A mobile kitchen will soon bring cooking demos and healthy meals to Richmond, Virginia’s East End. This at-risk community includes five government-run housing projects whose residents are in need of better food and nutrition. Called the Learning Kitchen, the fully equipped commercial kitchen's mission is to teach people how to prepare healthy foods. Commissioned by the nonprofit Bon Secours Health System, it’s the latest in a series of outreach efforts in nutrition and health. The system has helped bring fresh foods to communities in need and has sent out caravans to provide medical care for the uninsured. The kitchen-on-wheels may also go to schools to provide nutritional education and be used in health-related promotional events. Read more about the mobile kitchen and ...
Brownsville continues to encourage residents to move by closing its downtown streets for CicloBia! This year's event will be taking place on March 16, 2014. Attendees can rent bikes for free and participate in reclovias or fitness events at places like McNair Park, Washington Park, and Market Square. Last year's event drew over 10,000 participants out onto the city's streets. This year the city is expecting 3,000-5,000 participants to attend the event. For more information read the full article ...
After assessing the conditions of each neighborhood in Los Angeles, researchers were struck by some major disparities that exist between L.A. communities. To change this, researchers, policy-makers, community groups, and other stakeholders came together to create a plan to make neighborhoods healthier and safer. The Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles is a new Health and Wellness Element of the city’s General Plan. The General Plan is the blueprint for how and where the city will grow and develop, commonly known the city’s planning constitution. The Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles elevates health as a priority in the city’s future growth and development, establishing a policy framework to make Los Angeles a healthier place to live, work and play. The website allows you to check ...
What happens when Latino parents stay active? Their kids are more likely to be active too! That's why the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) is working to provide free after-school programming like Zumba classes at school gyms. Because an important connection exists between health, school attendance, and academic success, SAISD has placed a Parent and Family Liaison (PFL) at every school in the district, to reach parents with the message of leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Parent liaisons, like Katanna Sanchez-Larralde, work with parents or guardians to help create a healthy and educational environment outside of the school day. The idea is that parents can then help children succeed academically and beyond. In addition to "Coffee and Conversation" sessions ...
Oceano elementary is starting the day off right by getting kids to move before classes even begin. In order to get kids ready to learn, sixth-grade teacher Jim DeCecco and fellow educators have created a morning jog for students.
According to a news report from The Tribune, the initiative launched in February 2014 just months after the school held their first jog-a-thon fundraiser in October. After the school hosted the jog-a-thon, teachers realized that students really enjoyed running, so they decided to make running part the school's everyday activities.
Since the school launched the morning jog program, over 200 students from grades K-6 have shown up to participate in the morning activity. Some walk, while others jog or run a lap around the school's empty parking lot. Watch the ...
A 2011 study done by Dayton Children's Hospital found 37 percent of children in the region are overweight or obese. These sobering statistics motivated them to start making healthy changes in their own system. Beginning in May 2014, Dayton Children's Hospital will stop selling sugary drinks at all its locations. The new policy applies to the main campus and its outpatient care centers in Springboro and Middletown. The hospital said it includes the cafeteria, gift shop, vending machines, patient room service and on-site catering. The hospital said the move supports its mission to improve the health of children and their families. The change is part of a larger movement across the country of children's hospitals ensuring that patients have the best nutrition possible while on ...
Great things can happen when community organizations partner-up to find healthy solutions for preventing Latino childhood obesity! Recently Fuel Up to Play 60, one of the nation's leading groups for promoting health and wellness in schools, decided to partner with the Healthy Zone School Recognition Program, to get more schools to implement healthy and sustainable changes. Fuel-Up to Play 60--a program offered nationwide to kids in more than 73,000 schools--provides schools with a toolkit that encourages "healthy plays" for improving school physical activity and nutrition. The Healthy Zone School recognition program (Healthy Zone) honors schools for their healthy practices and provides assistance to those wanting to improve their health status. Up until now, the Healthy Zone ...
Families living in parts of Rock Island, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities, don't have a nearby grocery store, which limits their healthy food options. The University of Illinois Extension-Rock Island County hopes to make it easier for these families to get fresh fruits and vegetables through their new initiative. Beginning in March 2014, a bus will pick up residents once a month and shuttle them to the Hy-Vee Food Store, 2930 18th Ave., and Aldi Foods, 1817 38th St.. The ride is free of charge, but that's not all. While they're on the bus, an Extension educator will talk about food, nutrition, wellness, and saving money. The bulk of the funding — about $14,000 — is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutritional Assistance ...
Communities in southwest Tampa often struggle to access healthy food, and this includes many Latino families. Nearby Florida Hospital recently did a full community health assessment of the area which found the top health issue in the neighborhood is diabetes. The assessment indicated that the problem stems largely from a lack of readily available, affordable and nutritious food. Wal-Mart, the nation's largest grocery, is opening up a handful of superstores in underserved areas in this community. Currently, Wal-Mart is targeting food deserts across the country in cooperation with first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to end childhood obesity. Recently-opened Wal-Mart stores in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa also are inside or within one mile of USDA-designated food ...
