Bronx Forever

Image: comicbook.com website

Are there lessons from Wakanda, the fictional country in the movie, Black Panther that we can apply to the Bronx, our own special place? Maybe not specific lessons, but for the only NYC borough with a majority population of color used to being discredited and disparaged we feel a kinship when Carvell Wallace from the NY Times in an essay on the movie “Black Panther” writes,  “Wakanda is a fictional nation. But…[it] must also function as a place for multiple generations of black Americans to store some of our most deeply held aspirations. We have for centuries sought to either find or create a promised land where we would be untroubled by the criminal horrors of our American existence.” Like director Ryan Coogler with Wakanda, Bronx Health REACH's vision for the future Bronx is a place where its residents are no longer troubled by its history of poverty and want but a place where triumph is the watchword for the new order. Where it is not 62nd out of 62 counties in health outcomes.  Where it is not the poorest urban congressional district.  Where housing is good and affordable. Where safety is the new watch word.  Where people live long and healthy because they get to eat right and exercise more. Where graduation rates are the best.  Changes not brought about through gentrification but through a changed socio-economic circumstances for the Bronx black and brown people. In his love letter to the filmgoers who went to see Black Panther, Coogler’s post script, was ‘Wakanda forever’, our postscript is “Bronx forever” #Not 62 #wedreamaworld #Bronxforever. 

The Bronx Salad Available at Seven Bronx Eateries During NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2018

                                              Photo by The Bronxer

The Bronx Salad is now available at seven Bronx eateries during NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2018 through February 9. Launched in the Bronx in 2016, The Bronx Salad is part of the Healthy Restaurant Initiative, a collaboration between the Institute for Family Health’s Bronx Health REACH Coalition, South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SoBRO), and the United Business Cooperative (UBC). The Bronx Salad and its signature dressing have received unanimous praise from over 1,000 Bronxites. Made with simple, fresh ingredients, the dressing includes the famous Bronx Greenmarket Hot Sauce, created by acclaimed Chef King Phojanakong, using peppers grown at more than 40 Bronx greenmarket farms and community gardens.

The Bronx Salad is available at the following Bronx locations during NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2018:

Bronx Tavern 780 East 133rd Street, Bronx, NY 10454

Da Boogiedown Caffe 555 Bergen Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455

Fine Fare Supermarket 459 East 149th Street, Bronx, NY 10455

Mottley Kitchen 402 East 140th Street, Bronx, NY 10454

NY Bagel Cafe & Deli 53 Bruckner Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10454

Porto Salvo 424 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451

XM Cafe at Bronx Museum 1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10456

To date The Bronx Salad has been offered in several Bronx eateries and has been served to over 500 people at public events in the Bronx such as Boogie on the Boulevard. Initially planned as part of a healthy menu initiative with local eateries, The Bronx Salad has expanded beyond restaurants and is now served at schools and after school programs. BronxWorks has served The Bronx Salad to over 600 people in their children, teen, and adult programs, and The Bronx Salad Toolkit for Schools has been given out to fifteen schools in the South Bronx. Five of those schools have grown and harvested some of the ingredients for the salad.

NYC Department of Education Releases 2017 Wellness Policy

In mid-December, the NYC Department of Education released the revised NYC School Wellness Policy in Principals’ Weekly. This policy guides NYC school districts' efforts to create supportive school nutrition and physical activity environments with the assistance of a local wellness council. School Wellness Policies are a USDA requirement for all school districts participating in the federal breakfast and lunch programs as per the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 [Sec. 204 of Public Law 111-296] and Child Nutrition and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Reauthorization Act [Sec. 204 of Public Law 108-265].

The revised policy provides comprehensive guidelines on physical activity, physical education, health education and services and policy governance all in one document for the first time.  An interesting new requirement is that the New York City Department of Education is now required to share recordkeeping and progress reports on wellness policy compliance with the public. The policy also now includes resources available through the DOE to establish physical activity programs before and after school such as the CHAMPS sports and fitness program. The Active Design Toolkit for Schools  and Active Design Playbook for Early Childcare Settings are also highlighted as resources to create school environments that promote physical activity and healthy food/beverage choices. The updated policy provides information and resources on: State and local physical and health education instruction requirements, recommendations and expectations; and the roles of the citywide District Wellness Advisory Council, School Wellness Councils, and members of the school and local community in supporting healthy schools by implementing the citywide wellness policy.

The easiest way for schools to ensure they are in DOE policy compliance is to include the information for Physical and Health Education in the Student Transition Achievement Success (STARS) report which should include all the wellness programming they are already accomplishing. Schools should also feel welcome to share success stories with the Office of School Wellness and Bronx Health REACH, so other schools can learn about their exemplary work. In addition, schools are encouraged to register their wellness council on the Office of School Wellness portal where there are useful resources for developing and planning a wellness council and policy. (See events below for upcoming trainings for wellness councils.)

Parent Tasting Event at P.S. 443/P.S. 457: The Alternative Menu

On November 16th, greeted by center pieces adorned with harvest vegetables and the aroma of fall food, twenty-two parents and forty children from P.S. 443/P.S. 457 participated in a tasting of the Alternative Menu – one of three school menus from which school principals can choose. The event, co-sponsored by the NYC Department of Education’s Garden to Café/Office of School Food offered a welcome respite from parent-teacher conferences occurring throughout the day.

Before the tasting began, Bronx Health REACH’s Moria Byrne-Zaaloff and FoodCorps member Angela Doyle, working with P.S. 443, held a brief workshop with the parents to discuss the important role school food plays in their children’s health. Moria and Angela spoke about how most students eat two-thirds of their recommended calories in school, and a diet that consists of colorful whole vegetables and fruits fuels students’ brains and bodies with the necessary nutrients to grow and learn.

The Alternative Menu encourages students to eat more plant-based foods made from scratch without added sugar or salt. By eating more food high in fiber, with lean protein and whole grains, students will have the energy to focus and perform well in school throughout the day. Moria and Angela emphasized how students can still eat their favorite foods such as hamburgers during the school lunch period, but the burger would be served on a whole grain bun with a healthy chickpea and tomato side salad instead of French fries.

The event culminated with a tasting of Alternative Menu items that included cinnamon-spiced acorn squash, beet-apple slaw and Jonquil apple slices, all from local New York farms. Parents complimented the cooking of Holly Howitt and George Edwards, Chefs from the Garden to Café program of Office of School Food. Garden to Café is an initiative of the Office of School Food and FoodCorps that provides bi-annual taste testings at schools to encourage children to consume more fruits and vegetables during the school day, and how to make healthier food choices. They were thrilled to see their children willing to try the healthy foods being offered. Parents left the event with recipes, and a reusable place mat with information about the Alternative Menu along with how to get their child’s school to switch to this menu.

Thank you to George Edwards, Coordinator-Garden to Cafe Program and Holly Howitt, Chef of School Food, and FoodCorps member Angela Doyle for taking on this challenge and making it a huge success!