Collaboration and Creativity Crucial to Supporting Nutrition Security

This panel will explore nutrition insecurity as a complementary concept to food insecurity and discuss its relationship to obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease prevention. Presenters will share a collaborative initiative between the Brownsville Wellness Coalition and a Diabetes Prevention Program (Group Lifestyle Balance) that leverages funding to support local farmers and community gardeners while providing nutritious food bags to participants experiencing nutrition insecurity. The program pairs healthy produce with diabetes-friendly recipes that reinforce curriculum lessons and make healthy behavior changes more achievable. Panelists will discuss the importance of reframing food insecurity through a nutrition security lens, aligning community resources for greater impact, and building cross-sector partnerships in resource-constrained environments. Attendees will gain practical insights into how collaboration and creativity can strengthen nutrition security and support more effective obesity and diabetes prevention strategies.