Watch: Food on the Stove is Feeding the Need for Health Education

By Catherine Dorrough

Food on the Stove is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization founded to promote healthy lifestyle management among firefighters. With programs ranging from healthy cooking demonstrations to partnerships with local farms that supply food to firehouses, this firefighter-operated and focused organization has found innovative ways to fulfill its mission, with much more to come.

In the United States, the leading cause of death for firefighters isn’t fire, it’s cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association. Tate, a second-generation Washington, D.C. firefighter, is on a mission to change that. “Our first responders are left vulnerable to health issues that threaten their lives in greater numbers than fire. I started Food on the Stove to change that narrative—so that meals in firehouses could nurture unity and enable physical wellbeing,” he said.

As the son of a firefighter, Tate grew up around firehouses. He saw firsthand how the need for inexpensive but satisfying meals often resulted in less than healthy menus, even as he prepared to join the ranks himself. Seeking better choices, he began to visit farmer’s markets—using his own money, earned by working overtime, to bring in fresh ingredients and healthier meals.

Watch the clip below for more, and read our full article at International Fire Fighter magazine.