Let’s Move! is a national campaign that promotes healthy, active lifestyles for American kids. After her Today Show appearance, Mrs. Obama spoke at a church in Alpharetta, Georgia, recalling some of the past year’s successes while challenging attendees to continue working for childhood nutrition.

“As far as we’ve come, when nearly one in three kids in this country is still overweight or obese, then we’ve still got a long way to go,” she said.

One of Let’s Move’s biggest successes of the past year was the newly signed Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (PDF) that has promised a $4.5 billion increase in funding for the National School Lunch Program and other child nutrition programs over the next 10 years.

This newly signed act also gives the USDA the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods regularly sold in schools. Standards include:

• Calorie limits in school meals
• Reducing sodium by more than half
• Banning most trans fats
• Increased servings of fruits and vegetables
• Requiring all milk to be low fat or nonfat
• Requiring all flavored milks to be nonfat
• Eventually requiring all grains to be whole grains

These changes will have a major impact on Alabama students, since more than half are currently enrolled in the Free or Reduced Lunch Program, and nearly one in four live below the federal poverty line. School breakfasts and lunches are the primary source of nutrition for many of these kids. The new guidelines mean they will have access to more nutritious, wholesome foods.

We hope you will join the conversation about improving the school lunch program – and that’s why we’re screening Lunch Line this Sunday, February 13 at 3 p.m. at the Bama Theater in Tuscaloosa. Lunch Line is a fun, informative documentary about the history, opportunities and challenges of the school lunch program.

The screening will be followed by a Taste $2.72 reception featuring food from local favorites including Mug Shots, Surin, Roly Poly, Newk’s, Don Rafa’s Mexican Grill, Mellow Mushroom, and more. Tuscaloosa lunchrooms are reimbursed $2.72 for each lunch served, and we want to give you an idea of how far that can go.

Advance tickets are available here, or you can purchase tickets using cash or check at the door. Tickets are $5 for students and $15 for adults. Kids 5 and under are free.

We hope to see you on Sunday!

posted by T.C. McLemore

The Child Nutrition Act is up for re-authorization in the House of Representatives. 56 percent of Alabama children receive free or federally reduced school lunches through the school lunch program. This bill has the power to change the foods appearing on their lunch trays.

What can you do?

• Attend our Lunch Line screening this Saturday, August 28th. We’ll view a short documentary about the school lunch program and discuss some solutions with a farm-to-school coordinator here in Birmingham, a school lunch director, and the filmmaker. (Bonus: all proceeds from this event will fund the work of the Alabama Poverty Project and will be matched by the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham!)
• Sign a online petition to support One Tray’s Farm to School campaign, or send a letter to your representative to encourage passage of the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization.
• Check out this Community Action Guide to Change School Food Policy (PDF)

I hope to see you this Saturday at the Bottletree for our Lunch Line screening and discussion!

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Food hardship is the the lack of money to buy food that families need, and Alabama’s food hardship rate is the third worst in the nation, behind Mississippi and Arkansas.

The Birmingham metropolitan area has the 7th highest rate of food hardship in the country, with 22.1% of Birmingham residents experiencing food hardship during 2008-2009.  The map below shows Alabama’s Food Hardship by Congressional District.

What can you do? We invite you to attend our Huntsville Hunger and Food Security Workshop on Tuesday, August 31, 2010. Our goal is to provide you with the resources to fight hunger in your own community, and the program will feature discussions about local food programs, community gardens, and food stamps.

Register through today at the early-bird rate of $12, or pay $15 at the door.  Lunch and program materials are included.

Posted by T.C. McLemore

On August 28 at the Bottletree Cafe, Alabama Possible, the Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, Jones Valley Urban Farm, and the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival present the Southeastern premiere of Lunch Line, a school lunch documentary. This film reframes the school lunch debate through an examination of the school lunch program’s surprising past, uncertain present, and possible future.

“Lunch Line reveals the National School Lunch Program’s surprising history and the unexpected ways it has grown and changed over the years to feed more than 31 million children every day,” said Michael Graziano, who co-directed the film with Ernie Park, his partner at Uji Films.  According to Park, “The film pulls back the curtain to reveal, through school lunch, how large-scale social change can work.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion about the film and the child nutrition program. The discussion will include Graziano, Scott Silver, farm-to-school coordinator for Jones Valley Urban Farm, and Maureen Alexander, Child Nutrition Program Director for Shelby County. Amanda Storey, coordinator of Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, will moderate.

Currently, 54 percent of Alabama children receive free or federally reduced school lunches. Kristina Scott, executive director of the Alabama Poverty Project, says now is the time for Alabamians to engage in discussions about childhood nutrition and food security.

“13.3 percent of Alabamians are food insecure and we are the second most overweight state in the country. Food security is not just about having enough to eat; it is also about access to adequate nutrition, which many low-income Alabamians do not have,” said Scott.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Ellen Gustafson of the UN Global Hunger Initiative gave a great talk in May about how obesity is being exported to low-income populations all over the world. She talks fast, but there’s a lot of great connections drawn here between our food system, hunger, and the obesity epidemic:

We believe that ending hunger in Alabama is possible.

Want to learn more about our food system and solutions to hunger? Join us for our Huntsville Hunger Workshop on August 31. We’re bringing together ministers, emergency food relief programs, DHR representatives, community gardeners and community organizers to talk about the long-term, sustainable solutions and best practices approach to ending hunger.

Also plan to join the discussion at the 2010 Alabama Food Summit in Birmingham. The Food Summit is convened to talk about our Food System. What can you bring to the table?

Posted by Robyn Hyden

HKHC is a 4-year grant funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supporting community action to prevent childhood obesity. Via their website:

“With funding through Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, the Jefferson County Health Action Partnership, a coalition of more than 60 partners, is aiming to create ‘a climate for change.’

The Health Action Partnership, with United Way of Central Alabama as the lead partner in this effort, plans to:

• Involve residents in a community-wide assessment of how neighborhoods, schools, after-school care providers and work sites can better support healthy eating and physical activity
• Promote safe greenways, bike lanes, sidewalks and trails to connect neighborhoods
• Support development, distribution and vending policies that will encourage more stores to offer nutritious foods
• Work with local farms and faith-based organizations to expand community gardens and create opportunities for healthy foods in under-served areas
• Help day-care centers and after-school programs provide healthy foods and more physical activity by expanding their resources, developing an obesity-prevention health curriculum and training staff on best practices.” (links added by us -ed.)

Amanda blogs over at Food Revival, where her passion for this work is evident. The Birmingham News recently featured a piece about one of the outcomes of her work – “Birmingham’s Aletheia House adds nutritious snacks to its summer program for youngsters.” On Food Revival, she wrote, “What is so great about this story is that it illustrates how your relationships, community connections, and overall interest in making things better can make a HUGE difference in a child’s life.”

Saturday was Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Day at Pepper Place Farmer’s Market, and kids from the Aletheia House’s Kids Who Care camp performed a surprise step show (flash mob?) in the middle of market day to celebrate. A procession chanting “be healthy! be healthy!” made their way to the center of the market square, before breaking out into a step show about fresh fruits and veggies. Check it out:

To read more about HKHC and some opportunities to get involved, visit Food Revival.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

It shouldn’t be a surprise that not only are we the second fattest state, we also have the fourth highest rate of diabetes and the tenth highest rate of poverty. At the same time, we have the 11th highest rate of hunger.  How is poverty related to both obesity and hunger?

Last night, I attended a discussion on food security at the UAB School of Public Health.  Here are some of the speakers’ thoughts about the obstacles to healthier eating:

• Lack of resources
  

For some working families, nutrition may seem like a luxury. According to Paulette Van Matre of Magic City Harvest, “food is the last thing many families think about.” Rent, utilities, childcare, and transportation are all immediate expenses that come first. And Paulette notes, “100,000 people in the greater Birmingham area don’t know where their next meal is coming from. So if you’re in that situation, nutrition is way down on your list of requirements.”

• The Food System
  

Another obstacle to accessing healthy food? Food deserts.  Sam Crawford of Main Street Birmingham tells the story of one woman at a bus stop who vividly illustrated this point. “I asked her where she was going. She said she was taking the bus to the grocery store. I asked her, how long did it take her to get there? She said it took her two hours just to get dropped off within six blocks of the grocery store. Then I asked how long she had been waiting. She said she had been waiting over 45 minutes for the bus. Sometimes, she said, the bus never came.”

Sally Allocca from East Lake’s P.E.E.R., Inc. confirmed that she drives several miles to shop at a decent grocery store while many people in her community lack such transportation. She mentioned going into a local market recently and seeing “brown corn and a rotten, mushy watermelon sitting in the bottom of a produce case.” Main Street Birmingham is working to address this problem by linking grocers with access-poor communities with their Urban Food Deserts survey.

• Education

According to Ama Shambulia of the West End Community Gardens, many families have lost the art of cooking. “Even if you can buy healthy food, do you know how to prepare and eat it? In many households, the kids don’t, and the moms don’t either.” Through training and classes at WE gardens, Ama is helping kids to grow, prepare, and eat fresh foods. She also offers trainings to support adults in making healthier choices. During their fall collard greens cook off, for example, they work on cooking greens “without adding half a hog.”

Edwin Marty of Jones Valley Urban Farm notes that “children have to be taught what is food and what isn’t. It’s not something you’re born knowing.” As one panelist noted, if children grow up eating chips and soda for breakfast, they’re not going to learn how to make healthy choices. Parents play an important role in this, as do school lunch program, teachers and farm-to-table programs. The Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities grant is working on this issue in Jefferson County.

• Culture

Many working families are crunched for time, and preparing fresh or healthier foods seems like a hassle. Instead, people from all socioeconomic backgrounds rely on prepared foods, restaurants and fast food. “It’s the new American way,” notes Ama. Changing the food culture, and demonstrating that “a meal doesn’t even have to be cooked,” may be a revolutionary concept. Yet without education about healthy eating habits, trying new foods can be intimidating.

Want to be a part of the solution? Join in the discussion by attending Birmingham’s 3rd annual Food Summit in November.  We’re helping plan the event, featuring Alabama’s top food reformers and national experts.  UPDATE: The Food Summit has been scheduled for November 12-13, 2010. Submit program proposals to bhamfoodsecurity@gmail.com by August 15.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

“Food deserts have become a hot topic around the country, with health and policy experts seeing them as a contributor to the epidemic of obesity and its accompanying health problems, including high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.”

The issue for many food-insecure Alabamians is not that they cannot afford enough food: it is that they cannot access fresh, healthy food. Some urban or rural dwellers – often lower-income families – may not have a decent food source in the area, and many lack the ability to travel long distances for food. Grocery stores serving these communities may not offer high-quality food.

“Glen Ford, a Minnesota entrepreneur who is working to build a chain of inner-city grocery stores that provide affordable and healthy foods, said chain retailers often sell their low-quality products in poor neighborhoods, often at high prices.”

There are many reasons our high poverty rate is tied to obesity and diabetes. Low-income parents and individuals may work multiple jobs at odd hours. They may lack reliable transportation to and from food sources. Fast food, prepared foods, and junk foods are cheap, accessible, and less labor-intensive than homemade, fresh meals. It is this combo of cheap, fast, and filling that is irresistable for the time- and cash-strapped families.

Food deserts are just one important part of this war on obesity, but it is an important part; if Alabamians lack healthier food alternatives, there is even less possibility of changing ingrained habits.

First Lady Michelle Obama often talks about Food Deserts as part of her Let’s Move campaign to end childhood obesity.

Currently, Main Street Birmingham is doing a study of Food Deserts in the Birmingham area to help connect grocers to under-served, inner-city communities. Live in Greater Birmingham? Take this survey from Main Street’s Urban Food Project to help measure food access and food deserts in the Birmingham area. Connecting providers to consumers is one important way to replenish our food deserts.

Interested in discussing these and other problems? Join us June 22 for our Mobile Hunger Workshop, where we will discuss solutions to our state’s systemic food problems. Register today!

Solutions we’ll be talking about:

- Community gardens and urban farming

- Food ministries, such as Angel Food

- Patronizing your local Farmer’s Market

-Reforming school lunches

-Teaching kids to grow, enjoy and prepare food with Farm to Table programs

Posted by Robyn Hyden

We heard from local hunger relief programs (Montgomery Area Food Bank, Angel Food Ministries, Montgomery FBC Caring Center), community gardening experts (Montevallo Seed to Table, Jones Valley Urban Farm) and DHR representatives (Food Assistance Program, JOBS Employment Program) about ways to get fresh, healthy, and delicious food to our friends and neighbors.

DHR representatives Patricia Huffman, Margaret Green and Mary Lois Monroe explain the benefits available from family assistance programs, as well as the challenges of accessing these resources.

One of the best ways you can address the interrelated issues of hunger, rising food costs and malnutrition in your own neighborhood is to start a community garden. See this Slate article for suggestions on how to get started, as well as our Resource page on Community Gardening.

Edwin Marty of Jones Valley Urban Farm and Leanne Read of Montevallo Seed to Table talk gardening.

Thank you to Pastor Warren Culvert and Capitol Heights Baptist Church for graciously hosting the event; Ama Shambulia, director of West End Community Gardens for catering our delicious, fresh, and and local vegetarian lunch; Trevor Jaggers at Starbucks Vestavia and Tina Gilliland at Starbucks Hoover for food and coffee donations.

For more resources from the event, see our Montgomery Hunger Resource Guide.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Well, we are in the midst of a national conversation about a new vision for our health care system and with this discussion comes a great opportunity to eradicate one of the systemic causes of poverty.

Unfortunately, the people of great state of Alabama are not in great health.  (Find out exactly how bad things are here.)  Here are a couple of highlights:

Alabama is the second most obese state in the country (Mississippi is number one), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says that the current economic crisis could exacerbate the obesity epidemic. Food prices, particularly for more nutritious foods, are expected to rise, making it more difficult for families to eat healthy foods. Depression, anxiety and stress, which are linked to obesity for many individuals, also are increasing.  

And 1.2 million Alabamians, mostly from working families, were uninsured at some point during 2007 and 2008, according to Families USA.  That means 30.9 percent of the people younger than 65 either lost insurance at some point during those two years, or never had it at all.

I hope that these facts and figures spark you think about your own health care stories. . . and to take part in our national debate about health care.  

Here is a good tool to compare all the proposals out there.

There are tons of ways to participate.   One of the best ways is to attend a town hall meeting.  Two are coming up in the next week:

Huntsville-Thursday, July 2
 Arise Citizens’ Policy Project & Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
Health Care Reform Town Hall Meeting with 
US Rep. Parker Griffith
5:30 – 6:30 PM
Davidson Center 3D Digital Theater
U.S. Space and Rocket Center
1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL  35805
More info here.

Birmingham-Monday, July 6
Health Care Summit with 
US Rep. Artur Davis
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Alys Stephens Center
1200 10th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294
More info here.

Here are few other resources to get more information and share your stories:

Health Care for America
Families USA
HeathReform.gov from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Hope you all have a peaceful July 4th.