You've heard of taking your lunch to work, right? Well, a group of six HPP staff members has taken that idea a step farther, by making their lunch at work.

Each woman is assigned a day and is responsible for buying the ingredients and preparing the meal for all six participants. Everyone helps to clean up. They each pay only $10 a week for five lunches and estimate that they are saving $2,000 each per year. Betty Espinoza points out that not only are they eating healthy, saving money, and learning new recipes, but that they also sit down to enjoy each other's company. Most lunches include a green salad. Some of their favorite meals include Lupe Valenzuela's shitake mushroom tacos and Julie Jimenez' adobo chicken and lumpia.

Starting in March and April, HPP's Wellness Center will offer on-site Food Smarts Workshops in both English and Spanish to pregnant clients and new mothers thanks to a grant from the Loveland Trust. The workshops are a project of Leah's Pantry, Inc., a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization founded by Adrienne Markworth.