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Lisa

Articles by Lisa

Get Your Goods On-The-Go In Portland



How can WIC and SNAP participants have easier access to farmers markets? How about a Pop-up Farmers Market? This mobile farmers market in Portland that looks like a 20th buggy car or some type of a new bike. Although it looks strange, it may help the over 48,600 Latinos living in the area avoid living in food deserts by providing healthy food access. Accepting WIC and SNAP, this fresh market allows members to even match dollar per dollar for food to encourage everyone to eat more fruits and vegetables. Fresh veggies and fruit such as berries, green beans, and summer squash are available. To see more, click ...

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Sugary Drinks A Main Cause of Death Studies Report



Over the years there has been multiple studies that show the links of consuming sugary drinks to healthcare problems, such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancers. A comprehensive report combined patterns of beverage consumption within 51 countries over 30 years with availability and consumption of sugar in 187 countries. This study revealed the first-ever global report on the effect of sugar-sweetened beverages on death rates. Studies showed that the United States was ranked second for death rates associated with sugary beverages. Latino kids drink more soda's and sugary beverages than their non-white peers and are even more likely to be affected. In fact, the report revealed that chronic disease was attributed to sugary beverages more in younger ...

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6,000 Low-Income Clients Get Access to Fresh Foods



Six hundred and fifty food pantries across the state are swapping traditional can goods at their food pantries for fresh produce. The demand for eating whole foods is high as doctors and nutritionist are encouraging more fresh and less processed foods. This is essential for Latino families who are less likely to have access to healthier foods in their neighborhoods, as studies show. Renovations are not cheap, but are being spear headed by grants and donations from the leader of the states food pantries, the Greater Boston Food Bank. Their fresh produce makes up 25 percent of the 51 million pounds of food it distributes annually and they hope to only increase their fresh produce from here. You can read more in the recent article from The Boston Globe,  where LaFontaine the ...

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Farm to Pre-School



Having access to healthier foods is becoming easier in certain schools there is a growing trend for students to grow gardens in the small green spaces around the school. What about pre-school aged kids? Can they learn to garden? All aged kids need vegetables and fruits in their diet, especially Latino kids who's population only continues to grow according to studies. USDA now has a resource that answers the questions many parents or school leaders may wonder in trying to put in place a farm to pre-school garden. To learn more about how Latino preschool kids can grow their school gardens, click ...

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Water Funding For Dry California



Clean water access for Californians is a large issue for many rural latino families. California has the largest Latino population in the U.S. and unfortunately many without access to uncontaminated drinking water. According to the Community Water Center, California’s San Joaquin Valley has the highest rates of contaminated drinking water as well as the greatest number of public water systems with Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) violations in the state. The good news is that Federal and State investments along with California-based organizations are working on water quality and quantity in the dry state. A new partnership focused on conserving and restoring Sierra-Cascade California Headwaters will work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other partners to ...

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Be A Part Of Chop Chop!



Looking for a easy way to cook with the kids and commit to eating dinner at home? Check out the Chop Chop Cooking Club! Starting to cook at home can be a fun and enjoyable way for Latinos kids to learn about healthy food and bring the family to the table! Chop Chop helps Latino kids be more active in the kitchen with a new recipe every month!  Offering ways to bring healthier foods home, the organization is sharing free recipes and asking families to pledge to cook dinner at home at least once a month! They also ask that participants finish six challenges and put a picture up to receive virtual badges and  win prizes  like a Le Creuset Stainless Steel Frying Pan or a Kitchen Aid blender! To learn more and sign up for the challenge, visit ...

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Local Food Funding through Local Food, Local Places



Kentucky, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama are among USDA's top states to receive 2015 Federal funding through the new initiative Local Food, Local Places. Local Food, Local Places is a federal initiative providing direct technical support to help local food systems and grow local economy as well as help provide community kitchens, food hubs, enhance public spaces for people to walk or bike to farmers markets, and encourage gardens in schools.Communities work together in a holistic approach, with experts from all fields, including public health, environmental, agricultural, transportation, and regional economics. Harvesting the reports from 2014, the program brought in over 11 billion dollars and showed that local food is growing in popularity and sustainability. ...

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Forest Mondays Open Doors For Learning



Kids in the U.S are overweight and recess is being cut back in schools across the nation. In fact, a report from Vermont stated that in 2005 the overweight population had more than doubled in the last twenty years. A small-town teacher in Quechee, Vermont is taking a new approach for kids to have the much needed recess time in school. The innovative teacher, Eliza Minnucci, takes her classroom outside into the woods once a week for what she calls “Forest Monday”. Minnucci got her idea from a documentary in Switzerland where kids spend the whole school day outside. Minnucci keeps order of the classroom while visiting the woods with a few simple rules, however, she let’s them explore how to do and shape things, helping them become more resourceful in their ...

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San Antonio Unpacks the Truth Of Sugary Beverages



To inform and educate the San Antonio community on just how much sugar is in the beverages people consume daily, health officials and community leaders partnered to launch the bilingual Sugar-Packed marketing campaign. After San Antonio’s previous attempts to tackle sugary drink consumption fizzled out, Nelson Wolff, judge of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, and his partners reignited a campaign against sugar with hopes to change the way residents look at sugar in beverages and its effect on health. The campaign includes print and online materials, including a sugar calculator tool, educational brochures, and posters. EMERGENCE Awareness: In 1997, Bexar County’s Health Collaborative formed as a coalition of health agencies that aim to improve the health status of the ...

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