Posts Tagged ‘healthy kids healthy communities’

Join the childhood nutrition discussion

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Michelle Obama celebrated the first anniversary of Let’s Move! yesterday on the Today Show.

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

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in education, Hunger and Food Security | 1 Comment »

Fed up with school lunch?

Monday, August 30th, 2010

We had a great turnout at our Lunch Line screening Saturday, where we hosted the Southeastern premiere of a documentary that shows “how you can impact children’s health and work within the system.”

We were lucky to have one of the filmmakers, Michael Graziano, drive down from Nashville. The film, produced by Graziano and his partner Ernie Park at Uji Films, was alternately hilarious, sobering, and poignant. It follows six kids from Detroit who are just trying to make their school food healthier. In the meantime, it offers a comprehensive look at the history of school lunch; the current state of the program, which feeds over 31 million children daily; and the future of school lunch.

We packed the house with over 60 attendees, who together donated over $500 to help mobilize Alabamians to end poverty in our home state. These donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.  Thank you!

Most importantly, we started a discussion about the school lunch program, the food system, child nutrition, hunger, and childhood obesity – one we hope to continue during our Hunger Workshop tomorrow in Huntsville and the Food Summit on November 12-13 in Birmingham. We’re planning further Lunch Line screenings in Montgomery and at UAB, UA and Auburn; details TBA! If you would like to host a screening with us, contact T.C. McLemore.

Our panel discussion included (above, left to right):

Amanda Storey, coordinator of Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Jefferson County

Scott Silver, the Farm-to-School Coordinator for Jones Valley Urban Farm

Sharon Boshell, Area director for the Child Nutrition Program in Shelby County

Jennifer Horton, parent and chair of the CPC Education Workgroup

Michael Graziano, co-producer of Lunch Line

Amanda, our moderator extraordinaire, sent us these resources about school lunch reform:

To advocate for the Child Nutrition Act working its way through Congress, see Slow Food’s Info on Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

Big thanks to Amanda, Jenn, Scott, Sharon, and Michael for bringing their knowledge, experience, and viewpoints to an excellent panel discussion!

Thanks also to our audience members, who asked great questions; Merrilee and Brad at the Bottletree Cafe, who generously gave us their space; and Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners, Jones Valley Urban Farm, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, and Slow Food Birmingham who promoted this event all over the city.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference | No Comments »

Complete the streets: creating walkable communities

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

I learned so much at the Health Action Summit yesterday in Hoover.  Keynote speaker Mark Fenton had a lot to say about how smart community planning and zoning policies could make all of our communities more livable, walkable, and conducive to physical activity.  The Summit was part of the Jefferson County Health Department’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant, which is combining resources to fight obesity, tobacco use, and chronic disease – problems that especially afflict low-income communities in Jefferson County.

A complete street: image via foundationbirmingham.org

On a walking tour of Highway 31 next to the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, we noticed how many people of all ages were traveling on foot and bicycle – despite the fact that the environment was not very accommodating. Mark noted “goat trails” where walkers had worn pathways into the grass along the side of the highway, and watched as a young man sat on his bicycle waiting for a green light through two cycles because his bike would not trigger the light change. We then saw a young man help his pre-school-aged son cross the street at a busy, treacherous intersection with no crosswalk and no median or island to serve as a refuge.

Why aren’t our communities more conducive to physical activity? Our entire built environment caters to automobiles. Many of the people who rely on foot transportation or bikes to get around do so out of necessity because they lack a working vehicle. They’re experiencing significant inconvenience and possibly danger, but they’re benefiting from physical exercise. If Mark Fenton had his way, we would all be walking more often, and those walks would be safer, more convenient, and enjoyable.

Amanda Storey of Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities is also interested in getting more kids involved in walking to and from school. In her presentation at yesterday’s summit, she enthusiastically recounted her efforts to bring the Walking Schoolbus to all Jefferson County schools. Walking schoolbuses provide a safe, fun route for kids to walk to school accompanied by an adult.

October 6 is “walk to school day,” and Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities is sponsoring a walking event at Gate City Elementary School. Check it out! G.W. Carver Elementary in Montgomery is having their own walk to school day event. This would be a great time promote more walking in your own neighborhood.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in health | No Comments »

Join us for the Southeastern premiere of LUNCH LINE, a school lunch documentary

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

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

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Hunger and Food Security | 1 Comment »

Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities – Jefferson County

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

It’s about time we gave a shout-out to the fabulous work our friend Amanda Storey is doing coordinating Jefferson County’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) grant.

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

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference | 2 Comments »

Call for proposals: 2010 Alabama Food Summit

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Save the date: the 2010 Alabama Food Summit is scheduled for November 12-13, 2010. Mark Winne, author of Closing the Food Gap, will be the keynote speaker. We’re big fans of Mark’s advocacy on behalf of food access and food security; he writes that “food is emblematic of a promise fulfilled for some but falling ever so short for many.”


Members of the Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners are working to make this the best, most informative food summit ever, but we need your help. Do you have an area of expertise related to community gardening, farming, food security or the food system? Do you have a specific topic you would like to see covered at the annual Food Summit?  We need your voices, and we want YOU to submit proposals for a talk or a break out session.

We’re looking for topics related to one of these areas of focus:

1.  Bringing food security to your community
2.  Food policy and advocacy
3.  Economic development and food

Please submit proposals by August 15, 2010 to bhamfoodsecurity@gmail.com

UPDATED LOCATION INFO: The Food Summit will convene at the historic Avon Theatre on November 12, with various events scheduled throughout the community on November 13.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference | 6 Comments »

Obesity, poverty, and the food system

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

According to a new report F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future, Alabama is still the second most overweight state in the country. Over two-thirds of Alabama adults are either overweight or obese.

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

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in health, Health Care, Hunger and Food Security | 2 Comments »