With a need to make cancer education and support services more widely accessible in the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles region, The Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics at California State University, Northridge is hosting a series of online and in-person workshops to reach underserved communities.

The Whole Body Whole Health (WBWH) program is aimed at helping individuals in cancer treatment or recovery by providing free interactive wellness workshops on such topics as nutrition education, live cooking demonstrations, yoga, mindfulness activities and more.

The Whole Body Whole Health program will run through the fall semester and extend to the spring.

The classes are taught by experts, including registered dietitian nutritionists, chefs, master gardeners and yoga and mindfulness instructors, to provide individuals the chance to learn about healthy nutritional habits and the impact of food in relation to cancer. Interactive food demonstrations and cooking classes will focus on creating meals with ingredients that are affordable and accessible at any local store and require minimal steps to prepare.

The WBWH program is being offered for the first time in the local community and made possible by a grant from the Tower Cancer Research Foundation.The Marilyn Magaram Center is collaborating with community partners; Dignity Health, Northridge Hospital, Northeast Valley Health Corp., San Fernando Community Health Center, One Generation, Lanark Park Recreation Center and CalFresh “to make the program a reality for underserved community members,” said Annette Besnilian, executive director of the center.

“We are thankful to the Tower Cancer Research Foundation for the generous grant that made this program possible for the CSUN community,” said Besnilian. “We are also grateful for Sally Magaram, who connected us to the Magnolia House and the Tower Cancer Research Foundation.

“It was brought to our attention several years ago that there is a lack of resources for the San Fernando Valley underserved community by the Jennifer Diamond Cancer Foundation.”

The hybrid workshops will run through the fall semester and extend to the spring. Virtual workshops are scheduled every Wednesday from 12:30-1 :30 p.m. on Zoom starting Wednesday, Oct. 11 through Nov. 8, while in-person sessions are held at CSUN, ONEgeneration and Lanark Park. Directions will be provided upon RSVP to the workshop.

Anyone diagnosed with cancer or affected by cancer, including support persons to individuals living with cancer, can attend the workshop series.

The mission of the Marilyn Magaram Center is to enhance and promote health and well-being through research, education and services in food science, nutrition and dietetics, and to improve the quality of life and enhance the knowledge of students, professionals, families, and communities through education, nutrition promotion, scientific research and disease prevention. The center is part of CSUN’s College of Health and Human Development.

For more information, contact the center at magaram.center@csun.edu or call (818) 677-3102.

CSUN, Health and Safety, Marilyn Magaram Center