Growing up, Dante Jones always looked forward to weekend bike rides with his father. In those rides with his dad, Jones said he learned important life lessons and experienced the beauty of the outdoors, all while getting exercise. So when his daughter, Glory, was old enough to ride a bike he decided to start a similar tradition. He hoped it would allow them to spend more quality time together and instill in her the value of living an active lifestyle and the fun of activities like biking and skating. Jones noticed that other children from the neighborhood wanted to tag along when he and his daughter would go out for bike rides. He invited them along. He started to realize that there was a lack of positive role models in the neighborhood, and also a lack of afterschool ...
San Antonio sisters Makayla Esparza, 9, and Alyssa Esparza, 8, led largely inactive lifestyles. They saw a weight-loss contest on TV and decided to get active and help others get active, but they didn’t know of any afterschool programs to join and they didn’t have anyone to be active with. This led to their big idea: invite all the kids from their neighborhood for a 90-day get fit challenge to improve. With the help of their grandmother, Dawn Guerrero, Alyssa and Makayla posted an ad on Craigslist to invite kids to be active with them. They also invited members from the fitness community to show them ways to be fit. Soon kids from all over the neighborhood started showing up, and the group “Fitness FUNatics” was born. Although their 90-day challenge is now over, the Fitness ...
An abandoned alley in Lake Worth, Fla., was re-developed into an attractive greenway through team work and perseverance by a researcher, school district employee, city staff, and the community. The greenway, which is located near a school in a predominantly Latino area, will increase the area’s walkability and connect two neighborhoods to a nearby high school.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: Dr. Ruth McCaffrey, a trained nurse and professor at Florida Atlantic University, was keenly aware that obesity was a growing concern in Lake Worth, Fla. About 30% of the city’s 35,000 residents live in poverty, and 40% are Latino—with a growing number of families migrating there from Guatemala. Several parts of town lack adequate spaces for physical activity, and the way the city was designed impedes ...
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 ...
Moved to action by the low-quality foods provided to her brother while in transitional housing, Robin Emmons began growing a few fruits and and vegetables and making weekly deliveries to the house. She soon realized that many communities in Charlotte were facing the same issues as her brother. Lack of access to healthy foods and long commutes to grocery stores were forcing many families to sacrifice eating healthy for whatever is convenient. She decided to take her garden up a notch. On land donated by local farmers and businesses, Emmons grows healthy foods that she later sells at farm stands at affordable prices. She started a non-profit, Sow Much Good, that is dedicated to growing healthy communities in underserved neighborhoods. People are also able to use their food stamps to ...
In Compton, CA, fresh fruits and vegetables are scarce, and residents are feeling it. About 40% of folks living in Compton are obese; many struggle with chronic disease like diabetes. In this predominantly Latino city, corner stores are everywhere and even the "fresh" produce at the local grocery store is often spoiled. City officials are taking a big step in the right direction: opening a farmers' market. In early September, the City opened the Blue Line Farmers' Market, the first in Compton in more than a decade. It sits right at a Metro stop, welcoming riders as they get off. City officials said the weekly Wednesday farmers market is just the first step. The City Council has added health and wellness as one of its "critical priorities" for the coming fiscal year, and in ...
