Food and Nutrition

Kitchen

El Sol’s Food and Nutrition program exists to fight hunger in Jupiter, FL and encourage healthier eating by providing food security to the neediest families in the community. In addition, we understand that healthier meals provided by our kitchen better support the overall health and well-being of our workers. The food security and assistance that El Sol provides allow individuals to provide for their families financially and emotionally, ultimately giving them the chance to rise out of poverty.

The following services are currently available:

  • Continental Breakfast
  • Hot Meal
  • To-Go Lunch
  • Nutrition Education

Community Partnerships:

  • C.R.O.S. Ministries Jupiter Food Pantry, in partnership with El Sol, provides food for the community two days a week at El Sol. The pantry is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm.
  • Palm Beach County Food Benefits Outreach Specialist is at El Sol every Thursday to assist individuals and families with applying for federal food assistance benefits (SNAP).
  • Palm Beach County Food Bank
woman holding plate of food

Help our Kitchen! Listed below are items on our wish list:

  • Fresh and/or canned vegetables and fruit
  • Publix gift cards for emergency food
  • Large bags of rice, beans, pasta, and cans of pasta sauce

Sunshine Organic Community Garden

Hunger, diet-related disease, and food insecurity are all issues that plague Palm Beach County. Despite Jupiter’s reputation as a wealthy beachfront town, food insecurity remains an issue in our community. 

With funding from Palm Health  Foundation, Lost Tree Village Charitable Foundation, the Weinig Foundation, Whole Foods in Palm Beach Gardens, and many private donations, El Sol established the Sunshine Organic Community Garden on Earth Day 2014. The purpose of the Organic Community Garden is to provide an affordable source of fresh and organic vegetables and fruits, a communal outlet for exercise, and educational opportunities for individuals and families in Jupiter, Florida.  Our main goal is to reach low-income community members in the Jupiter area that do not have the resources to access healthy food.  

kid in garden

We achieve our goal with a three-pronged approach: 1) we reserve 20 of the 30 plots for low-income community members; 2) we provide educational opportunities related to gardening and healthy eating, and; 3) we dedicate 10% of the pounds of fruits and vegetables harvested for El Sol’s lunch program, to improve the nutritional content of our daily hot meal. 

2021 Garden Renovation

Thanks to Lost Tree Charitable Foundation!

After seven years in the Florida sun, the garden needed a facelift. Lost Tree Charitable Foundation once again supported our garden by funding the renovation of 28 of our 30 garden beds.

Screenshot 2022-11-29 at 12.58.30 PM
Over the summer, our Garden Coordinator Cliff planted the yucca hoping to use it as a mother plant to snip off cutting to start other yuccas. Squeezed between the fence and the street, no one believed this plant would thrive in this inhospitable location. Last week, Cliff noticed a thick root growing from the base and began unearthing the unending yucca. “It just kept going,” Cliff said regarding the gigantic root. After prying it from the soil, Cliff entered the Labor Hall and triumphantly raised the whale to uproarious applause from the morning’s workers.
 
Berta and Nilza, waiting for work that morning, laid eyes on the monster yucca and jumped into action. Nilza says, “In Venezuela, we use yucca in everything, but I thought we could make bunuelos. Normally, bunuelos are desserts, but I thought it would be a good idea to make these hardy for the workers.” With the help of Berta, the two of them transformed the yucca into delicious cheese-filled bunuelos. After the workers enjoyed the treats, Brasilia included the leftover yucca in a soup as a perfect base.

COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the El Sol Board of Directors and Executive Director temporarily modified all programming beginning on Sunday, March 15, 2020, to provide basic needs to our community members. From March 17, 2020, to June 26, 2020, El Sol transitioned our Food and Nutrition Program into a safe and efficient walk-up Emergency Food Distribution Program. The Emergency Food Distribution Program handed out food and grocery store vouchers three days a week.

  • 4,306 bags of groceries distributed
  • 6,450 prepared meals distributed
  • 3,100 food vouchers were handed out
  • 907 unique individuals served
food