Mayor Carlos Hernandez of Hialeah, FL recently held a press conference to announce the arrival of healthy out-of-school opportunities for kids. Thanks to a partnership between the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the Walmart Foundation, kids living in the predominantly Latino (94.7%) city of Hialeah, FL, will benefit from improved nutrition and physical activity standards. As part of their Commit-to-Health initiative, with the support of the Walmart Foundation, the NRPA has awarded $2.3 million in grants to 50 parks and recreation agencies across the US to offer: Improved nutrition and physical activity standards;
An evidence-based, age-appropriate nutrition curriculum; and
Access to healthy meals during out-of-school time. Whether before school, during ...
During the school day, lunch time is a chance for busy students to take a break, relax with friends, and refuel. Refueling with healthy foods and drinks is vital. At two high schools in the Chicago suburbs, a concerned school board member saw a disconnect between the emphasis on healthy eating at lunch and the large sugary drink selection in cafeterias. The concern turned into a semester-long discussion between students, food services managers, and administrators that resulted in a new beverage policy for the school district that reduced the number of unhealthy drinks and marketed healthy ones in creative ways.
EMERGENCE
Awareness/Learn: The Latino student population is small—but rapidly growing—at Glenbrook High School District 225, which is commonly known as “the Glenbrooks” ...
The Latino community in Portland, OR, along with the Hacienda Community Development Corporation (HCDC) have exciting plans for a new fruit and veggie venue with cultural roots. The Portland Mercado will combine elements of indoor public markets and farmers’ markets with the bustle and feel of many Latin American open-air markets. The Mercado entrepreneurs will offer a mix of goods and services, including culturally specific prepared and fresh foods and artisan and handcrafted items. The HCDC's reputation as a trusted advocate for the low-income Latino community will help promote the Mercado as a safe, legal, and reliable place to find goods and services. Update: The Portland Mercado is seeking healthy and specialty product vendors for the new market. The group is working ...
Estrella Hernandez grew up in San Antonio, a predominantly Hispanic (63.2%) city with a 28.5% rate of obesity in its population of over 1.3 million people. When she was in middle school she began to take a look around her city and found that there was a big problem with obesity and overweight, especially with kids her age. She knew that there had to be a way to get her classmates and peers to become healthier, while still having fun. Estrella came up with the idea of an interactive mobile app she titled WeWalk, which combined active living, healthy eating, and gaming. As she worked with members of the San Antonio community she began to discover that together as a city they could change the obesity epidemic while having fun through exercise. EMERGENCE Awareness: Sitting in health ...
The Denver Botanic Gardens run a community supported agriculture (CSA) program at their farm in Chatfield. In addition to growing food for their members, in June 2014 they began taking the food off the farm and into the hands of folks who live in Denver area food deserts, low-income areas without a full-service grocery store near by. The farm stand debuted on the first Friday in June near Denver Human Services, in the Sun Valley neighborhood, and will continue to operate there on the first two Fridays of every month through October. The second location is downtown on the 16th Street Mall, where it will operate for the second two Fridays of the month. To make their farm-grown fruits and veggies accessible to everyone, all the stands ...
Counselors at New Britain High School were concerned about the future of Latina teens who were not passing PE and risked not graduating. Fortunately, a local nonprofit taught a group of Latina teens how to take photos and use them to inspire action—a technique called photovoice. Their efforts helped unite the nonprofit, the New Britain YWCA, and New Britain High School, who together pushed to establish an after-school PE credit recovery program. Now, Latina girls are getting the physical education they need to lead a healthy lifestyle, and the ongoing collaboration between community organizations has led to the development of a new hub for health called The House of Teens (HOT).
EMERGENCE
Awareness/Learn: The 37% Latino town of New Britain, Conn., was struggling with obesity in 2007. ...
More programs that double Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at local farmers' markets are coming to communities everywhere. In New York, where almost 20% of residents are Latino, a Double Up Food Bucks program is spreading across the western half of the state. The idea is simple. When a SNAP recipient swipes their card at the farmers' market EBT machine, they are given tokens worth double their dollar amount for folks to use on fresh, healthy foods. Double Up Food Bucks are limited to fruits and vegetables sold by participating farmers at designated farm markets, said Lisa Tucker, co-founder and executive director of the Field & Fork Network and food systems educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County.
“We’re hoping that ...
Studies found that farmers’ markets allowing SNAP recipients to use part of their benefits to buy fresh produce with Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards increases purchase of these foods. So it follows that if SNAP users could double the amount of benefits they could use at the market, they might buy even more fresh fruits and vegetables. Many farmers' markets across the country are trying these "double-up" programs, and markets in Green Bay are the latest. Called the Double Your Bucks program, Green Bay's version doubles the first $10 people can spend weekly on fresh produce, at each farmers market participating. A handful of markets in the area have had EBT capabilities for over two years, but this is the first time customers using the machines have been able to ...
Some doctors prescribe only medicine, but others like the pediatrician, Robert Zarr, MD, in Washington, D.C. are prescribing nature to children as a way to prevent obesity and to address a nature deficit disorder. In a blog from the Children and Nature Network, Dr. Zarr said he noticed that too many of his patients weren't getting outside like they should. Fortunately through a collaboration of several healthcare providers, private foundations,and partners like the National Park Service, the DC Department of Health, US Health and Human Services, NEEF, GW University, and AAP, Zarr and his colleagues launched the DC Park Prescription Program (DC Park Rx). Within four months, Zarr had handed out over 400 park prescriptions and some of his colleagues have reported positive ...
