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, ...
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 ...
