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To feed nutritious meals to children in child care.
To instill healthy eating habits at a young age.
To provide nutrition training and resources to child care providers.
We accomplish this by:
Sponsoring Child and Adult Care Food Program
Offering Affordable Training
Joining Collaborative Efforts
Our History
Nutrition Works has been an Idaho Food Program sponsor since 1996 when we partnered with our first child care home in southern Idaho. Our sponsoring coverage area expanded to southeastern Idaho in 2001, and in 2005 we began sponsoring child care centers, most recently, we have expanded to cover north and central Idaho providers! As of 2022, Nutrition Works is providing sponsorship to childcares throughout Idaho.
In 2015 Nutrition Works started sponsoring program sites offering at-risk afterschool meals. Nutrition Works currently administers the Food Program to child care home providers and child care centers through the entire state; as well as at-risk afterschool programs in southern and northern Idaho.
The Nutrition Works team is made up of five staff members. One reviewer is located in eastern Idaho while the remainder of the team is based in the Boise office. Our team is experienced in child care, early education, business, and nutrition and is committed to supporting child care providers on the food program.
Our goals as a Food Program sponsor are:
Our Team
Nutrition Works, a program of Jannus, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 ( c)3 organization, is committed to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of children.
We offer support and training to child care providers and afterschool care programs so they can serve nutritious foods and teach healthy eating habits to the children in their care.
Nutrition Works is contracted through Idaho’s State Department of Education and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture to administer the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), often referred to as the “Food Program”.
Nutrition Works currently offers the Food Program to child care providers in all regions of Idaho.
The Nutrition Works team is made up of five staff members. One reviewer is based in eastern Idaho while the rest of the team is located in Boise. Our team is experienced in child care, early education, nutrition, and business.
Meet Our Team
The Nutrition Works Team is comprised of a diverse and dedicated staff that have experience in child development, nutrition, business management and education to help provide our child care providers with support in operating the Child Nutrition Program.
Anji Armagost, Program Director
Anji is the Nutrition Works Program Director, taking on this role in 2013. Anji took great interest in child nutrition and health as a child care center Director, where she began implementing the Food Program to address the need for better nutrition and regular meals for the children in their care.
As a recognized expert on Child Nutrition Programs, Anji provides leadership and oversight, advocating for child care and children’s health in Idaho. She is a board member on the National CACFP Forum which is an advocacy organization that protects viability and perfects policy for the CACFP.
Anji utilizes her experience in child care management and child nutrition to build partnerships and collaboration to address food insecurity. Anji is passionate about advocating for and serving others especially children and families.
Kelli Jeffress, Program Assistant and Food Program Monitor
Kelli is a Program Assistant and Food Program Monitor, joining Nutrition Works in early 2018. For more than 19 years Kelli worked for the Treasure Valley YMCA in a variety of roles, primarily focusing on youth development. In addition to her experience at the YMCA, Kelli is an active member of the community, serving as a board member at her children’s school and a board member of the Treasure Valley Association for the Education of Young Children. Since 2011, Kelli has volunteered with teens in the Caldwell community as a Youth in Government Advisor, empowering youth to get involved in government at the State level. Kelli is fluent in Spanish and serves as Program Monitor in the Treasure Valley and surrounding communities.
Kim Olson, Program Monitor
Kim joined the team in 2018 as a Food Program Monitor and Communications Specialist. She has more than 15 years of experience working for non-profits in Idaho as an Executive Director with her primary focus on youth development, community capacity building, and healthcare. Kim has dedicated her career to serving others and is passionate about making a difference in the lives of children. For the past 18 years she has been involved in USDA Child Nutrition programs. Kim has operated at all levels of programming to ensure children received nutritious meals and a safe space. She enjoys being a part of Nutrition Works where she can help others provide nutritious, kid-friendly meals.
Mandy McCord Collins, Assistant Director and Food Program Monitor
Mandy has a rich background of working in the food industry and in early childhood education. She has been a part of the Nutrition Works team for over 8 years. Prior to joining Nutrition Works, Mandy owned and directed a child care center in Eagle. She grew this business from her home child care business, which she ran for three years while also attaining her Masters of Business Administration from Boise State University. While managing her home child care, Mandy participated in the Food Program through Nutrition Works. Prior to her work in early childhood education, Mandy had a career in the highly regulated wine industry in California for 10 years.
Shannon Myers Gentry, Program Specialist
Shannon is the newest member of the Nutrition Works team, having joined us in 2022. Although Shannon is a new team member, she brings with her many years of experience and knowledge about the Food Program. Shannon worked as an Administrative Support Specialist for our parent corporation, Jannus, for ten years where she assisted the Nutrition Works team with processing monthly food claims, file audits, etc. After moving out of state for a period of time, Shannon is happy to be back in Idaho and be part of Nutrition Works helping to ensure Idaho’s kids get a great start in life with healthy nutrition.
