Food and Nutrition Insecurity in St. Louis:
Connecting Neighbors to Local Resources
Presented By: Gwen Balto, MS, RD, LDN
Dietitian at the St. Louis Area Foodbank
Date: Thursday October 29, 2026
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM
Place: Virtual, Zoom link will be provided upon registration
Members receive a link to register in the member-only Eblast
Nonmembers can register HERE
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Describe the local food insecurity landscape and identify key barriers to accessing nutritious food in the St. Louis region.
Identify local food assistance programs, community resources and practical tools that dietitians can use to support neighbors, patients, and clients experiencing food insecurity.
Apply person centered strategies to incorporate food access considerations into nutrition counseling and resource referrals.
Develop realistic nutrition recommendations that account for food access, preferences, cultural considerations and available resources.
Speaker Bio:
Gwen Balto, MS, RD, LDN, is a Community Dietitian at the St. Louis Area Foodbank where she works to promote nutrition security and improve access to nutritious food throughout the St. Louis region. In her role, she communicates and implements Healthy Eating Research guidelines through nutritional nudges and nutrition education resources designed to support healthy choices in food pantry settings. She also collaborates with Food Is Medicine initiatives and community partners to connect individuals and families with nutrition resources and delivers cooking demonstrations that provide practical, accessible nutrition education.
Gwen holds a Master of Science in Clinical and Community Nutrition from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her previous experience includes outpatient nutrition counseling, eating disorder care and nutrition research, providing a foundation in medical nutrition therapy, behavior change and evidence based nutrition education.