PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

Being a new parent is tough. Having a new baby means that your days are filled with diaper changes and your nights are almost always sleepless. While the cycle is rewarding, it can also be draining. The last thing parents should have to worry about is getting quality, nutritionally balanced meals on the table every night.

That’s why 412 Food Rescue recently piloted a program that provides free meals for new parents and their families.

The FoodRx program delivers 48 nutritionally balanced meals to new families’ homes over four weeks.

Josh Weiland, vice president of operations for the nonprofit 412 Food Rescue, knows firsthand the importance of supporting new families in the Pittsburgh area.

“I’m a dad. I have two kids at home. You know, I watch what my wife went through, not only birthing our children, but the recovering that happens after that,” Weiland says. “And I’m just so immensely proud of this team and this program and how we are able to support new moms in the Pittsburgh area.”

This program is available through the nonprofit’s Good Food Project kitchens. The Good Food Project accepts large-scale ingredient donations and transforms them into reheatable meals, packaged in compostable containers, Weiland says.

Weiland calls the kitchens an “incubator” for new ideas and concepts. While the meals are designed to be reheated in a microwave or oven, the program has offered everything from bone-in tomahawk chops to mahi mahi with mango salsa.

412 Food Rescue, which was founded 10 years ago, uses more than 24,000 volunteers a year to serve its goal of combatting food waste. It has recovered millions of pounds of food that would have otherwise been dumped in landfills and distributed it to people in need. 412 Food Rescue collects food from various locations throughout Pittsburgh, including local bakeries, grocery stores, wholesalers and caterers.

“If you can think of somewhere where food exists, 412 Food Rescue is there,” says Weiland.

Greg Austin, chef for the Good Food Project, says that community is at the center of the organization.

“The heart of what we do is community care,” Austin said in a news release. “All of us at the kitchen are touched to be able to extend that care to new parents and their families. It’s a way to say, ‘We’re neighbors; we look out for each other.’”

The FoodRx program is a collaboration between 412 Food Rescue, the American Heart Association, First Steps & Beyond and local child care experts. Their goal is to alleviate food insecurity during the critical postpartum period.

The idea was born out of need for quality postpartum care, says Weiland

“We noticed that Black maternal health in Allegheny County is a concern,” Weiland says. “We need to support new moms. So, we saw that report published, and we said, ‘OK, we think we can do something.’ We can’t solve the problem, but we think we can provide something new.”

412 Food Rescue set a goal to serve 75 families in the program’s pilot year, and they have already reached 85% of the goal, according to a news release.

Doulas (birthing coaches that help women through their pregnancy, delivery and postpartum) refer families for the program based on a variety of factors, including financial instability and personal circumstances, but every situation is different. Recommended families begin receiving meals as soon as they return home with their babies.

The organization hopes to continue its efforts to provide food to communities.

“I love food because food is community,” Weiland says. “It’s one of the great equalizers. It’s that peace offering. It’s the thing that can break down bears. ‘Hey, come break bread with me. Come to my home, or meet me out at this place.’”