We all know that healthier school meals improve kids' diets. But did you know kids' like them? The first national surveys of school leaders show that the majority of students like the new healthier lunches schools are offering after USDA’s improved nutrition standards went into effect in fall 2012. This study is done by Bridging the Gap, a nationally recognized research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation dedicated to improving the understanding of how policies and environmental factors affect diet, physical activity and obesity among youth, as well as youth tobacco use. In elementary school the study finds that there hasn't been a significant impact on participation in the school lunch program. Sixty‐five percent of public elementary schools reported no overall ...
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides low-income moms with young children and moms-to-be with nutrition education, health care referrals, and vouchers for food. Latinos make-up 41 percent of WIC participants nationwide. The guidelines for buying food with WIC benefits can be tricky, and that's one of the reasons Andrea Little says she and her classmate at the University of Southern Florida and business partner Hector Angus wanted to open 1Apple Grocery in Plant City, Florida. In Plant City, almost 20% of the population is Latino. Besides helping to bring healthy food access to the community, Little and Angus say they wanted to make it easier for WIC participants to purchase nutritious food that followed federal ...
14% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits recipients are Latino families. Many of these families in the Columbus, Ohio area will soon be able to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables at their local farmers' market, thanks to new funds from the County. The Franklin County commissioners are expected to approve spending $10,000 to help low-income county residents buy goods at local farmers markets. Modeled after a program that began last year at the Downtown Pearl Market, the program will allow people who receive SNAP benefits, to use them at six area farmers markets, including Pearl Market. The program, called Veggie SNAPs, also will provide a matching amount of up to $10 for buying fresh local food with food-stamp benefits. Benefits are loaded onto an ...
A total of $43 million from an offshore oil and gas royalty fund will be allocated towards recreation and conservation projects---like parks---throughout the nation. The announcement was made during a July 8, 2014 meeting, at Gateway Park in Fort Worth Texas, where Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, accompanied by Fort Worth's Mayor Betsy Price, spoke of the need to reauthorize federal funding for open space projects like trails, parks, playgrounds, greenways and urban wildlife refuges. In an article from the Washington Post, Price, who is the co-chair of the City Parks Alliance's Mayors for Parks Coalition---a group of mayors who champion the cause of urban parks and open spaces, said: "As we’re growing in density with people returning to urban centers, it’s critical that ...
Policy solutions aimed at the prevention and management of type II diabetes are often similar to those involved with obesity prevention. This report prepared by the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School provides useful information related policy for both obesity and diabetes prevention. Access the report ...
Partnership opportunities exist at all levels of collecting data including state agencies, local jurisdictions, universities, and others. Check out this report from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to learn more about collecting data effectively and improving modeling. Access the Improving Modeling and Data Collection for Active Transportation Report ...
Kids in New York City (NYC) have the right idea when it comes to walking! According to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), the majority of students in NYC already walk to and from school. In order to keep kids excited about walking, the DOT created the We're Walking Here contest. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage students to think about and share their walking experiences with others, through a public service announcement (PSA). Both the New York Department of Education (DOE) and the DOT support as many kids walking to school as possible. For the 2013-2014 over 200 NYC schools registered on-line to win prizes like t-shirts, pedometers and sun glasses. From encouraging better health and exercise to reducing pollution, walking to school offers many ...
Painted sidewalks and a prime location make the Zona de Juego a great hangout spot for residents living in one of Houston's predominantly Latino neighborhoods, Magnolia Park. Thanks to a design team from the University of Houston College of Architecture Community Design Resource Center and a partnership with Houston Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Transformation Initiative, Magnolia residents now have this 600 foot active space, that's conveniently located between a De Zavala park and De Zavala elementary school. With a budget of only $2,000, project leaders worked with local residents, De Zavala elementary, the Magnolia Park Civic Club, the Houston Parks and Recreation and the National Endowment for the Arts , to bring this culturally relevant, dynamic ...
When families don't live by a full-service grocery store, it can be hard to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, leaving many kids hungry and without proper nutrition. But what if you could grow fresh fruits and vegetables right in your back yard and sell them to a neighbor in need? In Atlanta, some zoning code changes are allowing folks to do just that. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed signed legislation in June 2014 that establishes the city’s first urban gardens and market gardens ordinance to address food deserts. The ordinance, which was approved by the Atlanta City Council on June 2, will help to eliminate food deserts and expand access to healthy and affordable produce by allowing urban gardens and market gardens to operate in residential zoning districts. Prior to the ordinance, ...
