Posts Tagged ‘jefferson county’

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

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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

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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

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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

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