1. What Taste Quest Is
Taste Quest is a creative nonprofit, giving folks lots to chew on. The mission is clear: Empower kids to nourish their bodies, their families and their communities through engaging games that revolve around healthy relationships to food. All good, but it gets even better. Taste Quest partners with sponsors to provide a pay-it-forward model, allowing kids who complete and log their results to donate toward hunger relief. It's a win-win-win: Kids develop healthy eating habits, community members connect, and hungry neighbors eat!
“It’s the principle that involvement leads to growth,” says founder Emily Capo Sauerman. “If we want our kids to develop healthier relationships with food, they need to get involved in the kitchen.”
2. What Taste Quest Has Done
Since forming last year, Taste Quest representatives have been busy cooking up cool activities for kids, such as the OctoberQuest and Strawberry Quest at the Richland Park Farmers Market, “scavenger hunts” that send kids from booth to booth, hunting for clues and querying farmers about locally sourced produce and products. The Produce Place served as a sponsor, enabling the 50-plus kids who participated to make a donation to The Society of St. Andrew, a nonprofit that gleans farmers’ fields and delivers the rescued produce directly to local shelters.
“Taste Quest’s Scavenger Hunt was such a blast,” says parent and farmer Keely Showalter. “And was a wonderful opportunity for our children to meet their local farmers face-to-face.”
For Taste Quest’s recent “Summer Bucket List,” 10 fun foodie quests laid out in a kid-friendly mini-magazine, participating teams enjoyed a buffet of activities like creating food art and practicing their culinary techniques in the kitchen. The winning team received a gift basket of kitchen gear and was able to send a gift to Second Harvest Food Bank.
3. How Brentwood Families Can Get Involved
Brentwood families are invited to join Taste Quest as well. The current fall challenge runs through the end of October and is available in both print and digital. Remember to have kids log their points! They can win prizes and earn food for others.
Brentwood families also are encouraged to sign up for Taste Quest's pilot program getting underway this holiday season and provide feedback on the experience. To sign up, get on the mailing list, donate or inquire about events or volunteer opportunities, visit Taste Quest. You can also follow them on social media @TasteQuestHQ.
Brentwood Lifestyle is proud to pledge $100 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Nashville in the name of the first team of Brentwood kids who sign up for and complete the Taste Quest fall challenge!
