Bon Secours Hampton Roads Foundation

Belinda is taking cooking classes at the Community Health Hub so she can make nutritious meals for her loved ones.

Belinda Wyche says she loves people and is always taking care of others. Feeding her family and those in need is one of the ways she expresses her love. Now she’s learning how to cook meals that are also healthy and nutritious.

When you donate to Bon Secours Hampton Roads Foundation, you provide vital funding to meet the community’s needs like the Bon Secours Community Health Hub in the Cradock neighborhood of Portsmouth. The Hub offers a variety of programs and health services, but Belinda’s favorites are the healthy food pantry, cooking demonstrations and heart-healthy cooking classes.

As a retired food service manager, Belinda knows her way around a kitchen. But old habits had her relying on fat and salt to flavor her food. The classes offered a fresh new take.

“There was a class that taught us how to season with herbs and spices and they introduced new foods,” Belinda says.

Belinda is a caregiver for her sister and niece. They are all seeing the benefits of an updated diet and the healthier meals she prepares. Her niece’s doctor even noticed the change.

“She lost weight, her numbers were great and her blood pressure stabilized,” Belinda says.
Belinda has had such positive experiences at the Community Health Hub that she’s become an ambassador, recruiting her family and friends to participate in classes and activities.

“The Hub has helped not just me, but the whole neighborhood. It’s a very needed and well-developed resource.”