New Haven is the second most obese county in Connecticut, with 60 percent of Hispanic adults in New Haven struggling with obesity. Luckily, there are groups that are working to get healthy, nourishing food to those in the area who need it. New Haven Farms (NHF) works to combat both food insecurity and health conditions including diabetes and obesity by providing families with fresh produce and nutrition lessons. The organization currently operates eight small garden sites throughout the city, growing 5,500 pounds of produce feeding 20 families over the winter and 40 over the summer. In collaboration with the City of New Haven, NHF is in the process of acquiring a new farm that will triple its food output, allowing them to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for more families in ...
If you’ve ever dreamed of making a difference in your community (or if you’re a kid who doesn’t mind getting a little dirty), then you’ll want to hear about the amazing mud run program, Mile Strong Kids by Fred Bailon and John Soto.
Bailon and Soto, two elementary-school teachers in the majority Latino city of San Antonio, Texas, organized a one-day mud run to start “standing up to obesity.” The event was so surprisingly successful that it led to the formation of a running club and non-profit group to organize mud runs all over town.
Obesity Spurs Big Idea
Fred Bailon and John Soto are teachers at W.Z. “Doc” Burke Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas. About 87% of Burke students are Latino and 82.3% of the school’s population is economically disadvantaged, ...
About five years ago, Clara Santos opened Olivares Food Market to serve the Philadelphia neighborhood in which she lived. Offering quick meals and grab-and-go snacks, her store was popular but had few healthy snacks. With some help from a food access organization, Santos learned that offering and promoting healthy food options is not only good for the health of her customers, but for business, too.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: Olivares Food Market, a Latino-oriented corner store in South Philadelphia, owned by Clara Santos, is a lot like other similar markets in Philadelphia and across the country. That is, it lacks healthy food options and has no marketing for the few it does have. Olivares sells prepared foods—like high-calorie cheesesteaks for lunch and pancakes for breakfast—and ...
In a collaborative effort First 5 Contra Costa and Healthy and Active Before 5 created an ad campaign that depicts soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages with sharp, scary teeth. Sugar Bites is a social marketing campaign that aims to encourage parents to provide their children with healthier beverages. The ads are featured in both English and Spanish, in order to reach as many people as possible in the 24.8% Hispanic area. Advertisements like these can help educate people and use the same tactics large corporations use to advertise unhealthy drinks and snacks. “In 2010, one in three low-income kids in Contra Costa County ages 2-5 were overweight or obese,” said Tracy Irwin, public affairs manager at First 5. “Childhood obesity is a public health crisis. It not ...
Latino kids are less likely than White kids to meet federal recommendations of at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day. The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which works with the private sector and PHA Honorary Chair First Lady Michelle Obama to end the childhood obesity epidemic, announced in late February that two of the nation’s largest providers of low-cost or free out-of-school time activities have committed to create healthier environments for five million kids in their programs, many of which are Latino. Over the next five years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) have committed to encouraging 5,400 sites and Clubs nationwide to adopt strong standards for nutrition and ...
After realizing that patients were not participating in regular physical activity, clinicians at the Community Health and Social Services (CHASS) Center in the Mexicantown neighborhood of Detroit decided to try something different to get residents from this largely Latino community moving. Physicians like Maricela Castillo and Richard Bryce teamed up with local organizations to host the neighborhood’s first-ever 5K race. Because the 5K entry was made affordable, many of the 200 participants were CHASS patients. The clinic plans to make the 5K an annual event as a means to promote its other nutrition and fitness programs for patients.
EMERGENCE
Awareness/Learn: The Community Health and Social Services Center (CHASS) is a nonprofit clinic that provides affordable health care and support ...
Marin City is one of the most diverse communities in California, with more than half the population being either African American, Hispanic, or Asian. Latinos who live in the small community make up about 10% overall, and are about to have more choice when it comes to snacks. The Marin City Community Services District has voted to adopt a new policy to restrict junk food sold at vending machines on its property and at events that the district oversees. The policy officially goes into place in February. The new policy — approved by the Community Services District board — is similar to the U.S. Department of Agriculture food and beverage regulations that call for more whole grains, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, leaner protein, and less fat, sugar, and sodium. Read more ...
A group of Texas Tech University students wanted to get some hands-on coaching experience. Jeff Key, an instructor at Texas Tech, worked to give the students in-class instruction and an opportunity to coach/teach and do community service at the same time—a unique effort that resulted in the development of after-school fitness and mentoring programming at McWhorter Elementary School in Lubbock, Texas.
Emergence
Awareness: Jeff Key, an instructor and coordinator of community outreach for the Department of Health, Exercise Science, and Sport Sciences at Texas Tech University (TTU), knew that obesity was a problem among the community. He was especially concerned with how it was affecting younger generations. “We were concerned that almost 35% of elementary kids were overweight or ...
Hispanics make up almost half of the total population in Houston and many live in areas that lack easy access to grocery stores and fresh produce. To grow lasting healthy changes in these communities, teamwork is essential. One mom, determined to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to folks in inner-city Houston, teamed up with a food pantry that had been looking for a creative way to distribute fresh fruits and vegetables to families in need. This is the story of a unique partnership that led to students being sent home from school with a bag fresh produce each week to take to their homes in underserved Houston neighborhoods—and ended in kids demanding extra kale smoothies.
EMERGENCE
Awareness/Learn: When Lisa Helfman and her husband, Jonathon, wanted their family to eat healthier, ...
