Community Empowerment at Lowell Elementary

Mar 3, 2014

UC CalFresh recently had the opportunity to partner with Off the Front and Kaiser Permanente at Lowell Elementary School for an evening discussing health and wellness with families in the neighborhood.

Parents and children were invited to a screening of the film The Weight of the Nation. Following the screening, a dinner was provided by Fresno Unified Food Service. In response to the film, families had the opportunity to dialogue about the assets and barriers to wellness in their community.

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UC CalFresh provided information about no-cost nutrition education classes available to families at Lowell.  

Feedback from families was outstanding!

Here are some of the highlights from the brainstorming sessions:

Community assets:

  • Wednesday Farmer's Market
  • Saturday Sports
  • Public Pools
  • Basketball courts, soccer fields

Areas that hinder healthy lifestyles:

  • Parks are not safe
  • Not enough lighting
  • Gang violence
  • Stores are small: higher prices, need accessible groceries

Biggest take away:

  • Learning how important exercise is
  • Importance of children's nutrition
  • Change eating habits; remember what it takes to burn off food

UC CalFresh is thrilled to support partnerships that empower and equip families to make healthy changes! Working together we can transform our community!

 

For more information about Off the Front, visit their website by clicking here.


By Shelby MacNab
Author - Nutrition Program Manager