Parent organization Real Food for Kids (RFFK) aims to improve the nutritional quality of food served at the public schools in Fairfax County, Va. These parents want all students to get healthy, fresh food that will fuel their bodies for physical and educational performance. As stated on their website: “We know, just as you do, that when a child is well-fed with nutritious, real food, he/she is healthier, better behaved and better able to succeed in and out of the classroom.” By doing research and educating themselves, they discovered the volume and breadth of processed foods and foods with artificial dyes and additives being served at their schools, even though these foods were allowed by USDA nutrition guidelines for school lunches. The parent group advocated for a new ...
What happens when a school district’s wellness policy doesn’t cover student sports games or other after-school events? In one district in San Antonio, a Latino-majority city with approximately 63% of the residents being of Latino or Hispanic origin, a school board president drove a policy change to implement healthier menu options at concession stands during school-sanctioned after-school events. With the support of various school officials, parents, and students, the new menu extends the district’s already-strong wellness policy to after-school hours and allows healthier items for students and parents.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: In San Antonio, Texas, the North East Independent School District (NEISD), which has a population of about 67,000 students, of which 55 percent are ...
Latinos are the largest minority group in Anderson, a small city in northern California’s Shasta County. Already heavily targeted by junk food advertisements on TV, Latino children face the temptation of unhealthy foods every day, and grocery store check-out lines can be one of the toughest spots for kids to make healthy choices. In the fall of 2006, concerned Anderson students decided to take a stand against junk food in check-out aisles, and their impact rippled into many grocery stores across the country.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: A group of middle-schoolers in Anderson saw the daily struggle they and their peers faced at the grocery and convenience stores: a lot of junk food options at the check-out aisles. They were fed up with how the placement and heavy promotion of these unhealthy ...
Parents in the East Austin neighborhood of Dove Springs saw how sugary drinks were adding pounds not only on to their own waistlines but to their children's as well. Wanting to take control of their health and motivate others to do the same, the parents formed Manatial de Salud, with the mission to promote well-being in the Dove Springs community through healthy lifestyles and positive environments. The group began a "No Soda Challenge", where families would sign up and pledge to reduce their sugary drink intake. Manatial de Salud promoted their pledge at school festivals and other community events. On their website, you can check out videos (in Spanish) highlighting families that are phasing-out sodas and replacing them with water and delicious fruit-filled waters, like agua ...
Latino kids consume more soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, and other sugary drinks on average than do their White peers. Sugary drink consumption contributes to increased rates of obesity and diabetes, studies show. Raising the price of sugary drinks could reduce consumption among Latino kids, and potentially improve weight outcomes, according to a new package of research materials produced jointly by Salud America! and Bridging the Gap, two national research programs funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The new Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids research materials start with an in-depth review of the latest science on sugary drink consumption by Latino kids and how pricing strategies could influence such consumption. The materials also provide policy implications ...
Folks in Reading, PA see more fast food restaurants and corner stores than they do fresh food outlets. Bodegas are commonplace too, catering to the city's large Latino population. Some community organizations in Reading are working to get healthier, fresh foods in their underserved area. The seasonal Penn Street Market outside the Berks Community Health Center in began accepting state-issued farmers' market vouchers and food stamps last year. The vouchers are just for fruits and vegetables, but the food stamps can be used for goods such as cheese, yogurt, bread and eggs. The Food Trust, a non profit that works to improve fresh food access in areas of need, is working in Reading to bring better, healthier foods into the neighborhoods that need them. Read more about food access in ...
Foodlink in Rochester, NY is more than an average food bank. Serving communities in central and western New York, 11% of their clients are Latino. Foodlink claims to not only fight hunger, but also build self-sustainability through improved food access. Through a new mobile food market launched in summer 2013 and various farm stands across the region, Foodlink is bringing healthy foods to folks who have limited access to them. Right now, they are looking to work with corner stores in the area as part of the Rochester Healthy Store Initiative. Grant money will be provided to these stores to sell, market and keep fresh produce. The hope is more people will purchase fruits and vegetables if they are easily accessible. Learn more about their food access programs here. Foodlink ...
A hospital in Louisville, KY has a new, healthy neighbor. The Bluegrass Farmers' Market began setting up its stands on Thursdays in June 2013. Next to Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital in south Louisville, the farmers' market has been welcomed by hospital administration, staff, patients, and the surrounding community. Local farmers gather each week to sell fruits, vegetables, homemade baked goods, jellies, jams, and more. At least one of the stands now takes Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Hopefully more will be able to do so soon, allowing everyone regardless of income to enjoy fresh, healthy ...
Much of Florence, AZ is considered a food desert, lacking easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Latinos make up the largest minority group in Florence and feel the realities of having to drive over ten miles one way just to buy fruits and vegetables. Elizabeth Kizer, a public health doctoral student at the University of Arizona, has been researching the food environment in Florence, hoping to find trends and get the community involved in proposing and implementing solutions to get healthier food into the community. She met with interested members in the community to share her findings and brainstorm possible solutions. Kizer found, among other things, that Florence lacked enough local food production to have a farmers' market, restaurants offered poor to no healthy ...
