Tom Wilbur, Presents Valerie Wilson, with her BANK VI Hero of the Week award.

Valerie is a Master Food Volunteer involved in a local program called Bitty Bites. Bitty Bites is a grant funded program that educates children about food and teaches them ways to develop good eating habits.

The Bitty Bites program is a joint effort through the Salina Public Library and the Salina Food Bank. In the program they pair a book with a recipe. The food item attached to the recipe relates to the books theme.

“The kids get to experiment with nutritional food along with reading a book. This gets them excited about reading and nutrition,” said Wilson.

Valerie also spoke of the process of becoming a Master Food Volunteer. She received the certification after 80 to 100 hours of education covering different sections of culinary arts.

Valerie has volunteered in the past with the Food Bank, Head Start and other organizations. She has a passion for cooking and giving back to her community.

Valerie is thankful to Peggy Goodwin for nominating her for this award. She then stated, “I’m grateful for my association with fun, educational programs such as Bitty Bites, and for Eagle Communications, the Salina Post , and Tom Wilbur and BANK VI for highlighting the importance of volunteering in the community. Salina and Saline County are made up of a great army of volunteers that are trying to make our part of the world a little bit better by giving of our time and sharing our talents. It’s a pleasure to be associated with so many kindhearted people.”

If you are interested in learning about the Master Food Volunteer program with the Kansas State Research & Extension you can contact Leah Robinson at the Ottawa County extension office at 785 392 2147.

To nominate your Hero of the Week click here