San Antonians want more opportunities to bike and the latest proof of this is the creation of a volunteer community bike shop called the Earn-A-Bike (EAB) Co-op. Volunteers from the EAB co-op have partnered up with the VIA Metropolitan Transit Center, Koepp Construction, the Westside Development Corporation, and others to bring bikes to those in most need. By volunteering their time, youth and adults can earn a bike while learning to repair bikes for others. For the 2014-2015 school year, the EAB Co-op plans to reach 200-300 individuals through their program. The new Co-Op is located at 2619 Guadalaupe St. in San Antonio, Texas (downtown, East/West San Antonio), but organizers hope to expand their reach to the Northeast, Northwest, and Southside of the city. Visit the ...
Action for Healthy Kids' (AFHK) Nancy Frank, M.P.H., AFHK State Coordinator, in California explains how one school nutritionist stepped up to provide healthy food for all students and kids in her community. When Sally Spero arrived at San Diego’s Lemon Crest Elementary School as child nutrition director in the winter of 2012, she quickly realized that the summer meal program – which served children in the community as well as those attending the school’s various summer programs – had only reached 60 kids the previous summer and offered foods that didn’t meet emerging nutrition standards. So she did something about it.
With the support of the district superintendent and the school board, Spero applied for and received a grant from Action for Healthy Kids, funded by ...
Farmers' markets are great places to buy healthy fresh fruits and vegetables. But many folks who receive food assistance benefits (Latinos make up 41% of WIC participants and 15% of SNAP participants) can't use those benefits at the market. Farmers' markets across the country are trying to change this, equipping their markets with machines that can turn the food assistance benefits into currency farmers can accept in exchange for fresh food. In Alaska, a handful of markets in the state introduced debit card readers, a small change put in place to give Alaskans who use Quest cards, the delivery system for SNAP funds, the ability to purchase fruits, vegetables and even plant starters. When the first two machines were installed in 2011, revenue for the two pilot ...
Investigators in Watsonville, CA are hoping to learn more about the long term effects of exercise and nutrition programs on Latino farmworkers. Because almost 85% of Latino farmworkers were found to be overweight and obese, researchers from UC Davis & UC Berkeley have set out to learn more about the effects of a healthy lifestyle intervention, over an 18-month period. The study will follow workers from Reiter, a berry growing company, to see whether the company's culturally relevant, wellness program---Sembrando Salud---works to encourage a healthy lifestyle among employees, who often spend up to 10 hours/day in the fields. "You can't just take a program off the shelf for suburban housewives, and say 'let's do this,' UC Davis researcher, Marc Schenker said, in a Santa Cruz ...
In a recent San Antonio Express News Op-Ed, Councilwoman Shirley Gonzalez shared some thoughts on why San Antonio should make its streets friendlier to pedestrians & cyclists.
She discusses how 8 pedestrians from her district alone were killed due to motor vehicle accidents, during her first 8 months of office. Gonzalez also goes on to talk about the city's SA 2020 vision and about the city's 2010 Comprehensive Master Plan, which will soon be updated.
"Achieving and exceeding the SA2020 goals, and ensuring a better San Antonio for our children, requires a plan addressing these issues jointly," Gonzalez said in the news column. "Achieving these goals means deliberately planning, and implementing projects, to reduce automobile use while making walking, cycling and use of public ...
When families don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables it can be hard to eat healthy. In New York City, many folks in the Bronx suffer from too few fresh food options and too many unhealthy snacks at local corner stores and bodegas. The Bronx has an obesity rate of 32%, and when compared to the rate in Manhattan (14%), city health officials wanted to do something to help. So the City unveiled Shop Healthy NYC in June 2013, a pilot program to see if assisting willing corner stores, grocery stores, and bodegas in low-income areas like the Bronx in buying and promoting more fresh produce and healthy items could help families eat better. The Health Department unveiled this Wednesday June 22, 2014 the results of the Shop Healthy NYC, which launched in 170 East New York ...
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg may be out of office, but his campaign fighting sugar-loaded beverages is still going strong. The newly-elected NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is continuing to run the attention-grabbing "Pouring on the Pounds" campaign ads (which run in English and in Spanish) on TV, in subway cars, and elsewhere. "Regardless of an administration change, the leading causes of death remain the same. … Focus groups have shown these types of graphic ads are effective, which is why we continue to use them,” a Health Department spokesman said. Sugary drinks continue to be the largest single contributor to obesity, the official said. De Blasio earlier this month said he would continue Bloomberg’s fight to ban the sale of sugary drinks larger than 16 ...
Latino kids in Arizona will benefit from a new policy which allows charter schools to enter into shared use agreements with the community. The legislation which was approved by Governor Jan Brewer, on April 30, 2014, will also make school employees immune from liability except in cases of gross negligence. Shared use agreements can provide Latino kids with safe places to play. Because Latino kids often do not live near parks and schools tend to be located near residential areas, shared use agreements are the perfect solution to filling the active spaces gap that exists in Latino communities. See more on this policy from the American Heart Association here. Read the text to this bill (highlighted in blue) here. Visit the active spaces resource page for research and ...
Urban gardens are great ways to bring access to fresh fruits and vegetables right into your own neighborhood. Recently, Las Cruces, New Mexico has been planting successful urban gardens everywhere---from schools to community centers---and has been educating the next generation about where good food comes from and how to grow it. The City of Las Cruces currently oversees 3 community gardens and more are in the works. The Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department recently received a $10,000 grant from the Darden Foundation and the National Recreation and Park Association to expand its community gardens. The department is making way for a new community garden in the East Mesa area. Read more about the great community gardens in Las ...
