer, we’ve been sneaking fresh veggies into approachable lunch options like chicken tacos and pizza bagels to hit all the food groups, and — just as importantly — to serve meals that kids are actually excited to eat.
We have been fielding a plethora of tomatoes since summer started, coming in from all sides; beautiful cherry tomatoes, slicers and sauce tomatoes from farms like Sweeter Days and Maypop Farmstead, and tons donated from our grocery store partnerships as well.
The kitchens have been putting them to good use! We have made tomato curries, cucumber tomato salads, red enchilada sauce, and of course, marinara.
Check out our from-scratch recipe below, featured on this summer’s pizza bagels!
TNFP Marinara
Ingredients:
6-10 whole tomatoes, dependent on size, cored and halved.
Garlic cloves, crushed
Tomato paste, couple tablespoons
Bell pepper, onion, carrots and celery; cup of each, diced
Water or vegetable stock
Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; to taste
Fresh basil, to taste
Red wine vinegar or lemon juice, to taste
Method:
Sauté, in butter or oil (or both!) the onion, bell pepper, carrots and celery until they begin to soften. Toss in the crushed garlic cloves, sauté for a few more minutes.
Add in the tomato paste, season with salt and pepper. Add in the tomatoes, cooking until they begin to release their water. Top off with water or vegetable stock, season with more salt and pepper (we always season as we go!).
Bring to a boil and then cut down, simmering until the sauce thickens. Throw in Italian seasoning and basil. Immersion blend, then let simmer for 10 more minutes.
Taste for salt and pepper; if it needs some brightness, add a little vinegar or lemon juice to taste!