28 / matters magazine / summer 2017 Beyond Healthy A nutrition group bonds in the kitchen. BY ELLEN DONKER F or nearly 40 years, JESPY House has been helping adults with develop- mental disabilities lead independent lives: teaching men and women daily living skills, coaching them for work readiness, providing housing, trans- portation, and more. Its 240 clients quite seamlessly blend into the community of South Orange where many of them live, going through the same daily routines as any other resident. Moving into one’s own apartment or a group home under the supervision of a house parent usu- ally entails a period of adjustment while learning ba- sic skills such as grocery shopping and cooking for oneself. “Our clients were in a new situation and no longer under the watchful eyes of Mom and Dad,” says Tara Roberts, JESPY House’s support supervi- sor. “It’s easiest to choose calorie-laden foods that are high in carbohydrates and some residents were becoming at risk for obesity and diabetes. We had to come up with creative ways to help them lead healthier lives, while ensuring their personal choice and independence.” That assistance came some nine years ago from a grant that enabled JESPY House to hire Ruth Loew Schildiner to lead nutrition classes. Her idea was to teach the clients how to read ingredient labels on food and evaluate their healthiness, to master basic cooking skills, read recipes, and, in the end, cook nutritious meals. These classes have been instrumen- tal in helping a number of residents lose a substan- tial amount of weight while keeping the threat of diabetes at bay. Over time, they have meant more than healthy eating to a core group of residents. The classes have helped create community and a sense of acceptance. Schildiner, a former home economics profes- sor now in private practice in nutrition counseling, structured the sessions to consist of five classes that accommodate up to six individuals each. Every ses- sion has a theme such as breakfast, soups or Asian dishes. In the beginning, the group had its chal- lenges working in the kitchen. Most clients didn’t know how to use knives; it wasn’t something they were taught to do at home. Under Schildiner’s guid- ance, they not only learned to use knives but can now choose the right knife for the task, and proudly show the difference between chopping and dicing an onion. Then there was the stove at JESPY House that was so old the temperature dials barely worked and the burners had to be lit with a match. That The JESPY House Nutrition Company gets ready to cook another meal together under the tutelage of their instructor, Ruth Schildiner (standing second from right), and her assistant, Sarah Brunner (standing far left).