We recently connected with Debra Tendrich and have shared our conversation below.

Debra, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

As the founder of a nonprofit that provides grocery assistance to those in financial distress, we have never seen so many people in need.

Recently, our client base in need of food has doubled along with our costs to feed each family. This has stressed our pantry to the limit, and our shelves are almost bare. We serve those in the community with health issues such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and others, as our focus is on healthy food to support their dietary needs. In addition, we serve other families in need including families with children, senior citizens, and those with disabilities.

We are not alone, all food banks and pantries are struggling to meet the need to feed our hungry neighbors.

Inflation and the rising costs of living have pushed working families and seniors on fixed incomes into a situation that requires them to seek help.

Debra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Highly dedicated and results-driven, I am a human activist, philanthropist, and Founder/CEO of the non-profit organization Eat Better Live Better (EBLB) since 2016. EBLB, designed to combat and control childhood obesity and other dietary-related illnesses, has supported countless individuals along with over 11,000 youth through tailored nutritional programs. I also designed a certification course within EBLB that allows schools and other community-based organizations to teach my evidence-based, effective, and hands-on curriculum to the youth they serve on a national level.

My journey stems from my experience as an obese child who grew up into an obese adult. At 5’1 tall and weighing over 200 pounds, I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and decided to exercise and eat healthily for 30 days– a transformational process that ultimately sparked her passion for health and fitness. After losing 70 pounds and dropping my cholesterol by almost 100 points, it became the catalyst for my daughter, Amira, to continue her own journey. With this as her base, I have devoted my time volunteering at schools and providing extensive community outreach services since 2014. Thus far, I have distributed over 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies, helped organize anti-bullying pep rallies, and continuously speak to students and teachers about fitness and nutrition implementation to help build healthy lifestyles.

With the onset of COVID, I recognized a growing need for grocery relief in the community. In response to this, I developed the Grocery Assistance Program (GAP). Since the inception of GAP, we have since distributed over 1.2 Million pounds of healthy groceries and fresh produce to families in need. Additionally, our growing Teachers Giving program has celebrated thousands of teachers and support staff by surprising them with turkeys for Thanksgiving.

Our mission is to prevent, reverse, and reduce childhood obesity and other dietary-related illnesses by providing nutrition education and healthy foods to the communities we serve. That being said, we provide only healthy groceries and the freshest produce for our families in need, which sets us apart from the rest.

We serve those in the community with health issues such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and others, as our focus is on healthy food to support their dietary needs. In addition, we serve families with children, senior citizens, and those with disabilities.

We feed with dignity.

Right now we re in a food and hunger crisis, and there is a wave of working families and seniors on a fixed income that cannot keep up with the rising costs of rent, food, gas, and all other basic needs. Support is needed at a critical level right now.

We have a fundraising campaign called The Hands Of Hunger.

Support can be provided at HandsOfHunger.org.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

People respect businesses that have a team that leads by example, show up for the community, and is transparent.

Hypocrisy is looked down upon, which is why my organization has created a standard that we must live by.

My organization, Eat Better Live Better, is focused on healthy foods, nutrition education, and being a support to the community. I established a code of ethics and a non-discrimination policy that is signed by each team member.

Since we promote health and community, our organization’s standards and ethics prohibit our team from eating fast food or unhealthily, smoking, or doing anything that can compromise the integrity of my organization while representing or wearing anything with our branding. Additionally, we do not accept funding from contributors to health problems such as fast food restaurants, smoke shops, or any business that lessens a person’s quality of life. We will not market for those companies as funders, therefore we do not accept their support.

Showing up and consistency has also helped our organization. Building a trusted brand that leads with transparency, respect, and honesty was essential for our organization to grow and become rooted in the community.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The most impactful pivot I have ever made was during the onset of COVID. Our situation was similar to so many other businesses, and adjustments needed to be made.

Initially, we were focused on nutrition education for children in schools, camps, and aftercare programs. When COVID caused the schools to close, I developed the Grocery Assistance Program (GAP). GAP grew Eat Better Live Better (EBLB) by about 500% in the first 8 months.

The creation of this new program not only added value to EBLB, but added value to the community as a resource that is available for those in need. The timing of the program was impeccable. Businesses were shut down, jobs were lost, and people needed help accessing and affording food. Our foresight into this long-winded hunger and food crisis allowed us to step and take action. Our actions turned into huge growth and expansion, winning non-profit of the year, distributing over 1.2 million pounds of healthy groceries and fresh produce- which equals about 1 million meals, feeding over 200,000 individuals, and obtaining a larger facility.

I believe that there are solutions to problems. I believe progress can happen overnight, and sometimes the seeds take a little longer to sprout. If there is a problem that some…or even all…of the community are facing, we have the opportunity to step up and help with the solution and be a part of the positive progress.

Contact Info:

• Website: EBLB.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatbetterlivebetterinc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EatBetterLiveBetterInc

Image Credits
https://www.pthphotography.com/