Food on the Stove has created a unique meal delivery service—providing healthy meals to first responders while they are on duty.
The brave men and women of the fire service are first responders who eliminate fire related hazards and help keep our local communities safe. Often-times, firefighters handle threats caused by food left on the stove – the leading cause of U.S. home fires and fire injuries, as well as the third leading cause of fire deaths. In addition to extinguishing frequent cooking equipment fires, these heroic public servants must also educate the public about safe cooking practices to prevent future incidents
With heart disease being the #1 killer of firefighters as pertains to line of duty deaths, the life expectancy of firefighters being 10-15 years less than every other employee in America and the risk of cancer being much greater for firefighters, our meal delivery service will create a positive change in firehouse food culture by offering healthy recipes and quality ingredients.
Firefighting is the only occupation that requires employees to cook all 3 meals while at work. This can result in cooking a lot of quick-highly processed meals, which can lead to hypertension and ultimately a heart attack. We want firefighters to control the controllable. Firefighters can’t control sleep deprivation, hazardous environments, or the stress of the job; but the 2 things they can control are diet and exercise. We believe that by not only feeding our heroes locally sourced food but educating them about nutrition, we will be able to lower the number of firefighters who die from heart disease, while impacting the health of their families as well.
“40% – 50% of annual duty-related fire service fatalities are attributed to sudden cardiac arrest.”
– Journal of Emergency Medical Services 2018
WHO WE ARE:
Food on the Stove is a firefighter founded 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides firefighters with tools and resources to help them live a healthier lifestyle through enhanced nutrition and exercise. While firefighters are committed to the meaningful work of protecting life and property in the districts they serve, Food on the Stove is dedicated to giving back to these expert rescuers by addressing the leading cause of death among firefighters—heart disease.
“Firefighters have a lower life expectancy compared to the typical population and are three times more likely to die on the job.”
– US Bureau of Labor Statistics, University of Cincinnati
THE OBJECTIVE:
In 2018, 82 firefighters died in the line of duty. 33 of those firefighters died from a heart attack. While heart disease isn’t the only killer of firefighters, we realize the role that a healthy nutritious diet plays in overall health.
The objective of our Local Food for Local Heroes meal delivery service is to provide firefighters with the ingredients to create a healthy meal while they are at work. The ingredients of each box will be sourced from local farms and local food vendors. The goal of this program is to not only provide quality food for these frontline workers but to educate them about heart healthy eating practices through creative content catered specifically to their needs.
While eating healthy can prove to be cost prohibitive for firefighters who must pay for 3 meals while at work, we believe that the cost of them not eating healthy can be far greater. The occupation of firefighting requires your heart to operate at a premium level, suddenly, at various times during a shift, making it imperative that firefighters fuel their bodies properly. The Local Food for Local Heroes meal delivery service will supplement the cost of meals in the firehouse by providing all the ingredients to prepare a healthy dinner and allow firefighters to re-allocate the money they save to other meals throughout their day.
THE CONCEPT:
In homes across America, meal delivery services are increasing in popularity. The idea of having a restaurant quality meal that you can prepare in the comfort of your own home has been embraced by many Americans, but there is one house that has been left out of this industry, until now – firehouses.
Food on the Stove is working closely with local farms and vendors to source, package and distribute the highest quality proteins and produce to firehouses in the Washington DC area. We will coordinate with local restaurants, chefs, and culinary schools to curate heart healthy recipes to go along with the ingredients.
Each meal will cost $10 and our goal is to raise money to fund the meals at no cost to firefighters.
In homes across America, meal delivery services are increasing in popularity. The idea of having a restaurant quality meal that you can prepare in the comfort of your own home has been embraced by many Americans, but there is one house that has been left out of this industry, until now – firehouses.
Food on the Stove is working closely with local farms and vendors to source, package and distribute the highest quality proteins and produce to firehouses in the Washington DC area. We will coordinate with local restaurants, chefs, and culinary schools to curate heart healthy recipes to go along with the ingredients.
Each meal will cost $10 and our goal is to raise money to fund the meals at no cost to firefighters.
Why Local Food?
Not only do firefighters deserve the best, we believe that firefighters need to have the highest quality ingredients to fuel their bodies for a very demanding job. With our Farm to Firehouse concept, we source from local farms and vendors to know exactly where the food came from, how long it took to get from the farm to the firehouse dinner table, and the farming practices used to grow and produce food.
Local food is often known for:
- Retaining more nutrients
- Containing less (or no) pesticides, hormones, antibiotics
- Fresher (better) taste
Meal Example:
Peruvian Chicken w/ Sweet Potato Wedges & Cole Slaw
13 Firefighters x 13 Meals = $130 per box
PARTNERSHIP RANKS*
CHIEF – $500
Feeds 50 Fire & EMS Employees
CAPTAIN – $400
Feeds 40 Fire & EMS Employees
LIEUTENANT – $300
Feeds 30 Fire & EMS Employees
SERGEANT – $200
Feeds 20 Fire & EMS Employees
FIREFIGHTER – $100
Feeds 10 Fire & EMS Employees
Donations will be used for purchase, packaging, and delivery of food.
We look forward to changing the heart and health of firefighters one meal at a time. We believe that healthier firefighters equate to healthier communities. Thanks for your consideration in advance.
