The Mixing Bowl is a community commercial kitchen that has been helping small food businesses get going in New Mexico for the past ten years. To celebrate their decade of success, the Mixing Bowl is asking the New Mexico State legislature for $700,000 to fund development of a dozen other similar kitchens throughout the state, calling it the La Cocina initiative. If funded, the La Cocina Initiative will help a dozen existing rural New Mexico communities build out food entrepreneur programs based on the successful Mixing Bowl model in underutilized commercial kitchens like those in community center, schools, and churches. But these community kitchens aren't aimed at simply producing food---they want the food to be fresh and healthy. Delicious New Mexico helps with this ...
What's one way to build healthy communities? How about giving the community a voice in the design process? That's what the Center for Active Design hopes to accomplish by developing new guidelines to promote civic engagement as part of the design process. Thanks to the support of a $115,000 grant from the Miami based, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Center for Active Design will build on previous work such as the Active Design Guidelines, through its new “Designing for Robust Engagement, initiative. “We believe that design plays a key role in developing communities that are more civically engaged, and we want to understand its true impact,” says Reena Agarwal, Center for Active Design policy director in an American City and County news article. “Funding ...
The number of Latino students receiving bachelor’s degrees in the physical sciences and engineering is on the rise, according to a report from the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Statistical Research Center. In 2012, for the first time ever, the number of Latinos earning physical science and engineering degrees surpassed 10,000/year. Between 2002 to 2012, the number of Latinos earning bachelor’s degrees in the physical sciences and engineering rose by 78% and 64% respectively. "While those numbers are encouraging, Hispanics are still underrepresented in many fields, including astronomy and earth sciences," said Laura Merner, the research associate who authored the report. "More Hispanic students earning physical science degrees is a good thing, but it does not mean ...
Mobile food markets are rolling out across the country, bringing fresh fruits and vegetables into areas without full-service grocery stores near by. In Pittsburgh, however, no such mobile market exists---yet. Farm Truck Foods, a new mobile market serving areas around Pittsburgh, will begin selling produce this coming Spring. With support from a $75,000 grant it received from the community development nonprofit Neighborhood Allies, Farm Truck Foods will buy a truck and retrofit it with refrigerators and other equipment. It will sell affordable and fresh produce, grains, dairy products, meat and some pre-packaged foods in a number of communities that lack healthy food access. Shoppers will be able to buy items with cash, credit cards, debit cards and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ...
A street makeover for San Francisco's Second Street is in the works. According to a news article from socketsite.com plans for the upgrades to Second Street include: bike lanes, sidewalks, plants, and safe roadways---all part of what a true complete street should look like. This project aims to make Second Street a complete street, or a street designed for all road users. According to a factsheet from the San Francisco Public Works department, after gathering all the necessary permits, construction for the project could begin in 2016 and be complete within about a year. Read more about this ...
Seventh grade is a crucial time in the development of a child. That's why after school fitness programs and initiatives that introduce kids to healthy eating habits are crucial at this age. According to a story from the Salem News, 41% of children in Salem are considered obese, a number higher than the statewide average of 33%. In order to keep kids on a path to good health, the YMCA of Salem received a $20,000 grant from North Shore Medical Center. Already the grant has helped fund a mobile farmer's market and an urban garden, built by students at Salem High. Now, these funds will be used towards providing at least 275 seventh grade students with a free membership to the YMCA. Ordinarily, memberships cost $264 per year. The YMCA will provide each participating student with a ...
Thanks to the support of community volunteers, two national organizations, and a private donation, kids living in the city of Tomball, TX can celebrate a new park! On the morning of December 5, a team of over 200 volunteers from 40 different organizations, gathered to donate their time and talents towards something that will benefit everyone---a new park. When kids have access to nearby parks, they're more likely to be physically active and healthy. That's why in 2011, Kaboom! and Humana teamed up to bring more parks to communities in need across the nation. According to a news article from the Houston Chronicle, in 2013, Humana's CEO Bruce Broussard, donated 14 acres of land to the city of Tomball. "I think they were skeptical at first," he stated in The Chronicle. "But ...
Many areas in central Florida lack easy access to fresh, healthy foods. Registered Dietitian Roniece Weaver recognized the problem 20-years ago in the neighborhoods around the center of Orlando. She teamed up with a few other dietitians to form Hebni Nutrition Consultants to educate people on how to prevent diet related diseases. But she wanted to do more. The group wanted to give the neighborhood better access to healthy staples like apples, lettuce, bananas, and tomatoes. So they figured they had two options: find local stores that will expand their fresh produce offerings, or try something a bit different---a mobile farmers' market. Weaver says the mobile market is a better solution. “We can expand our reach and be anywhere on any given day, and reach different ...
Do you know what a Salud Hero looks like? Find out by watching the new Salud America! Salud Heroes YouTube channel to see how people across the country are pushing for healthy changes—in nutrition, physical activity, and marketing—for Latino kids in their community. You’ll start seeing #SaludHeroes all around you. They’re teachers. Doctors. Activists. They’re schools. Nonprofit groups. Entire cities. They’re even your own children! For example, watch our six new videos of #SaludHeroes who reduced sugary drinks and improved healthy marketing among Latino kids (and vote for your favorite!) “Watch the steps these Salud Heroes take, from learning about the issue of obesity, to getting an idea, to building support, and generating long-term change,” said ...
