Posted by Elena Hoffnagle, Program Associate, Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties, National League of Cities on November 20, 2014
Ed. Note: This is a cross post from the blog of National League of Cities CitiesSpeak.org. You can find the original post here.
Local elected officials have a key role to play as leaders in ensuring children in their communities reach their full potential and live healthy lives. Through their participation in Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC), local elected officials across the country can adopt policies that improve access to healthy affordable food and opportunities for physical activity and be recognized for their efforts.
To date, nearly 460 mayors, city council members, county commissioners and other local elected officials are participating in the initiative. More than 60 million Americans are now living in LMCTC communities that are dedicated to helping young people eat healthy foods and be physically active.
Posted by Kelly Miterko, Deputy Associate Director, Let's Move! on November 20, 2014
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many of us are thinking about what food we will prepare to share with family and friends this year. While we make it a priority to find the time to plan our Thanksgiving dishes, it’s not always as easy to find the time to prepare and sit down for family meals the rest of the year. With the hustle and bustle of work, school, sports and other activities, it can be tough to find quality time to share meals with your family. Try tackling mealtime as a team by including the whole family in choosing and making meals!
Posted by Alida Duncan, Development & Marketing Director, Hunger Free Vermont on November 19, 2014
Ed. Note: This is a cross post from the blog of USDA.gov. You can find the original post here.
Many kids aren’t getting the nutrients they need and some aren’t getting enough to eat at all. In an animated video produced by the anti-hunger advocacy organization, Hunger Free Vermont, Universal School Meals is presented as the solution for improving student health and academic performance, strengthening the local economy, and making schools a more welcoming place.
Posted by Jenn Gerard, Director of Nutrition Services, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District on November 14, 2014
I began my career in Child Nutrition at 26 years old in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD). Six months later, I was stepping into the director position amidst one of the biggest changes in school meal regulations, attributed to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010.
Being young and enthusiastic has its perks, as you don’t know any better but to embark on change with energy and idealism. At MPUSD, we had already adopted many of the major changes in the regulations, as many districts in California and across the nation had.
Posted by Jane Q Vergnani, Nutrition Specialist for New England Dairy & Food Council on November 12, 2014
As a transplant Rhode Islander – or as my 4-year-old daughter says, “Little Rhody’er” – who has lived, gone to school and worked as a nutrition specialist for the New England Dairy & Food Council in the state for over seven years, I am passionate about helping students succeed.
Through my work with Fuel Up to Play 60, an in-school nutrition and physical activity program created by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in cooperation with the USDA, I have the opportunity to visit and work with many schools throughout Rhode Island.
Posted by Casey DiCocco, Presidential Management Fellow, National Cancer Institute on November 10, 2014
The City of Fontana is a Let’s Move! City of over 205,000 people in beautiful southern California, and has made the health of its residents a key priority. Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren signed the city up for the Let’s Move! Cities, Towns, and Counties (LMCTC) initiative in 2012, demonstrating Fontana’s continued commitment to building a healthy, sustainable community. Fontana was the first city in the State of California to earn gold medals in all five of LMCTC’s goal areas.Through creative partnerships and community initiatives, Fontana exemplifies how LMCTC sites are working to keep kids healthy.
Posted by Kirby Bumpus, Associate Director for Policy, Let’s Move! on November 7, 2014
Recently, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition members, Alonzo Mourning, Allyson Felix and Dominique Dawes took over the Navy Mess window, serving up healthy lunches and snacks to White House staff.
Posted by Kirby Bumpus, Associate Director for Policy, Let's Move! on November 5, 2014
Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60) recently challenged their students to explain, through video, why they enjoy their school meals. FUTP 60 Student Ambassadors from across the country answered the challenge and stepped up with some fun and creative videos that offer a glimpse into their perspective on the importance of eating healthy balanced meals!
Posted by Pat Casey, Medical Director of Growth & Development Clinic, Arkansas Children's Hospital on November 3, 2014
It's impossible to separate children's health and their nourishment. Kids who are healthy and happy aren't hungry. As a pediatrician who has spent 30 years focusing on children's development, I'm convinced of this.
I became even more convinced in 2008 when the recession began to significantly affect the patients at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Data from our emergency room backed this up. For 15 years I’ve been surveying just how much food insecurity impacts families who come to our ER. This has been a research project with Children’s Health Watch, a group that collects data aimed at improving kids’ health.
Posted by Vanessa Zajfen, USDA FNS Farm to School Regional Lead on October 31, 2014
Serving garden grown foods just got a lot easier at Greenview Upper Elementary in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Outfitted with new salad spinners and eager to serve even more local foods, staff at Greenview Upper Elementary are now ready for the Green Team’s garden harvest! The Green Team is a student group that manages Greenview’s garden and recycling program. Last year, they grew so much lettuce they were able to donate more than half of their harvest to an area church for use in its free meal program.
This year, they were excited to end their summer season with one of their most exciting harvests yet – the Fall White House Kitchen Garden Harvest!
