Leah’s Pantry is collaborating with the S.F. Department of Disability and Aging Services to provide nutrition education and nutrition counseling services to eligible older adults and adults with disabilities.
Nutrition Education: Food Smarts Workshops
We teach a weekly workshop series using our Food Smarts curriculum at various congregate meal sites and online where participants:
- Learn how to plan tasty, balanced meals
- Discover simple strategies for healthy eating
- Engage in fun activities and cooking demonstrations
Duration: 60 to 90 minutes per workshop, once a week over four to six consecutive weeks (duration can vary by site)
Participation: Participants do not have to attend all workshops but it is highly encouraged!
Eligibility: Participants must be actively enrolled in a DAS-funded congregate or home-delivered meal program in San Francisco.
To find a congregate meal site, click here.
To learn more about food resources for older adults and people with disabilities, click here.
| WHERE | WHEN | DAY & TIME | LANGUAGE | FACILITATOR |
| Self Help for the Elderly VIRTUAL Click here to register | 8/2/22 8/9/22 8/16/22 8/23/22 | Tuesdays 1:30-2:30pm | Chinese (Cantonese) | Joyce |
| OnLok In-Person *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact Selina (415) 550-2281 selina.mendoza@onlok.org | 8/2/22 8/9/22 8/16/22 8/23/22 8/30/22 9/6/22 | Tuesdays 11:30a-1pm | English | Kevin & Anna |
| OnLok In-Person *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact Selina (415) 550-2281 selina.mendoza@onlok.org | 8/2/22 8/9/22 8/16/22 8/23/22 8/30/22 9/6/22 | Tuesdays 3-4:30pm | Español | Dolores |
| OnLok Virtual To register, contact Selina (415) 550-2281 selina.mendoza@onlok.org | 8/4/22 8/11/22 8/18/22 8/25/22 9/8/22 9/15/22 | Thursdays 10:30a-12p | Chinese | Joyce |
| Western Addition In-Person *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact Selina (415) 518-6179 scetra.thomas@bhpmss.org | 8/4/22 8/11/22 8/18/22 8/25/22 9/1/22 9/8/22 | Thursdays 11a-12p | English | Eva |
| Mission Neighborhood Center 362 Capp St San Francisco, CA 94110 IN-PERSON *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact Claudia (415) 206-7759 claudia.pvaughan@mncsf.org | 8/10/22 8/24/22 9/14/22 9/28/22 | Fridays 9:30am-10:30am | Español | Kevin |
| IT Bookman In-Person *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact Evelyn M. (415) 799-1886 emack@itbookmancenter.org | 8/15/22 8/22/22 8/29/22 9/5/22 9/12/22 9/19/22 | Monday 3:30-4:30p | English | Dolores |
| Curry Senior Center In-Person *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact Erika Wong (415) 447-2437 ewong@openhand.org | 8/16/22 8/23/22 8/30/22 9/6/22 9/13/22 9/20/22 | Tuesdays 10:30a-12p | English | Eva |
| OMI Senior Center 65 Beverly St San Francisco, CA 94132 IN-PERSON *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact Tiffany (415) 334-5550 HHuynh@catholiccharitiessf.org | 8/17/22 8/24/22 8/31/22 9/7/22 9/14/22 9/21/22 | Wednesdays 1-2:30pm | English | Anna |
| Downtown Senior Center In-Person *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact the front desk (415) 771-7950 | 9/7/22 9/14/22 9/21/22 9/28/22 10/5/22 10/12/22 | Wednesdays 10a-11a | English | Eva |
| Downtown Senior Center Hybrid *Proof of vaccine is required To register, contact the front desk (415) 771-7950 | 9/7/22 9/14/22 9/21/22 9/28/22 10/5/22 10/12/22 | Wednesdays 10a-11a | Chinese | Joyce |
If you are interested in hosting virtual or in-person programming or have questions, please contact Anna at anna@leahspantry.org.
Nutrition Counseling
Nutrition counseling involves talking one-on-one with a registered dietitian (RD). An RD is a licensed professional trained to provide individualized advice on food and nutrition.
What can clients expect from nutrition counseling?
Clients meet with an RD for a brief 15+ minute session, in which they can receive:
- Dietary advice in maintaining health or managing a medical condition
- Answers to questions related to diet and healthy living
- Support in setting and achieving nutritional goals
- Information on free food resources
How do clients receive nutrition counseling?
Over the phone: Clients who are referred to nutrition counseling via GetCare will be contacted by one of our RDs over the phone. Clients can expect a phone call within a month of sending the nutrition referral (entered via GetCare).
In-person: A RD can also visit your congregate meal program site and provide counseling for clients in person. For more information, please contact Anna (anna@leahspantry.org).
All nutrition counseling is currently happening only over the phone. If you are interested in hosting a RD at your site to provide office hours for nutrition counseling, please contact Anna at anna@leahspantry.org.
Meet our Registered Dietitians!
Call one of our RDs during their office hours (see below for specific times and language capacity). If you prefer a language that is not listed here, please email one of our RDs your name, contact, and preferred language and they will contact you with a translator of your preferred language as soon as possible.
Anna Ng, MS, RD
(650) 825-1964 | Mondays-Fridays 1-5pm PST
Language capacity: English & (Conversational) Cantonese
Anna Ng, MS, RD joined the team in December 2017. She is a native of San Francisco and studied Clinical Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. She completed her supervised practice in New York City and earned her Master of Science in Dietetics at the University of Rhode Island. She finds great joy in building relationships and helping others make peace with food and fight food waste! Outside work, she loves to bike through Golden Gate Park, explore the outdoors and cook for family and friends!
Natasha Knoten, RD
(951) 268-2494 | Fridays: 9am-5pm MST
Language capacity: English
Natasha Knoten joined Leah’s Pantry in 2019 as a Registered Dietitian and provides nutrition counseling in a remote setting. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science and Nutrition and completed her internship at Loma Linda University California. Natasha’s 20 years of experience includes research in food science, pediatric nutrition counseling, lactation education, health coaching, and life coaching. Natasha is based in Arizona and enjoys acrylic painting, mosaic art, spending time with her family, and has been an active volunteer in helping people from all walks of life in her community for the past 30 years.
Meet our Workshop Facilitators!
Kevin Madrigal, Chef & Nutrition Educator
Language capacity: English & Spanish
Kevin Madrigal Galindo is a trained Chef and the Nutrition Educator for Food Pharmacy cooking demos and Food Smarts workshops. He is a food justice advocate, a decolonizer of health, and a first-generation Chicano hijo de su madre from Sur San Francisco. In 2016, he co-founded Farming Hope in San Francisco to provide employment opportunities in food for folks experiencing homelessness. He wishes to re-imagine our food system so that every person can access the knowledge and food they desire in a culturally relevant way. In his free time, you can find him cooking vegan enchiladas verdes to highly curated R&B playlists.
Joyce Zhang, Nutrition Educator
Language capacity: English & Chinese
Joyce Zhang joined Leah’s Pantry in 2020. She leads our Chinese Food Smarts workshops and helps participants make healthy eating easier and more fun! She loves eating and cooking delicious food with friends and family while honoring her health and nutrition. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and enjoys spending time with her son!
Eva Lee, Nutrition Educator
Language capacity: English
Eva earned a B.S. in Dietetics from San Francisco State University. Originating from the California central valley with a background in food, Eva was actively a part of the Chinese restaurant that her family-owned for over 20 years. She thrives on community work and connecting with others through food. In her free time, she loves to sing, dance, bake, and explore different nationalities of food in San Francisco.
Dolores Molina, Nutrition Educator
Language capacity: English & Spanish
Dolores Molina is the project coordinator, nutrition educator and food navigator with our BRIDGE collaboration. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and is passionate about working out in the community and helping others. She earned her B.S. in Health Education from San Francisco State University. Dolores loves spending time with her family which includes cooking and baking goodies with her nieces and nephews.
This program serving the community is funded by the City of San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services.