WCHS Hosts Food Is Medicine Presentation
March 8, 2024
Winnebago, NE – The Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System hosted a presentation called “Food Is Medicine” on Wednesday, March 6th at the Whirling Thunder Wellness Center. This presentation featured Executive Chef, Elena Terry (Ho-Chunk Nation) and Chef Apprentice/Public Relations Consultant, Anne Thundercloud (Ho-Chunk Nation).
Giving a presentation that focused on the preparation and origins of Indigenous foods, Chef Elena and Chef Apprentice Anne were a powerful duo that brought passion, skill, culture, and great food to the table. The presentation was interactive, community oriented, and quite heartfelt. Participants at the event were captivated by Elena’s story of overcoming adversity in a society that isn’t built for Indigenous people to thrive.
“We are so grateful to bring Elena and Anne home to share their wisdom with us” said Wa I pi nagu Program Director Camilla Barajas. “They spoke from the heart about something they are passionate about. By sharing their story and journey to a healthy relationship with food, they are helping to remind us that our journey is similar, and we too can make easy, traditional, healthy foods. By sharing the story of traditional foods passed on to us by our ancestors, they are helping to remind us that these traditional foods were our medicine to care for and pass on for future generations.”
WCHS is celebrating National Nutrition Month with 2 different themed events this year, Food Is Medicine being a perfect way to kick things off. This Friday, March 8th, they will host a Nutrition Education Carnival, featuring vendor booths, games, prizes, taste tests, and more.
“We continue to present community events that are engaging, educational, meaningful, and culturally centered. Creating an environment that cultivates positive change is what we strive to do. Our people have strong cultural beliefs and traditions that we can be passed down to the next generation that is grounded in our Indigenous ways of knowing and believing that will create a healthier environment for the generations to come,” said Chief Public Health Officer Mona Zuffante.