The Way To My Heart Teams Up with The Eden Project Belize to tackle Top Killer
New fiscal sponsorship paves the way for deployment of critical resources to help empower people to take health into their own hands and live a better quality of life.
San Rafael, Calif - October 28, 2020 - The Way To My Heart Inc. A global patient advocacy nonprofit is expanding its mission of saving life & limb through a fiscal sponsorship of an innovative nutrition education and food-access program, The Eden Project Belize. Poor diet is a leading cause of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and peripheral artery disease. Lack of education and access to nutritious foods such as fresh produce contributes to this problem. The Eden Project Belize has a solution with a grassroots approach, educating locals on nutrition, showing them how to grow their own produce, empowering them to take control of their health, ultimately giving them the tools they need to live a better quality of life. We plan to replicate this program in the U.S in the future.
Cardiovascular disease is the deadliest disease globally claiming over 17 million lives annually because it is the leading cause of heart attacks. Atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries, can be caused by too much sugar in the blood, otherwise known as pre-diabetes or diabetes, which is reflective of a poor diet. In Belize, diabetes affects 10% of the population and 12% of men, which means they are at increased risk of deadly vascular diseases. These diseases can be prevented, managed and progression stalled with lifestyle changes, including diet. When individuals lack education about, access to, and affordability of nutritious food, they eat diets high in fat, sugar, salt and cholesterol which can trigger internal inflammation leading to the development of artery clogging plaque. The Eden Project Belize is designed to increase education, access to, and affordability of nutritious food to reduce chronic disease.
When COVID-19 unfolded, Belize was the 3rd most impacted tourism-dependent country with 40% of all jobs being immediately lost which had a devastating effect throughout the country, further hindering vulnerable communities in need of resources such as nutritious food to improve their health. Eden Project Belize has helped feed 1,600 Belizean families with nutritious meals, is now planning to expand their efforts. The Way To My Heart’s fiscal sponsorship allowing for tax-deductible donations, supports The Eden Project Belize’s expansion, which includes the development of a learning center to host nutrition education classes for adults, and fieldtrips for schools and orphanages, to instill healthful eating habits and teach gardening skills to grow their own produce to support long-term health.
Kym McNicholas, Founder and CEO of The Way To My Heart says, “We see this fiscal sponsorship as mutually beneficial because we have a shared mission to empower individuals to take their health into their own hands in order to live a better quality of life.”
“There is a perfect synergy between our two organizations,” says Sarah Brandow, Executive Director and Founder of the Eden Project Belize. “We both have the ultimate goal of helping others heal through food, and help prevent the top killer in the United States (and second highest killer in Belize) with education and interactive workshops.”
About The Way To My Heart:
The Way To My Heart’s mission is to educate, engage, & empower patients to take responsibility for their healthcare so they live a better quality of life. Their programsprovide real-time, scalable, advocacy and support for patients Programs and available resources lead to earlier testing/diagnosis, more productive & satisfying conversations between patients and physicians, and long-term adherence to lifestyle modifications
About The Eden Project Belize:
The Eden Project Belize provides education and food security to both locals and visitors to Belize through classes, workshops, permaculture initiatives, and food programs. They will offer both adult and childhood education classes around growing food, making heart-healthy dishes from local ingredients, and continue to offer programs to provide staple foods to the most vulnerable members of the community.
For media & partnership inquiries, contact:
Kathryn Faull
kathryn@thewaytomyheart.org