History
Innovative Health Solutions, previously known as Healthy Cooking with Kids, Inc., is dedicated to enhancing the health and wellness of countless families in underserved and vulnerable communities. We’re passionate about supporting these communities by offering training and technical assistance, building partnerships, creating coalitions, managing funds and grants, and conducting research and evaluation throughout the Bay Area.
2008
The inspiration for the Healthy Cooking with Kids (HCK) program and its name came from an elementary school-based initiative in Santa Fe, New Mexico, called Cooking with Kids (https://cookingwithkids.org/). Initially, the Santa Fe Cooking with Kids program was contacted to expand its services in California. However, the nonprofit was small and lacked the capacity to grow to other areas outside New Mexico. They encouraged founder Dr. Norma Lisenko to purchase their curriculum and start a program in Benicia, only requesting acknowledgment and credit for their program in Santa Fe, New Mexico. HCK began providing services as an afterschool program for four elementary schools under the fiscal sponsorship of the Benicia Unified School District, with a $20,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefits Program for the Napa/Solano Area. Kaiser’s funding supported the program for ten years. The formally known as The Network for a Healthy California SNAP-Ed program, now known as the CalFresh Healthy Living Program, provided additional small grants.
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2009
Dr. Norma Lisenko was recognized as a Champion Mom by the California Department of Public Health, and her inspiring story was highlighted in the CalFresh ad campaign throughout California.
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2010
As a consultant in December 2010, Mrs. Lisenko applied and received a contract with Napa County Public Health and Self Sufficiency Department for $120,000 for one year to provide county-wide nutrition education programming to Family Resource Centers, a low-income senior housing, and the Napa Valley School District. This contract forced the incorporation of the HCK program into a nonprofit with three members on the founding Executive Board - Healthy Cooking with Kids, Inc. was established in December 2011.
2018
The growth experienced over 8 years was exponential. During the inaugural HCK Executive Board and staff retreat in March, the group began discussions regarding the potential renaming of the organization to better reflect its expansion into various areas, including fiscal sponsorship, policy, system, and environmental changes, along with services for youth and older adults. In June 2018, HCK submitted its initial DBA (doing business as) application to Marin County, registering as Innovative Health Solutions to improve service offerings. In December 2019, HCK received formal approval from the IRS to officially operate under the name Innovative Health Solutions.
2022
During the second Executive Board and Staff Retreat in 2022, a decision was made to pursue a trademark application and to rename the organization "Zamah," as the designation "Innovative Health Solutions" was already in use. Nevertheless, this process has encountered delays owing to organizational changes and the rapid growth experienced during the fiscal year 2023-24.