Nourishing Community Partnerships… and a Hard Truth We Can’t Ignore

On March 20, Christina and I had the privilege of attending and presenting at the Second Annual Eastern Shore Food Security Symposium: Feeding Our Futures, Moving Forward Together at Chesapeake College.

It was, without question, a fantastic event.

State Leaders sharing future of food in MD

The day opened with a thoughtful and engaging conversation between Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks and Dr. Meena Seshamani, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, moderated by Beth Brewster. One of the themes that emerged immediately - and continued throughout the day - was something we wholeheartedly agree with:

We must invest in nutrition education and teach people how to cook for themselves.

There were also presentations outlining exciting new grant opportunities with real potential to make a meaningful difference in our state’s food system and food security efforts.

When we broke into breakout sessions, Christina and I had the opportunity to present our talk: “Nourishing Community Partnerships.”

The room quickly filled - standing room only. We were clearing desks, bringing in extra chairs, and doing everything we could to make space for everyone who wanted to be there.

We couldn’t have been more proud.

Sharing the work we’re building together through Modern Stone Age - and the network of community partnerships that make it possible - was incredibly meaningful. These relationships are at the heart of what we do and why we do it. They are what allow this work to extend beyond our kitchen and into the broader community.

We left that session on a high - the kind that reinforces your purpose and gives you real hope for the future.

A selfie with our group!

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And then we got home.

As we unpacked the conference welcome bags provided to attendees, we found some great resources - materials on leadership development and strategy from event facilitator Rob Levit, and helpful information on programs like Midshore Meals till Monday, Upper Shore Aging, and the Society of St. Andrew (endhunger.org).

But then everything changed.

When I pulled out the materials from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, my heart sank.

It felt like stepping into a time machine - back to the nutritional messaging of the 1980s and 1990s. The progress we’ve made in recent years - bringing attention back to traditional diets, real food, and true nourishment - suddenly felt very far away.

Here are just a few examples, quoted directly:

From a “Nutrition at a Glance” pamphlet:

• “trim the fat off of meat and remove the skin from poultry”

• “Eat beans, peas or unsalted nuts and seeds instead of meat sometimes”

• “Aim for 3 cups of low-fat or fat free milk or other dairy products each day to get the calcium you need. Lactose-free milk and fortified soy beverages are good choices, too.”

• “Switch from butter, lard, stick margarine, and shortening to olive oil or canola oil when baking or cooking”

From the Greenlight Smart Eating handout (which categorizes foods as “anytime,” “sometimes,” and “rarely”):

Red light (rarely) foods included:

• coleslaw with regular dressing

• creamed vegetables

• bacon

• chicken salad

• poultry with skin

• ground beef

• regular full fat cheese

• sour cream

• whole milk

• butter

Green light (anytime) foods included:

• diet sodas

• fat free cheese

• nonfat yogurt

• skim and 1% milk

• soy milk

• sugar free ice cream

• cheerios and raisin bran cereal

And perhaps most concerning, from a handout titled “Discover the power of nutrition: national nutrition month 2026”:

Question: Consuming raw milk can cause serious health risks.
Answer: Fact.
Explanation: Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. Pasteurization removes dangerous bacteria from the milk without compromising milk’s nutritional benefits.

Question: Seed oils can be found in a healthful, balanced diet.
Answer: Fact.
Explanation: Current research supports using seed oils as part of a balanced diet, particularly as alternatives to saturated fats. As with any fat, seed oils are best used in moderation alongside a diet that emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods.

Question: Registered dietitian nutritionists are experts in food and nutrition.
Answer: Fact.
Explanation: Registered dietitian nutritionists, also known as RDNs, are the food and nutrition experts. RDNs work in a variety of settings and help people live healthier lives.

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Why this matters

Let me be very clear: This was an outstanding event!

The organizers, sponsors - including the Eastern Shore Food Coalition, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, No Kid Hungry, and the Mid-Shore Community Foundation - and the energy in the room were inspiring.

We were honored to be part of it.

But the information included in those conference welcome bags is deeply problematic.

Much of it is outdated at best - and at worst, it reflects the very dietary guidance that has contributed to the chronic disease crisis we are now facing. For decades, we were told to fear fat, replace traditional foods with processed alternatives, and prioritize shelf-stable, low-fat, and synthetic products over real, whole foods.

And now we are living with the consequences.

What makes this even more concerning is that these materials were not old.
They were dated 2026.

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We must do better

If we are serious about food security, we must also be serious about nutrition quality.

It is not enough to feed people.
We must nourish them.

And that means aligning around principles that are grounded in both traditional knowledge and modern understanding:

• True safety (not fear-based messaging - real risk assessment and proper handling)

• Nutrient density

• Bioavailability

• Proper processing of foods to make them safe and nourishing

Yes - we need nutrition education.
Yes - we need to teach people how to cook.

But if the information we provide is flawed, we risk doing the opposite of what we intend.

We don’t just fail to make people healthier - we actively contribute to making them sick.

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Moving forward - together

The energy at this symposium made one thing clear:

There is a real desire to move forward together - to build a better, more resilient, more nourishing food system.

We share that goal.

But getting there requires alignment - not just around access to food, but around what truly constitutes a healthy diet.

This conversation is not optional.
It is urgent.

And it starts with making sure the information we share is worthy of the people we are trying to serve.

Bill & Christina Schindler sharing the story of their Nourishing Partnerships.