Request from

The Quest Center for Integrative Health

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PROJECT INFORMATION

1.    Give a brief overview of your project during the past twelve months.

Quest Center’s Nutrition Night program continued to successfully and effectively offer weekly three-hour classes, which included information as well as hands-on experience on nutrition as it relates to chronic conditions and general wellness. Nutrition Night encourages lifestyle changes by teaching participants about whole food, while providing hands-on experience in preparing food. Each class includes lessons on food preparation, education and dining in the community setting. Lectures are presented on a wide range of topics, including menu planning, values of different food groups and food combining, how to select and purchase foods, basic handling safety guidelines, and information on the importance of healthful eating. In 2009, preparing food and dining in the community setting has helped our clients to build confidence in cooking skills. Nutrition Night continues to create a supportive network for positive change.

Nutrition Night (NN) began at Quest Center in 1994 to address the nutritional needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The weekly program was intentionally structured to welcome newcomers and has become a safe point-of-entry to other services at Quest Center. Over the years, NN has expanded to include all people seeking wellness focused healthcare. The primary goals of NN are to provide nutrition education, teach basic cooking skills and facilitate lasting changes in eating patterns. NN is a time of coming together in community, for learning about healthy cooking and eating, and to support oneself in a healthy lifestyle. Meals are based on local, whole and mostly organic foods, such as whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, and high quality proteins. Outcome data for QC’s Nutrition Night indicates participants make significant dietary changes supportive of good health, and maintain these across time.

2.    Describe your project highlights.

The biggest highlight for the Nutrition Night staff at Quest Center for Integrative Health is seeing the lifestyle changes that our clients adopt after learning the value of eating nutritiously. We have also seen people find a purpose for their lives and community through activities such as menu planning, learning about different food groups, preparing food and dining with the Quest community. QC staff interviewed Fredrick Branchflower on the importance of QC to the community and he said, “SD’s mission is very much in line with the philosophy and mission of Quest Center. Susila Dharma USA feels that Quest Center is a true example of what can transpire when people work together in a kind and loving way. The growth of Quest Center has been truly inspirational to everyone familiar with its activities and accomplishments. Susila Dharma USA hopes to continue to support Quest Center in every way we can and are proud to list Quest Center as one of the examples of what donations to Susila Dharma USA can accomplish”.

3.    Describe any special challenges your project faced.

In previous years, the main challenge has been getting enough food to feed all NN participants. However, this year, because we had all of our food needs covered by in-kind donations, the main challenge was that for most meals, we did not know what foods will be donated until just before we start food preparation. However, this is a minor challenge which is helped by having experienced chef volunteers. Another challenge was having enough chef volunteers with back ups to fill in if the scheduled chef becomes unable to cook. We continue to work toward having consistent, committed helpers.

4.    Describe the activities that were performed in this project.

Susila Dharma USA Grant Report 2 Under the fiscal direction of the Executive Director, Nutrition Night is the responsibility of QC’s Nutrition Program Manager, Gloria Nepstead who works closely with Quest Center’s Director of Human Resources and Volunteer Services in growing a group of regular, dependable, and dedicated volunteers. This group is charged with retrieving food donations; preparing, cooking and serving the food; giving nutrition education lessons; setting up and cleaning up; and creating an inclusive and inviting fun atmosphere for communing, learning, growing, and changing.

5.    How is this project connected to Subud?

Quest Center for Integrative Health has been a successful Susila Dharma project since 1993.    One of our Founders, Dr. Lusijah Marx, is an active Subud member. In addition, several staff members are also members of Subud including former program manager, Dr. Louise Tolzmann. Furthermore, many people who regularly attend Nutrition Night are Subud members living with illnesses who get direct benefits from the program. Subud members have come annually to Nutrition Night as volunteers as well.

TARGET POPULATION

6.    How many of the target population did your project serve in the past twelve months?

NN serves low-income, high risk adults and children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, Cancer and/or co-occurring/co-morbid physical, mental health, and substance abuse diagnoses. NN is inclusive of diversity across all ages, genders, needs, cultures, ethnicities, races, and illnesses.

On average, we serve about 25-30 people weekly during Nutrition Night, including staff. For holidays such as July 4th and Thanksgiving, we can see upwards of 50 participants. Annually, we see about 1,350 people at Nutrition Night.

7.    Were there any changes in your projected target population?

No, the target population continues to be current and past clients who can benefit from wholesome food, education in nutrition and cooking for their specific health issues. This population also benefits from having a safe and supportive community atmosphere to be a part of on a weekly basis.

8.    Describe how your project benefited the community.

NN provides an experience of community and support while teaching people how to cook and eat in a way that fosters health and well-being, whether for someone who is required to eat a medically restrictive diet or one for whom weight control is necessary, or for one who is seeking a more vital life. It is also a program that continues to serve as an entry point for people seeking mental health and medical support who are afraid or reticent to pursue treatment. NN offers a safe entry point to treatment.

The psychosocial support that Nutrition Night offers is also of benefit to the target population. The literature indicates that mental health complications, medical addictions, substance abuse problems, and social isolation are common to individuals and their children living with life-threatening illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS and Cancer.

Further, the literature indicates that holistic supports designed to address these risk factors can significantly mitigate both the behavioral health habits, and the overall health outcomes of families living with severe illness. Finally, there is an abundance of evidence to indicate that psychosocial support plays a mitigating role in individuals’ capacity to respond to their behavioral health issues. For example, improvements in HIV/AIDS/Cancer patients’ immune functioning, in their ability to maintain abstinence and/or safe sex practices, and in their ability to adhere to critically imperative medication and treatment schedules are all highly correlated with increases in psychosocial supports. Nutrition Night is one of the main programmatic sources of psychosocial support (or community) generated by clients and practitioners within the agency.

9.    Discuss possible changes in target population for 2010.

QC does not anticipate any changes in target population; however, we are hoping to serve more people in 2010 in our new, larger NN space located in the Quest East building which is adjacent to our main building.

STAFFING

10.    How many staff members were involved in the project?

At least 6 Quest employees are currently involved with Nutrition Night. Other Quest Center staff pitches in as they are able. See below.

Susila Dharma USA Grant Report 3

11.    Describe each staff person’s responsibilities.

Here is a listing of other Quest staff who are also involved in the success of Nutrition Night:

Dr. Lusijah Marx provides home made bread, baked on site nearly weekly. The bread is made from non-wheat sources and occasionally vegetables from her garden. It is a hit with the diners. Lusijah also provides interactive nutrition talks. As our founder, Lusijah is dedicated to and works for the continuation of the Nutrition Night program.

Louise Tolzmann, N.D., was the program manager up until June 2008.    While she has dedicated her time to other projects such as our Healing Meal series for survivors of cancer and those in treatment, she is still actively involved in Nutrition Night.

Gretchen Bradley is the Quest Volunteer Director and is responsible for recruiting all volunteers, establishing a volunteer schedule, organizing the collection and the purchase of food and other supplies, and overseeing clean-up.

Gloria Nepstead, L.Ac. became the program manager in July 2008, She co-plans the menus with the volunteer chefs, oversees the kitchen supplies, purchases the food and other supplies, oversees the cooking and volunteer help, oversees setup, breakdown and clean-up, establishes a volunteer schedule, reminds volunteers that they are on the schedule, direct help with cooking, set up, and clean up, coordinates the nutrition talks, connects with Subud volunteers.

Melissa Krzeminski writes grants for many programs at Quest Center including those for Nutrition Night.

David Eisen, our Executive Director, provides supervision and fiscal oversight.

12.    Did the staff members have specialized training?


13.    Were there any changes in key personnel (organization or project director)?

There were no staffing changes to our Nutrition Night program in 2009.

14.    Discuss any changes you expect in staff or key personnel in 2010?

We don’t expect any staffing changes in the Nutrition Night Program in 2010; however we are requesting funding for QC’s Healing Meal project which will be managed by Dr. Louise Tolzmann – the former project manger of Nutrition Night.

Susila Dharma USA Grant Report 4 GOALS

15.    Describe how you met your goals for this year.

Our goal for 2009 was to maintain Nutrition Night as a part of our overall wellness program mission. We are happy to be able to provide this service and QC staff is proud to report that we have expanded into an adjacent building with a larger kitchen space to accommodate an increased number of participants. We can now provide a top-notch nutrition program which includes education activities and a comfortable supportive experience.

16.    Describe your long-term goals (two years and beyond).

Our long-term goal is to continue offering Nutrition Night to an increased number of community members. We are also looking to expand our nutrition offerings and supportive community to cancer survivors and those in treatment with our Healing Meal project. As a country, we are becoming more aware of our individual responsibilities regarding illness prevention and health maintenance. Consequently, there continues to be a need for information regarding diet, nutrition and cooking. We feel passionately about expanding nutritional knowledge to members of our community who have been touched by cancer.

FUNDING: (see the Quest Center's annual report)

17.    Describe any grants you applied for, and the amount(s) you received for 2009.

QC applied for a $5,000 grant from Susila Dharma USA for our Nutrition Night program in 2009. We were awarded $2,500. Also, QC received the following grants in FY 2008-2009:

Grantor Amount Equity Foundation	$ 2000
M.A.C AIDS Fund	$ 10,000
Regional Arts and Culture Council	$ 5,000
US Department of Education	$ 127,359 (last year of 3 year award)
Kaiser Warehouse	$ 500
Kaiser Permanente Gives	$ 25,500
Regional Arts & Culture Council	$ 5,378
Portland Bead Society	$ 250
Spirit Mountain Community Fund	$ 35,312

18.    What sources of revenue for 2010 are you applying for or have you received?

QC has recently applied for the following grants and responses are pending:

Community Health Partnership	$ 4,500
Spirit Mountain Community Fund	$ 30,025
Providence Partners in Health	$ 198,931

QC was also recently notified that we will receive awards from the following for FY 2009-2010:

Multnomah County	$ 5,000
Kaiser Permanente Gives	$ 20,000

For the 2010 funding cycle, QC is applying for $4,760 from Susila Dharma USA for our Healing Meal project. The Healing Meal is a project of QC's Healing and Empowerment Program (HEP). HEP, for survivors of cancer and those in treatment, is a comprehensive and innovative prevention, treatment, and psychosocial support program which includes Naturopathic medicine, Chinese medicine, Acupuncture, Osteopathy, art and writing workshops, and group and individual counseling. The Healing Meal Nutritional Lecture Series is an educational, evidence-based group which is held in our teaching kitchen at the Quest Center. Dr. Louise Tolzmann delivers weekly lectures and interactive discussions about the development and maintenance of a healthy diet. Each session, we prepare a nutritious snack demonstrating how to cook the recipes provided in handouts. The group also offers information on how to plan and implement a walking-based exercise program using a pedometer. The Healing Meal has been a well-attended entry point for many clients with cancer seeking healthy lifestyle support. Many clients have gone on to use other Quest Center services to complete their circle of care.

QC's Naturopath (Dr. Tolzmann) will lead three group series that meet weekly for 4 sessions. Each session will include evidence-based research pertinent to the topic, cooking information including general guidelines for the Susila Dharma USA Grant Report 5 Cancer Prevention and Recovery Diet (CPRD), as well as recipes and a snack demonstrating the week's focus foods. Planning for exercise will also be incorporated into each session.

Dr. Louise Tolzmann has created a series of 12 evidence-based nutrition talks detailing the Cancer Prevention and Recovery Diet. Beginning with an overview presenting the diet's guidelines, each subsequent session will highlight one of four particular categories of the diet (i.e., protein, dairy, meat and soy would be covered in one session), explaining the latest research that promotes or discourages foods based on evidence in studies researching cancer.

Participants will also be asked to make one exercise change and one dietary change, based on something they learned during the lectures, and to monitor their progress in a journal. At each session there will be time to discuss the dietary and exercise changes, and for the group to provide support to one another.

Costs detailed below will cover three cycles of the Healing Meal project. Each cycle is 4 sessions (weeks) long and each session is an hour and a half. Therefore, we are requesting funding to support 12 sessions of the Healing Meal.

19.    Submit the basic budget you used for the project and describe any significant changes from your proposed budget for this grant period. Submit your budget for 2010.

The budget submitted for our 2009 Nutrition Night Program was as follows:

Food	(50/week x 50 weeks) =	$ 2,500
Development Department Suplement	=	$ 2,500
Total Request to Susila Dharma:		$ 5,000

Of this $5,000, $2,500 was awarded to provide food for Nutrition Night. However, over the course of the 2009 funding cycle, QC secured in-kind food donations from Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s to cover food needs for all weekly Nutrition Night participants. Because of this, we used the $2,500 for the following. These expenditures were to complete our new kitchen construction and were approved by Fredrick Branchflower on October 28, 2009:

Wages	$ 660
Sink/Faucet:	$ 315
Refrigerator	$ 700
Stove Hood	$ 220
Counter tile	$ 560
Pots/Pans	$189
TOTAL	$2,644

For our 2010 request, we are looking to fund a different project. “The Healing Meal” is a nutrition program focusing on cancer survivors and those in treatment. The 2010 Healing Meal budget is as follows:

Item Cost Project Staff (Naturopathic Doctor)	$ 2,500
Food / Supplements for participants	$ 750
Pedometers (60 @ $15 each)	$ 150
Printing and Supplies ($ 500 per cycle)	$ 150
10.7% Indirect Costs	$ 460
TOTAL REQUEST	$ 4,760

20.    Describe the volunteer help, donated materials, and/or in-kind services your project received and what you expect to receive in 2010.

As mentioned above, QC has built strong relationships with Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s. These relationships have resulted in an increased number of in-kind food donations which cover mostly all of QC’s food needs for the Nutrition Night Program. Also, QC receives funding from the U.S. Department of Education to cover a portion of the Nutrition Night project manager’s salary. Currently, Nutrition Night is fully supported by other funding sources. It is for this reason, that Quest Center is requesting funding for our Healing Meal project from SD USA for the 2010 cycle.

Susila Dharma USA Grant Report 6 Below is a list of people who have volunteered for Nutrition Night over the past year:

• Clients from the Quest Center’s WOW, HEP and FSR programs
• General clients with and without mental health issues
• People living with life-challenging illnesses
• A variety of chefs and cooks including one who is a self described “foodie
• Students from OCOM and NCNM
• People who want to have a sense of purpose and community
• People who want to know more about nutrition and cooking
• Members of the Subud community
• Quest staff and Whole Foods staff
• People who want to give back for all they have received from Quest

QC’s Nutrition Night program utilizes many volunteers on a weekly basis.

Cooks show up early to help prepare the food and other volunteers donate time for multi-cultural entertainment and clean-up. In-kind donations were made by Quest Center for use of space, and QC staff also donated their time outside of normal work hours to volunteer at Nutrition Night.

GRANTING ORGANIZATION – SUSILA DHARMA USA

21.    Did you receive enough support from your project liaison and Susila Dharma USA?

Absolutely! Fredrick Branchflower was very reachable and was prompt to respond to any questions or requests that we had.

22.    Please describe any suggestions you have for the Susila Dharma USA Board of Trustees.

Clinical care becomes problematic with co-morbid medical/mental illness, because individuals with depression/anxiety are likely to take poor care of themselves. For example, depressed/anxious patients show reduced compliance with care recommendations, reduced compliance with medication regimens, and poor behavioral health habits.

Over the years, Nutrition Night has been a positive community support for many of these people in the Portland community. Susila Dharma’s funding of Nutrition Night has been absolutely essential to its success. We hope that we can count on the support of Susila Dharma yet again in the coming year for our Healing Meal Project so that Quest can continue to provide a safe supportive environment for cancer survivors and those in treatment.

Download The Quest Center's Annual Report for 2008-2009