In a move that shows how social movements can address local health, Black Lives Matter advocates are helping push for a grocery store in a food desert in Oklahoma City (14.6% Black, 19.2% Latino). The advocates brought a demand for a store to city leaders. They met with Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, Homeland grocery store President and CEO Marc Jones, and economic developers to discuss plans for building the 30,000-square-foot store to a local food desert on the Northeast side of the city, according to Patrina Adger of KOCO News. The area's only grocery store closed down about a year ago. This left neighbors with little access to fresh fruits and vegetables. "Obviously it's just this huge unmet need [for healthy food options] for a number of years," Jones of Homeland told ...
55,564 people—including members of Salud America!—submitted public comments to help shape the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A federal advisory committee will consider the public comments, collected from March 2019 to June 2020, as they create a scientific report to inform the new dietary guidelines. Our members made over 250 comments to add water to the MyPlate/MiPlato graphic, reduce added sugars, and promote dietary equity. The USDA and HHS will use the scientific report and comments to draft the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. But don't worry if you missed commenting! USDA and HHS will open a new comment period for the advisory committee's scientific report around July 15, 2020. "We're excited that so many people spoke up for equitable ...
Cities are increasingly recognizing the value of streets as car-less public space. For example, due to a spike in demand for outdoor space early in the coronavirus pandemic, cities around the world began closing streets to vehicles to give people walking and biking more space. More recently, cities are closing streets to vehicles to give restaurants and shops space to serve customers outdoors—in parking spaces, on sidewalks, and on streets. However, street vendors, many of whom are Latinos and immigrants with no paid sick leave and a history of fighting to serve these very spaces, are being left out of reopening plans. “They’ve been so exposed through the nature of their work and the cruelty of our society that has forced them out of the formal economy,” Megan Macareg ...
Eric Cooper knows what it's like to depend on public assistance programs. He grew up in a low-income family, relying on free school meals and food assistance to get enough food to eat. Today, as CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank, Cooper helps families like his. And with rising amounts of food insecurity amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, he led the Food Bank to orchestrate a whole new way of operating. An army of volunteers has stepped up to meet the needs of so many, by working in back-to-back shifts and implementing new strategies, such as drive-through pickup lines or COVID-19 preparation kits. Their efforts have garnered national acclaim and have turned a crisis into a rallying point for those who need it most. "I think all of us, as human beings find ourselves in ...
Food stamps began in America during another national crisis, the Great Depression — now, during the coronavirus pandemic, government programs are advocating for expansion. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) received a big increase in federal support from the USDA on Wednesday. Moreover, a recent report from the Robert Wood Johnson’s Healthy Eating Research program shows that this kind of investment only helps families and the American economy. “In a time of economic uncertainty, increasing SNAP benefits is a proven policy approach to stimulate the economy, reduce economic hardship, and improve health,” the report states. “Future federal recovery policy approaches should consider SNAP’s proven ability to lift people out of poverty, purchase healthy food, ...
A soda tax aims to reduce sugary drink consumption and boost public health. In a new twist, Seattle is using soda tax revenues to give emergency $800 grocery vouchers for 6,250 families amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Next City reports. City leaders mailed a $400 voucher in March 2020 for families to buy groceries at Safeway. They will send a second $400 voucher this month. Mayor Jenny Durkan called this rapid-response to coronavirus "remarkable." “As schools and child care facilities close, we need to do everything we can to support families and ensure they can put food on the table,” Durkan said, Next City reports.
Sugary drinks do not contribute to good health, especially among Latinos, according to a Salud America! research review.
Let's examine how soda ...
The coronavirus outbreak is making it harder for Latino and other families to get enough food to feed their families, a condition also called food insecurity. Families that rely on food assistance can’t stock up, or shop online, either. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, April 21, 2020, to discuss how to improve food access and mitigate food insecurity for Latinos and all people during the COVID-19 pandemic! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Tackling Latino Food Insecurity amid Coronavirus
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, April 21, 2020
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS), Food Research and Action Center (@fractweets), and Feeding America Advocacy (@hunger)
HASHTAG: #SaludTues
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Salud America! led a national webinar to show how our Salud America! Health Equity Report Card can help you visualize and explore place-based health inequities in your county, and build a case toward solutions during these difficult coronavirus times. The webinar, “How to Use Place-Based Data to Promote Health Equity During COVID-19 Pandemic,” took place at 2 p.m. ET Thursday, May 7, 2020. Webinar speakers explored: How inequities in housing, transportation, poverty, healthcare, and access to healthy food and safe places to be active, contribute to disparities in infectious and chronic disease.
How you can use the local data, interactive maps, and comparative gauges in the Salud America! Health Equity Report Card to identify health inequity issues in your county.
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Jenn Yates is an advocate who usually pushes for healthier school food in Arlington, Virginia (15.8% Latino). David Guas is a chef who usually is feeding people. These days, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Yates and Guas are a dynamic duo that provides free meals to vulnerable families to prevent hunger while schools and restaurants are closed. And, thanks to the advocate and the chef, red beans and rice are feeding thousands. May 5 UPDATE: The Chefs Feeding Families initiative has provided 18,000 meals to families across the DC metro area.
Yates, the Advocate, Understands the Importance of Food Assistance Programs
Yates grew up in a low-income, working family. She said she is grateful for food assistance programs like free meals at schools. “I got school meals as a kid,” ...
