Madison Alewel from NewsChannel 10 reports on how one school made big changes to bring healthy foods to students. When the USDA changed the meal standards for schools, they gave schools a few years to prepare and transition. The Amarillo Independent School District in Texas used that time to develop a resource that would not burden the district, but in turn save it money. The school district built their very own bakery to provide its 53 schools with whole grain bread, which is one of the new healthier requirements. The bread is made from scratch and served fresh to students on a daily basis. The AISD Bakery produces about one ton of dough each day, which ends up providing about 9,000 meals to local students. "We make loaf bread, hamburger, hot dog buns, rolls and hoagies," said ...
Residents of Westwood, one of Denver's predominantly Latino neighborhoods, celebrated the grand opening of a new park on Saturday, September 6, 2014. According to District 3 Councilman Paul Lopez's Facebook page the Cuatro Vientos-Four Winds Park is the first park to come to district 3 in nearly 30 years. Local residents, members of Westwood Unidos---a coalition that works to promote healthy living and bring healthy options to the Westwood neighborhood---and many other key stakeholders, gathered between 11am-3pm on Saturday to celebrate the occasion. According to the Westwood Unidos Facebook page, prior to the park opening, the community had less than 10% of the target acres of park per capita. In 2012, when the Colorado Health Foundation announced a request for ...
Kids attending Hart Elementary, a predominantly low-income school in Austin, TX, with 88% Latino students, can now enjoy daily bike rides thanks to a new protected bike lane and bridge that connect the school to a nearby residential area. According to a Peopleforbikes.org blog, the 1.1 mile stretch of protected lanes, which consists of a few poles and some paint, cost the city only $20,000 and took four days to install. In addition to the protected bike lanes, the school is participating in a pilot program, which will study the effects of the bike lanes and a new bike to school program, on learning and health outcomes. In a news article from the Austin Statesman, principal David Dean said: “I’m a believer that if we can promote this program and show that it can be fun but ...
What good is physical activity if you fuel up with junk food and sugary drinks? One leader in Arlington County, Va., realized that the absence of healthy drink and snack options at parks and public buildings was sending an unclear message to the community about the importance of proper nutrition for an active lifestyle. With overwhelming community support, he drove good-for-you options into vending machines in county-owned property and local schools, creating an environment that weaves both nutrition and physical activity into the fabric of neighborhood health.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: Families in Arlington County, Va., come from many different cultural backgrounds.
Among the county’s 16% Latino population, this diversity is apparent. “The Latino population is probably a bit ...
Small-scale farming in the city is risky business, especially if you don't own the land you're farming. Low profit and high rent can leave these urban spaces to grow healthy food to dry up. Brooke Budner and Caitlyn Galloway, the co-founders of San Francisco’s Little City Gardens, understand this better than anyone. They don’t own the three-quarter acre lot they farm and scrape by on a month-to-month lease. A new law proposed by California Assemblyman Phil Ting (who represents San Francisco and San Mateo) might give Little City Gardens a bit more security so the small business can thrive. The idea is simple: Property owners who commit to leasing their land to agricultural enterprises for at least 10 years will be able to receive a re-valuation of their parcels that will ...
Could Los Angeles soon be seeing more pocket parks? According to a news article from The Los Angeles Times, a nonprofit that works to bring more green space to underserved communities, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust (LANLT), is working to identify lost lots throughout the city, in efforts to develop more pocket parks for residents. After discovering that nearly half of the city's 3.8 million residents did not live within a 10-minute walk to a park, LANLT decided to create a database comprised of lost and abandoned lots like small lots, alleys, and utility corridors throughout the city. According to the article, in the last two years, the city's Parks and Parks and recreation department purchased 24 small lots---most of them not larger than 1/2 acre---to build ...
Resource bonds that bring more parks and green space to low-income, park poor communities can make a difference in the way Latinos live, work, and play, according to the City Project. In a June 2014 update from the City Project---a non-profit group that works towards equal justice, democracy, and livability by improving the conditions of the built environment---we are reminded that equitable distribution of park funds must continue and that policy should be written to include standards to ensure that this happens. At a Summer 2014 park bond hearing, according to a KCET news report, Robert Garcia Founding Direct and Counsel of the City Project said: "Fair distribution of funds is good policy." As stated in a City Project blog, California's Assembly Bill 31 (2008) is a ...
Parents and students from Central Elementary, a predominantly Latino school in San Diego, CA, celebrated accomplishing their goal of walking or jogging over 100 miles in less than a year, according to a Mid-City Community Action Network (CAN) blog. According to the blog, the school's 100 mile club has over 50 students, and this year eleven of its members and some of their parents logged in over 100 miles. One student, 7 year old Alvaro Perez and his mother Margarita, walked a total of 214 miles. The group, which is primarily parent led, was started in fall 2013 by parent Jos Ramos in collaboration with the Central Health and Wellness Council. With the support of the school's principal, Liz Duvall, the team applied for and received a start up acceleration grant from Michelle ...
With all the Smart Snack changes rolling out in schools nationwide this fall, attention may begin to turn to what kids are buying at the grocery store. One food company is making major improvements in what they offer and how they market it to kids. Giant Eagle is in the process of installing the go-to kid sections, labeled "Kids' Healthy Snack Zone," in about 400 stores in the mid-Atlantic and Ohio. And Walmart is piloting the concept in 30 stores in California, with plans to roll it out to 1,500 stores later this fall. Bolthouse Farms is responsible for making this effort in grocery stores throughout the US. They are the same company that released the extreme baby carrot campaign, which marketed ranch and chili-lime dusted carrots as go-to snacks for kids. The company has been ...
