Parents from Three Partner Schools Participate in Farmer’s Market Tours

Bronx Health REACH intern Elecia Faaiuaso (left) speaking with attendees of a farmers market tour.


This post was written by Bronx Health REACH intern Elecia Faaiuaso.

This fall, Bronx Health REACH gave parents of students from Bronx East Academy, Bronx Charter School of the Arts, and Hyde Leadership Charter School the chance to pick fresh fruits and vegetables without ever leaving the Bronx. Bronx Health REACH staff hosted three farmers’ market tours for 22 parents residing in District 8. Within minutes of arriving in the park, alive with fall foliage, parents saw the bountiful produce stands and lit up with excitement ready to dig in! Parents walked over to further investigate the inviting smells of honey crisp apples and bouquets of peppery arugula. The journey for better health had begun before the tour even started.

The farmers’ market tour included both nutrition information followed by time to shop in the market. Farmers’ market tours make fresh food more accessible and are a great way to provide instantaneous opportunities for healthy eating with new recipe ideas to cook nutritious meals for the participants’ families. Parents who participated received $10 worth of Health Bucks — $2 coupons used to purchase fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. Health Bucks were provided by Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr.’s office, who secured $22,000 worth of Health Bucks for his constituents in this year’s budget. Thank you Council Member Salamanca for supporting these efforts in your district!

Despite the cool, brisk air in the park, parents enthusiastically participated in a rich discussion about the benefits of farmers’ markets, the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available, and the affordable prices. Staff also noted the importance of maintaining a healthy, fiber-rich diet with fruits and vegetables.  “It keeps everything moving along thus cleaning your system!” exclaimed the staff member. At the end, parents were given informational material, including a My Plate Planner, a guide for harvest times for vegetables and fruits, a list of starchy versus non-starchy vegetables, and tips for getting children to eat more fruits and vegetables. After receiving the tips and materials, parents were eager to share their own personal experiences, cooking methods, and food storage advice. One parent shared a unique way to preserve “sofrito” made with fresh herbs — freezing it in ice cube trays. Staff ended the discussion session by thanking the parents for attending and saying how helpful it is to hear cooking tips and food shopping experiences from parents, as they hold the power in the kitchen and determine what the family eats.

After the discussion, parents were encouraged to speak to the farmers about the produce being sold and to try fruits or vegetables they may not have eaten before. With Health Bucks in hand and excitement on their faces, shopping for healthy produce commenced!  Walking through the tents, parents marveled at the affordable prices and were thrilled to be able to buy unfamiliar produce such as acorn squash and familiar items like Bosc pears. Many of the parents on the tour left the market with 3 to 4 bags of fruits and vegetables!

At the end of the tour, Bronx Health REACH had parents share their shopping experience at the farmers’ market. One parent expressed her appreciation for the local farmers and their commitment to “come to the city to provide us with fresh produce in [their] area”. They all agreed that the market was very clean, and the vendors were friendly and provided fresh, affordable produce. The parents would like to see Bronx Health REACH provide more tours so that others could “learn and enjoy” these farmers’ markets as much as they did. One parent commented that she would always pass by the farmers’ market while riding the bus, and even though she wanted to stop and check it out, she never had the money to do so. She pointed out that the Health Bucks helped make it easier for her to purchase fresh produce from the farmers’ market and eat healthy. Bronx Health REACH hopes to arrange additional farmers’ market tours for parents in the spring of 2018 when farmers’ markets reopen.

Visit the GrowNYC website to stay up-to-date on events and the farmers’ market schedule.

MTA Board Votes to Ban Alcohol Ads on Subways, Buses and Trains

The Bronx Health REACH coalition celebrates Building Alcohol Ad-Free Transit’s (BAAFT) recent victory - the October 25th MTA vote to ban alcohol ads on subways, buses and trains. During the September 27th MTA Board meeting with BAAFT members in attendance, one of the MTA Board members made a motion to vote on BAAFT's proposal to amend the advertising policy to eliminate alcohol ads, but another MTA Board member countered that the MTA Board would need more information and delayed the vote. Thanks to the efforts of BAAFT and the Bronx Health REACH coalition members who gathered petition signatures, held rallies, and appeared at various MTA public hearings, the MTA voted in favor of banning all alcohol ads from the NYC transit system. This victory helps to assure that, at least in the transit system, New York City children will not be exposed to alcohol ads.

Office of Minority Health and Newman's Own Foundation Award Grants

The Fresh Food Box at the Institute for Family Health's Stevenson center.

The Institute for Family Health/Bronx Health REACH has been awarded funding by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement the Healthy Families, Healthy Children initiative in 22 Bronx churches. Funding by the OMH will enable Bronx Health REACH to launch an effort to help prevent and reduce obesity among children and adolescents in African American and Latino churches, several of whom are part of the 22 Bronx partner churches in the Bronx Health REACH Coalition. This program builds on Bronx Health REACH’s successful and popular faith-based, Fine, Fit and Fabulous, evidence-based program for adults which teaches nutrition and fitness utilizing faith based values, a group discussion format, and peer support in goal setting and achievement.

For the third year in a row, Newman's Own Foundation has awarded Bronx Health REACH with a grant to increase healthy eating in the South Bronx through nutrition education and food access initiatives. Funding will support healthy shopping tours and cooking demonstrations for patients participating in the Vegetable and Fruit Prescription program at the Institute’s health centers, provide technical support to bodega owners participating in the Healthy Bodega Program, and promote the Fresh Food Box program at the Institute's Stevenson Family Health Center.

Faith Based Partners Lead Voter Registration Drives

With help from Bronx Health REACH's faith based partner churches, Deacon Dorothy Faison of Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus and Royal Eason of Friendly Baptist Church, more Bronx residents have become registered voters. Deacon Faison, along with members of Cosmopolitan Church (Pastor Robert L. Foley Sr., Deacon Palmer, Deacon Rose and Sister Robinson) led three voter registration drives from July to September. When they positioned themselves outside the Fordham Road 4 train station, most of the people they approached were already registered to vote, but many knew others that were not registered to vote and took the forms to give to them. Deacon Faison stated that with the help of one Spanish speaking parishioner, they were able to reach more people and distributed over 150 voter registration forms.

Royal Eason, a member of Friendly Baptist Church led a voter registration drive by himself in the Soundview Park area and at a neighborhood shopping mall. He distributed over 200 voter registration forms and was able to get those that were not registered to vote to fill out the forms right there, which he then dropped off at a Post Office near his home. Why did he go out and register voters? "I got tired of hearing people talk about how they are disgusted with all the bad things happening in their neighborhood. I would let those that were not registered to vote know that it was their duty to vote, and if they didn't vote they didn't get to say anything about how bad things are. A lot of people don't realize the power of what voting can do, and what you can and cannot get unless you vote."

Bronx City Council Members Increase Health Bucks Allocation

Bronx residents shopping at Bronx farmers' markets had the opportunity to purchase more fruits and vegetables thanks to City Council Members Vanessa L. Gibson, Fernando Cabrera, Ritchie Torres and Rafael Salamanca who, from their respective budgets, collectively allocated $43,000 towards Health Bucks. Developed and distributed by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Health Bucks are paper vouchers worth $2 each that shoppers use to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. Bronx Health REACH thanks them all. Because of their funding so many more Bronx residents were able to purchase fresh produce from farmers’ markets including parents from several public schools working with Bronx Health REACH’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities Initiative.

CDC Visits Bronx Health REACH and Partner Sites to Assess the Impact of the Three Year REACH Funding

Janelle K. Gardner, Project Officer and Public Health Advisor for 

the CDC, (fourth from the left), with staff from Bronx Health REACH and 

the Institute for Family Health Mt. Hope Family Practice Health Center.

Janelle K. Gardner, Project Officer and Public Health Advisor for the CDC made a site visit to Bronx Health REACH in September. Bronx Health REACH staff and partners provided an update on the work done to date for the CDC REACH grant awarded in 2014 to increase access to healthy food and physical activity. During the first half of the site visit, the Bronx Health REACH staff and partners from Transportation Alternatives, Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, Mainland Media, Mount Zion CME Church, Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit Church presented on the various healthy eating and active living initiatives.

The afternoon half of the site visit included visiting several Bronx locations where initiatives have been implemented. These included a visit to the Institute for Family Health Mt. Hope Family Practice Health Center where Bronx Health REACH has worked with the staff to implement a Vegetable and Fruit Prescription program for obese patients. Ms. Gardner met and spoke with Mt. Hope staff about the implementation of the program. There were visits to two restaurants (Delmy Food Deli and Mexicocina), and to Fine Fair Supermarket, all of which are selling The Bronx Salad. The final visit of the afternoon was at the Bodega Association where Ms. Gardner met with the leaders of the Association and Julia Mair from the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Inc. (HITN), to discuss the work being done on the Healthy Bodega Initiative.

Bronx Health REACH thanks all our partners who participated in that successful CDC site visit. Ms. Gardner spoke glowingly of the impact of the work and especially of the partners involvement.

Symposium Provides Forum for Community Based Organizations to Showcase Their Work

On September 27th Bronx Health REACH, along with the Center for the Study of Asian American Health at NYU School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health, and Bronx Community Health Network, all grantees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant; and the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, a CDC Partnership to Improve Community Health (PICH) grantee hosted a symposium, “Community Transformation through Partnerships.” Over 150 people attended the forum that provided community based organizations such as Transportation Alternatives, Casita Maria and others to share strategies and initiatives designed and implemented to create opportunities for healthy living in communities with significant rates of racial and ethnic health disparities.

Dr. Ruth Petersen, Director for the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, 

and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Opening the symposium was Dr. Ruth Petersen, Director for the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Petersen spoke about the REACH program improving the health of many Americans by providing 2 million people greater opportunities for choosing healthy foods and beverages, and 600,000 people with increased opportunities to be physically active as a result of environmental and policy improvements. Richard Hamburg from Trust for America’s Health and Dr. Susan Beane from Healthfirst were keynote speakers. Mr. Hamburg noted that the best long term investment is increasing CDC funding to programs such as REACH as doing so has been shown to improve the health and well-being of many communities. Dr. Beane discussed Healthfirst's efforts to merge health and social services to create and support a "Healthy Village" system of healthcare.

Gail Heidel, Associate Director of Creative Arts Programs at Casita Maria.

Bronx Health REACH partners were featured on two panels. On the Community Leadership and Engagement panel Erwin Figueroa, Bronx organizer for Transportation Alternatives spoke about the work of transforming the Grand Concourse into a Complete Street. And, on the Evaluation and Storytelling panel, Gail Heidel, Associate Director of Creative Arts Programs at Casita Maria, gave an overview of their projects painting murals on playgrounds in the South Bronx to encourage more outdoor physical activity. She also spoke about engaging residents to be active participants in the Bronx campaign to become ‘The World’s Strongest Borough’ utilizing the ‘Mobile Pull-Up Bar of Power.’

Charmaine Ruddock, (left) Project Director at Bronx Health REACH.

The final panel of the day was a unique conversation with funders and grantees discussing, from their respective perspectives, the expectations and efforts of each when trying to effect long term sustainable changes in communities disproportionately experiencing racial and ethnic health disparities. The panelists were Max Winer from New York University, Sarah Oltmans from Robin Hood Foundation, Nupur Chaudhury from the New York State Health Foundation, Linda Lee from Korean Community Services and Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock. Charmaine focused her remarks on the importance of getting buy in from the community. "You can't have folks helicopter into the community and helicopter out; there has to be a commitment to the community."

School Aides Conquer Active Recess with Fit4Life Structured Play Training

Starting off with heart-pumping exercise, hip hop music and a lot of high-fives, a Bronx Health REACH sponsored physical activity training reminded 20 schools aides and 2 physical education teachers how much fun physical activity can be. By the end of the three hour training held on September 19th at PS443, aides were laughing and fully engaged in Fit4Life’s Play With Purpose interactive program.

Fit4Life Executive Director, Maurelhena Walles who facilitated the class, reminded the aides, “If you look like you are having fun, the students will too.”

Bronx Health REACH coordinated the Physical Activity for School Aides training at the suggestion of the District 9 Superintendent's Office who saw a need for school aide training in physical activity. Bronx Health REACH chose partner, Fit4life, a nonprofit organization that provides teachers and school staff with the tools to bring active play, character development, and healthy competition back into the classroom and onto the school playground, to run the training.

During the three hour training, Ms. Walles taught aides how to structure a class, about the gross motor skills of K-1 vs 4-5th graders, and what progressive learning looks like in an active setting. Using the Play with Purpose model, Ms. Walles taught the aides approaches to traditional and non-traditional sports, dance, fitness and movement-based programming that focuses on boosting a youth's self-confidence, maximizing the amount of time one moves, minimizing competition, encouraging sportsmanship and promoting a lifetime of activity. 

Ms. Walles pointed out that, “Teacher Aides play a significant role in the education of a child. To empower them with tools on not just what to do in the class, but rather why they are teaching a particular game or activity and how to teach is powerful. Once someone understands and owns the fact that they do indeed play a role in the education of children. Once a person understands that (active) learning, team-building, leadership and communication takes place during Structured Recess, the perspective changes.” School aide Nancy Vega added, “I had a lot of fun at the training and the techniques we learned will be very useful at recess.”

Bronx Health REACH coordinates professional development trainings in physical activity and nutrition education throughout the year as part of the services they provide to Bronx schools in education districts 7, 8, 9 and 12. If your school is interested in district-wide training in nutrition education, physical activity, competitive food marketing/ guidelines,  school wellness for teachers, staff and parents, parent engagement support or training in any of our five wellness toolkits, Email Moria Byrne-Zaaloff, Program Coordinator for Creating Healthy Schools and Communities at Bronx Health REACH or call (212) 633-0800 x 1287.

NY Watershed Takeaways for Health

New York City water is high quality and safe to drink. Careful steps are taken through the process of collecting, testing and transporting the water to your home. 

This post was written by Bronx Health REACH staff members Kelly Moltzen and Emily Oppenheimer.

In September 2017, we toured the Croton region of the watershed with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In NYC, water is collected from two main regions: (1) Catskill Delaware and (2) the Croton System. Since its creation through the present, the system has been committed to transporting high quality water.

Water is essential for health and cognition, yet water intake among children and adults is below the recommended levels nationally. The alternative to water is often sugar-sweetened beverages, which are strongly linked to obesity. Bronx Health REACH has taken many steps to promote water as the healthiest alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages.


Throughout the tour, we were impressed by the steps taken to ensure high water quality. The DEP uses the natural ecology of the land to manage the system:  trees and other forest plants naturally filter the water. The DEP is also growing new forests to further the natural filtration process. The DEP approaches new forests with resiliency planning, by planting new trees that are acclimated to warmer regions. NYC uses a pure, natural water source, and over 90% of the water does not need to be filtered. There are only three other cities in the US that have water sources that don’t need filtration, which include Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. All water goes through quality testing before being delivered to NYC. The water is clean and safe: UV rays are used to stop the replication of microorganisms in the water.

The NYC watershed system was created in the 1840’s to ensure safe and clean water would be accessible to all people. Prior to the creation of the watershed system, unsafe water led to infectious diseases like cholera. Construction began in 1837 on the Old Croton Aqueduct, which was led by immigrant labor. Many people in the region lost their homes to make way to build the new infrastructure. In NYC we owe our gratitude to those who lived in upstate New York during this time and sacrificed their homes for our water. This system ran south to the Highbridge in the Bronx, and helped to deliver water to Manhattan. Although Highbridge is presently used as a pedestrian walking bridge, it was originally created and used as an aqueduct.

Since the creation of the water system, the DEP, in collaboration with NY communities, take many steps to ensure the water collection and surrounding region is high quality. Historically, the NYC water system has improved our health for generations. It vastly improved public health in the past by providing a clean water source to all. Presently, it also provides a healthy beverage to all.

To learn more, visit:

The New York Times article, How New York City Gets Its Water

New York City Department Environmental Protection 

NYC 2016 Drinking Water Supply and Quality Report

The Bronx Salad Makes its Debut at BronxWorks

The Bronx Salad made its debut on the BronxWorks menu this spring! The Bronx Salad initially planned as part of a healthy menu initiative with local restaurants has expanded beyond restaurants. It is now served at schools, after school programs and bodegas. There is even now The Bronx Salad Toolkit for Schools recently created by Bronx Health REACH and Grow to Learn NYC. BronxWorks adapted “The Bronx Salad” Toolkit for Schools.

On the rooftop garden of the BronxWorks Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center, afterschool students grew and harvested many of the Bronx salad ingredients including cilantro, corn and kale. The Program Coordinator from the afterschool program, Project Achieve, and the Horticulturalist at BronxWorks guided participants in growing the ingredients. Engaging the children throughout the process of growing, harvesting, preparing, and eating the Bronx Salad included conducting more than 60 lessons addressing nutrition and gardening. Many of the ingredients of the Bronx Salad were explored by the children in the classroom through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities.

Kim Wong, a program director at BronxWorks explained, “Feedback on the salad has been very positive and we plan to continue to grow the salad ingredients in our roof top garden and offer it in our BronxWorks afterschool program meals as well as at our BronxWorks meetings and events.” The Bronx Salad has been served to over 600 participants in children, teen, and adult programs. The salad was such a huge hit that it will now be offered once a month at the afterschool program.

So far, the Bronx Salad Toolkit for Schools and starter seed kit has been given out to over fifteen schools in the South Bronx and grown and harvested in five of those. To learn how to grow the Bronx Salad in your school garden, download The Bronx Salad Toolkit.

Universal PE Initiative Makes Gym a Priority for New York City Schools

In June 2017, New York City Mayor de Blasio and city leadership announced the city’s Universal Physical Education (PE) Initiative which will provide all schools with a designated space for PE by 2021. The initiative will invest approximately $385 million over the next four years in Capital funding to improve at least 200 schools, out of a total of 1,629, that do not currently have a gymnasium. The first phase will focus on 76 schools that do not have any designated PE space. Thirteen Bronx schools will be renovated in the first phase of the Universal PE Initiatitve.

In the Bronx, 43% of elementary school students are overweight or obese, higher than the rest of NYC boroughs. Lack of physical activity is a significant factor contributing to childhood obesity. To further investigate the state of physical education in the South Bronx, Bronx Health REACH (BHR) conducted a district-wide assessment of PE in 2015/16. The assessment looked at PE instruction and gym spaces in South Bronx District 9 elementary schools. The assessment revealed that only 8% of the schools are meeting the weekly physical education recommendation of 120 minutes for K through 12 students.

BHR has met with, and will continue to work with the New York City Department of Education to meet the needs in schools for PE spaces. BHR has worked with several of the District 9 schools lacking PE space to implement active design projects that utilize small equipment and materials transforming areas in and around school buildings to promote physical activity.  One such school is Grant Ave Elementary School which is bringing ‘Big Blue Blocks’ to turn their empty yard into a playground. Another is PS 35 where students currently use the multipurpose room as a gym. The school is working to improve the space with art and play equipment.

Universal PE will build upon the Mayor’s PE Works initiative, a groundbreaking, multi-year, $100 million investment launched in April 2016 that envisions PE as a core component of the school curriculum. Not only is PE Works addressing space constraints, but it is also developing a K-12 PE Scope and Sequence so that teachers, administrators, and parents have a shared understanding of the benchmarks of good PE instruction for students at all grades. By June 2019, with the staffing of nearly 500 new certified PE teachers in elementary schools that previously had none, all elementary schools are expected to meet State PE requirements.

BHR as a long-time member of the Phys Ed (PE) 4 All Coalition, is actively engaged in efforts to increasing access to physical education in New York City public schools. The PE4All Coalition includes members from community-based organizations, advocates, parents, educators, and health professionals united by shared concerns about child health in schools. The PE4All coalition has taken the multi-pronged approach to achieving the goal of all NYC public school students provided with quality PE through: (1) community education, (2) outreach and (3) legislative advocacy. To learn more about this coalition and how to get involved, visit the PE4All website.

Pastor Robert L. Foley Sr. Receives Award for Commitment to Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

At a ceremony commemorating Pastor Robert L. Foley's many years of service as pastor of Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus, Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock presented Pastor Foley with an award for his exceptional leadership, vision and commitment to making health equality a reality in the Bronx. Pastor Foley has been a partner with Bronx Health REACH for over seventeen years, starting when the Institute for Family Health launched a community coalition whose goal was the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities in the South Bronx.

Pastor Foley Sr. has been a leader in the Bronx advocating for long term sustainable change to the conditions that contribute to Bronx residents living sicker and dying younger than they should. In addition to his work with Bronx Health REACH he had been a leader in the Black United Leadership in the Bronx (BULB). He also serves as a member of the Community Advisory Board of Montefiore Hospital, the Advisory Board of the Bronx Region of the American Cancer Society, the New York Yankees Community Relations Council, and the Police/Clergy Liaison of the NYPD.

He has been a force to be reckoned with in ensuring that Bronx residents live in a Bronx that allows them to have long, healthy lives.

Read about the Bronx Health REACH profile on Pastor Foley.

Bronx Health REACH Promotes Anti-Sugary Drink Campaign to Bronx Residents

With a grant from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bronx Health REACH with its partner Mainland Media has been promoting delicious fruit infused water for the public to sample as an alternative to sugary drinks. At the same time raising awareness of the health impact of sugary drinks and to counter the beverage industry’s marketing of those drinks in the South Bronx. Residents get to taste watermelon and mint, strawberry and basil, and mixed berry fruit infused water. Many are encouraged to drink water in place of sugar sweetened beverages for the health and cost-saving benefits.

The Mainland team has appeared at the South Bronx Farmers Market and the June, July and August Boogie on the Boulevard events. At the July and August Boogie events the drinking stations were crowded by many bicyclists seeking relief from the heat, requesting their water bottles to be filled with the fruit infused water. Overall, residents enjoyed the water and were given recipes to make their own delicious fruit infused water at home. Visit this page to learn more about avoiding the harmful effects of sugary beverages.

Bronx Health REACH Partner Casita Maria Working to Make the Bronx The World's Strongest Borough

Bronx Health REACH along with partner Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, and their collaborators New York Community Trust, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital and Bronx Cultural Ambassador, Baron Ambrosia are engaging Bronx residents of all ages to make the Bronx “The World’s Strongest Borough” by doing pull ups. To get into the Guinness Book of World Records, Baron Ambrosia has been taking a "Mobile Pull-Up Bar of Power” to Bronx parks and public events. He was at the August 20 Boogie on the Boulevard to get more participants to add to the number of pull-ups.

The "Mobile Pull-Up Bar of Power” has even been brought to schools during fitness classes. A permanent “Pull-Up Bar of Power” and mural was unveiled back in June at the Claremont Neighborhood Center. If you would like to contribute pull-ups towards the Guinness Book of World Records making the Bronx “The World’s Strongest Borough,” Baron Ambrosia will have the "Mobile Pull-Up Bar of Power” at the September 10th Boogie on the Boulevard, (Grand Concourse between 162nd to 170th Streets) from 12 to 4 p.m.

WellCare Health Plans Contribute to Healthy Bodega Program

WellCare Health Plans contributed $2,000 during the grand opening of their Bronx Welcome Room at the WellCare Health Plans office towards the Bronx Bodega Marketing Campaign that Bronx Health REACH and its partners in the Bronx Bodega Workgroup are developing. The donation reinforces WellCare Health Plans commitment to the health of the community by recognizing the importance of providing Bronx residents access to healthy food at Bronx bodegas. Presenting the check to Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock are (left to right): Ryan Fogarty, Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Joiel Ray-Alexander, Director of Brand Marketing, Blue the WellCare Bear, and Maria Auciello, Manager of Advocacy and Community Based Programs. 

Goya Foods Partners with Bronx Health REACH Healthy Bodega Program to Launch 'Better for You' Low Sodium Products in Bronx Bodegas

Goya Foods, in partnership with Bronx Health REACH, the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Inc. (HITN) and the Bodega Association of the United States (ASOBEU), provided free taste-tests to bodega customers at four Bronx bodegas, as part of their launch of Goya's 'Better for You' low sodium products in the Bronx. The cooking demonstrations and taste-tests took place August 1 to 4.

A Caribbean Red Bean Salad made with Goya's low sodium red kidney beans along with other Goya products was offered in taste tests to all passersby. Many enjoyed the delicious salad and were given the recipe to prepare at home. After seeing and hearing about the positive reception from the four cooking demos, Goya Foods has committed to working with the rest of the model bodegas to providing taste tests, and training for bodega owners and staff, who offer prepared food at their bodegas, to prepare these healthy and delicious low sodium dishes for their customers to purchase.

Institute for Family Health Stevenson Center Expands Neighborhood Healthy Food Options with Fresh Food Box Program

This post was written by Bronx Health REACH intern Hillary Ramirez.

The Fresh Food Box site at the Stevenson Family Health Center has attracted more customers since it opened in July. Every Tuesday the Fresh Food Box tent is set up on the sidewalk in front of Stevenson Family Health Center, and is open to all community members. No affiliation with the clinic is required to join. Located in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx; the Stevenson Family Health Center is surrounded by residential buildings with few food purchasing options and little access to fresh vegetables. The Soundview community also has the third lowest daily vegetable and fruit consumption rate in the city.  To help remedy this situation Bronx Health REACH has partnered with GrowNYC and the Stevenson Family Health Center to try and meet  the need for more fresh produce in the area. The goal of GrowNYC’s Fresh Food Box (FFB)  is to provide more fresh vegetables and fruits to communities that do not have them or have too little of them.

Stevenson staff is excited to participate in the Fresh Food Box program, and are optimistic about the health benefits these fruits and vegetables will provide for patients. One clinic employee stated that patients simply don’t have enough healthy food options, and when they are told to adopt a healthier diet, the resources required for patients to follow that advice are either not convenient or affordable.

A young boy helps his mother select produce at the Fresh Food Box.

The Fresh Food Box program addresses that by bringing in  fresh produce at a very affordable price. A bag of 6-8 fresh, in-season vegetables and one fruit is only $14.  And while $14 for a bag of 6-8 vegetables and a fruit is the best deal in town, the program’s mission would not be complete without actively promoting and accepting EBT/SNAP, in addition to cash and credit cards. Similar to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)  program Fresh Food Box participants pay for their bag a week in advance, returning the following week to pick up their produce. To help participants with vegetables they may not be very familiar with, Fresh Food Box also includes a set of recipes to try at home.

Display of a Fresh Food Box share containing leaks, blackberries, lettuce, summer squash, golden plums, corn, cilantro and basil. 

With nearly 30 sign ups on the opening day, many community members were excited after receiving their bag full of vegetables, while others looked forward to trying the Fresh Food Box for the very first time. Some participants of the program brought along their children, allowing them to pick out the produce, using the Fresh Food Box program as an opportunity to teach their kids about healthy eating. The Stevenson Fresh Food Box runs until November 14th.

To learn more about the Stevenson FFB, call 212-633-0800 or email Michelle Hernandez.


Click here to learn more about GrowNYC Fresh Food Box Program.

Growing Stronger Together: A FoodCorp Member Reflects on Her Year Cultivating an Environment of Wellness at the Family School

Cara Plott, former FoodCorps service member with Shanjida, a student at the Family School.

I began my year of service as a FoodCorps service member at the Family School not really knowing what to expect. Would I be able to find mentors to help me figure out the needs of the school? Would the school administrators be supportive and excited about expanding the number of classes learning in the garden? Would teachers feel comfortable using the garden space? Would my students be patient with me as I developed my teaching skills? And perhaps the most perplexing issue - how on earth could we engage a school of over 520 students in our garden which had only four small rectangular garden beds and a circle of eight stumps to sit on? However, I soon found myself welcomed into a community of teachers, administrators, students, families, and staff who were excited to collaborate with me to improve the culture of wellness at their school. Through these partnerships, we have made great strides in getting more classes growing in the garden, promoting vegetables and fruits in the cafeteria, and developing our school’s culture of wellness.

The beating heart of the garden always has been, and always will be, the teachers and students at the Family School. “Is this your garden?” was a common question I would be asked by people passing by the garden as I was watering in the afternoon. “No,” I would reply, “I am just a helper - this is the students’ garden. They planted the seeds and have done all the work.” My main job was to support even more teachers to use the garden, and to identify and address the barriers keeping teachers from using the garden. This year, for the first time ever, we had all 13 of our Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classes meeting for lessons in the garden where they planted seeds, grew and harvested their vegetables. During our classes we used our new “garden curriculum,” which we developed this year. The Garden Curriculum is an organized and easily accessible set of garden lessons and accompanying worksheets which we chose to empower our teachers to use the garden more in their classes. The lessons were chosen and organized with guidance from the teachers. The goal of the curriculum is to connect teachers with garden lessons that fit their needs so that they can continue to do the lessons on their own. In the fall, the lessons for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades will debut. I was so impressed by how our students took ownership of what they grew. They were invested in every part of the process, including tasting their veggies raw when we harvested them.

Our successes didn’t stop at the garden gate. We also had four taste tests in the cafeteria featuring locally grown fruits and vegetables through the Department of Education’s Garden to Cafe program. At these taste tests our student Wellness Ambassadors donned their “Healthy Choice” badges (designed by one of our students) and encouraged their peers to try the food. Additionally, one of our second grade teachers initiated and organized the introduction of the CookShop in-class cooking program this year to our school. Seven of our teachers led these lessons in their classes, resulting in eight classes having the opportunity to go through the program. Our parent coordinator also led parent CookShop cooking workshops to engage our families in the lessons and concepts that students were learning in class. Beyond the CookShop cooking classes, we had many FoodCorps cooking lessons throughout the year. In these FoodCorps lessons we made everything from Sofritos (a lesson led by one of our support staff who is a Sofritos expert) to Kale Salsa using the kale we grew in our garden.

We also worked to make large scale changes in the culture of health and wellness at The Family School. Our Wellness Council met monthly and worked to include more parents and students in our activities. Out of our work came our first ever Wellness Week, a celebration of health at our school and in our community. It included Family Garden Visit Day, Salad Bar Celebration, a cafeteria taste test, two physical activity field days, and the Wellness Fair. All students at the school had the opportunity to go to the Wellness Fair, where they rotated around to different booths featuring seven engaging presenters from local organizations including Morris Heights Health Center, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Water2Kids. Members of our Wellness Council also advocated to our principal for more physical activity time for students during the school day and helped connect teachers with physical activity resources to support them in doing this.

Equally important to our accomplishments is remembering the challenges we faced and how we overcame them to grow stronger together. It was the beginning of the spring planting season; our students had carefully planted their seeds, and our baby sprouts were just getting established. We were so proud that we had gotten our seeds in early so that our vegetables would be ready well before the end of the school year. One morning I came to check on the plants and they were gone! Not pulled out, not dying, just gone. Later, we were to discover that this was the work of a conniving sparrow. However, in the moment, I was devastated! I was afraid that all of the lesson planning, scheduling, and student work would be thrown into chaos; that the teachers and students would lose interest and everything would fall apart. As I brushed away the wetness creeping into my eyes, I somberly walked up the stairs to cancel the class I had scheduled for that day. I assumed the teacher would not want her class to come out to the garden since there were no plants, but I was in for a surprise. “Of course we want to go out to the garden!” the teacher said when I told her what had happened. In fact, we can have the students try to figure out what happened, like detectives.” At that moment, I realized that I was not just a service provider at the Family School, I was a member of the Family. I had been viewing my work as a unidirectional service, while in reality it was a complete collaboration.

At the core of all that we have accomplished this past year at the Family School is the Family School’s culture of support and teamwork. The Family School is truly a family. When everyone takes one extra step to promote Wellness at our school - whether that is having a garden lesson in their classroom, helping to distribute food to teachers for CookShop programming, serving on the Wellness Council, helping to organize field day - all of those independent small steps come together to bring about larger changes in the entire school. Transforming a school and a community into a place where minds and bodies thrive starts with taking one small step. Together, there is no telling what can be achieved.

Cara Plott was a FoodCorps service member serving with Bronx Health REACH. She was partnered with The Family School in the Bronx, NY to integrate garden and nutrition lessons into classes, promote healthy food options in the cafeteria, and support a school wide culture of health. She is very grateful to have had  the opportunity to work with The Family School, where teachers, administration, cafeteria staff, and students appreciate the importance of healthy bodies and healthy minds for learning and growing. 

Bronx Health REACH Hosts Two Successful End-of-Year School Trainings

Twenty-nine people participated in two Bronx Health REACH professional development trainings held on June 8th.

On June 8th, twenty-nine teachers, school counselors, and parent coordinators from Bronx School Districts 7, 8, 9 and 12 attended our training, "Beyond the Champion: Laying the Foundation for a Successful Wellness Council and Healthier Culture.” Training participants received an introduction to the building blocks of a successful wellness council as a starting point for creating a more health-oriented school community. During the training, participants shared ideas about how to implement wellness in the classroom and as a school-wide effort. Participants came up with some fantastic ideas to improve wellness in their schools including healthy “family-style” meals where teachers would join students in the lunchroom and model healthy eating behaviors. One teacher also suggested incorporating quick physical activity breaks at the beginning of the class to help calm students before starting the lesson.

At the end of the training, participants received a one page checklist  to assess the strengths and gaps in their school wellness programming. Bronx Health REACH also invited participants to attend our quarterly wellness council meetings for school staff to network and share wellness ideas and resources across school districts. Join our Bronx Wellness Council Network by emailing Moria Byrne-Zaaloff.

After a tasty, healthy lunch of roast chicken, corn  salsa, rice and beans and salad, some of the teachers who attended the morning session were joined by a new set of teachers for the second session with Dr. Marissa Burgermaster. This session was about nutrition and food and integrating nutrition lessons into the classroom curriculum. Dr. Burgermaster discussed how to incorporate nutrition and food literacy into existing lessons that motivate students to adopt an active lifestyle and healthier eating habits. Teachers completed the course with a nutrition education toolkit and plenty of activities to adopt for classroom use. Unable to attend? You can download a copy of the toolkit.

If you have questions about the toolkit, either of the trainings, or would like Bronx Health REACH to come to your school to talk about nutrition education lesson planning or wellness councils with your teachers, please contact us for more information.

Guidelines to Develop a Culture of Wellness in your School:

Schools participating in the federal lunch and/or breakfast program are required to start implementing a wellness council by June 30th. Below are a few simple steps on how to get started.

1. Engage with school leadership. Work with your leadership committee and PTA  to include wellness on the monthly meeting agenda. Let them know that when children have a nutrient-poor diet and insufficient exercise, they are more likely to have higher absentee rates and struggle in school.

2. Find a policy issue leadership can agree on. For example:  (elimination of vending machines/replacing products with smart snacks, changing food sold in school stores, promotion of/access to drinking water, in-school fundraisers, classroom/school celebrations, etc.)

3. Develop a strategy to reach this goal. Determine what your school's policy issue is, and create a plan that makes the most sense for your school community.


4. Write a proposal (with action steps to launch and implement your policy issue campaign) and share with the PTA and principal.

5. Launch campaign. 

6. Review challenges/successes through an assessment. Celebrate any successes!

Teacher-Approved Garden Lessons for the Classroom

Students building a bean trellis with teacher Laura Goodspeed in the garden at the Family School. 

From calculating the area of a garden bed, to writing about the process of planting a seed, hands on learning in school gardens can be a very impactful way for students to solidify and expand upon what they are studying in the classroom. Recognizing these benefits of garden learning, educators at The Family School (PS 443) wanted to help more teachers make use of their school garden. However, for many teachers, figuring out where to start using the garden can seem like a daunting task! The teachers at PS 443 realized that they needed a set of garden lessons that was organized, easily accessible, and did not require too many extra materials.

This year Laura Goodspeed, a first grade teacher at PS 443 and Cara Plott, FoodCorps service member at PS 443 created a garden curriculum for teachers. They pulled together lessons from established garden curriculum resources like Edible Schoolyard NYC and LifeLab’s “The Growing Classroom,” and filled in the gaps with new lessons and worksheets. The lessons support the NYC Science and English Language Arts learning objectives. 

“We designed a curriculum to be used for weekly lessons during one growing season,” said Cara. “However, we recognize that each school, each garden, and each class is unique. The beauty of having the lessons in an editable format on Google Drive is that teachers can put in comments, move lessons around on the schedule, and tailor it to their schedule and class needs. Over time this “living curriculum” will continue to adapt to the needs of your school. ”

The teachers and Cara piloted the curriculum this spring semester in their modest four bed garden.  Teachers and students at the school reported that the lessons were a great success. All of the school’s Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade classes had lessons in the school garden and planted their own crop. They will update and improve the lessons based on teacher feedback.

Cara noted, “We hope these lessons will empower teachers and motivate students to learn and grow more in our garden, and inspire educators at other schools to do the same!”

Any teacher interested in gaining access to the curriculum should contact Moria Byrne-Zaaloff at Bronx Health REACH. Or visit the resource page in late summer when the lesson booklet will be added to the BHR website.

New York City Physical Education Spaces Get A Well Needed Boost

Bronx Health REACH is excited about the recent announcement from New York City Mayor de Blasio and city leadership to invest $385 million in capital funds to bring designated physical education (PE) space to all schools citywide as part of the Universal PE Initiative. The initiative includes 76 schools in the first phase. Thirteen of these schools are located in the Bronx.

In the Bronx, 43% of elementary school students are overweight or obese, higher than the rest of NYC boroughs. Lack of physical activity is a significant factor contributing to childhood obesity. To further investigate the link between high childhood obesity rates and physical education resources in the South Bronx, Bronx Health REACH (BHR) led a district-wide assessment of PE in 2015/16. The assessment looked at PE instruction and spaces in the South Bronx District 9 elementary schools.

The assessment revealed that 18 of the 24 schools (75%) had a gymnasium space to use for physical education. However, the 18 schools with gymnasiums encounter challenges in their existing space due to overcrowding and limited space. The remaining six schools (25%) are without gym space and are dependent on alternative spaces like classrooms, hallways and cafeterias for indoor physical activities.

BHR has met with, and will continue to work with the New York City Department of Education to meet the needs in schools for PE spaces. BHR has worked with several of the District 9 schools lacking PE space to implement active design projects that utilize small equipment and materials transforming areas in and around school buildings to promote physical activity at schools  like Grant Ave Elementary School which is bringing ‘Big Blue Blocks’ to turn  their empty yard into a play ground. While at PS 35 where students currently use the multipurpose room as a gym, the school is working to improve the space with art and play equipment.

In the next few years, PS 35 will see larger scale changes with a new gym space thanks to the Universal PE Initiative! The NYC Department of Education (DOE) and the School Construction Authority (SCA) will work with schools to explore options that ensure all students have access to PE space. The DOE offers several solutions including constructing new gymnasiums, converting/enhancing existing spaces for fitness, renovating playgrounds, converting auditoriums into gyms, or leasing space from nearby community-based organizations.

Recent legislation has addressed other aspects of PE access in NYC schools. In 2015, the NYC Council passed Local Law 102 that requires NYC DOE to make publically available, an assessment of PE programs offered at all NYC schools. In 2016, the Mayor allocated $100 million for 500 newly licensed PE teachers through the PE Works Program (a 19% increase) and “Move to Improve,” a classroom-based PE program. Equitable school physical education, both instruction and physical spaces, could reduce the disparity in childhood obesity.

It cannot be overstated the important role schools have in the fight to reduce childhood obesity. New York public school students spend an estimated 1,200 hours in school each year. School physical education is a critical factor in not only improving their health but also in their academic achievements. The city’s commitment to NYC school gym spaces is an investment in the current and future health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers.


To learn more:

Read the press release describing the new plan


Read more about PE city-wide.

Sprout Scouts: Good, Healthy, Safe, Happy, and Respected

Students clear the plant debris from the fall harvest to prepare for spring planting.

Cara Plott is a FoodCorps service member with Bronx Health REACH. She is working with The Family School in the Bronx to integrate garden and nutrition lessons into classes, promotes healthy food options in the cafeteria, and supports a school wide culture of health. Cara attributes her excitement at working with The Family School to the fact that teachers, administration, cafeteria staff, and students appreciate the importance of healthy bodies and healthy minds for learning and growing. 


Here is her report.

This spring has been an exciting time at the Family School as we have rolled out two new programs to give our students more opportunities to grow as learners and gardeners. One initiative is the roll out of our weekly garden lesson sequence. For the first time this spring, students from all Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classes have engaged with our garden through planting seeds and learning how plants grow. Each class has a weekly garden class time, where students do hands on lessons that are aligned with the New York City science curriculum. In the fall, our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes will learn and plant in the garden. By systematizing our use of the garden space, more students and teachers will have the opportunity to use the garden as it becomes woven into the fabric of the school’s curriculum and culture.


Second, we have started our first ever afterschool gardening club, called Sprout Scouts. The Sprout Scouts are ten fifth grader leaders nominated by their teachers, some of whom are also Wellness Ambassadors. The Sprout Scouts club is jointly led by Ms. Goodspeed, a first grade teacher at The Family School, and me. Our Sprout Scouts have been hard at work getting the garden ready for planting by our younger students. So far they have cleared the garden beds of dead plant matter from last year and analyzed the components of our soil. They also helped to construct a pea trellis (see photo below)! Many of the activities that we do in Sprout Scouts are from the curriculum recently developed by FoodCorps in collaboration with LifeLabs.

Students helped to build a pea trellis on one of the raised beds. Here students are stringing twine to create the net up which the pea plants will grow.

Why are we so passionate about gardening at The Family School? First, from seed math, to writing poems about changes in spring, to analyzing nitrogen content of soil, we know that our students can greatly benefit from the hands on learning opportunities in the garden. Second, seeing where the food they eat comes from and developing a better understanding of the cycle of nature equips our students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills to make healthy choices in their own lives now and in the years to come. Third, the garden creates a unique community for our students. While we are learning gardening and cooking skills, we are also learning life skills, like how we should respect all living things, from our fellow humans to the smallest worm. On our first day of Sprout Scouts, our Scouts came up with words that described the way that they wanted to feel in the garden: “Good, Healthy, Safe, Happy, and Respected.” Through our work in and out of the garden we seek to help make our fellow gardeners know that they deserve to feel each of these things, and that they are supported to grow into whatever they aspire to be.

Joseph Ellis – Committed to Enlightening Communities about Health Issues Affecting the Whole Body

Joseph Ellis attended his first Bronx Health REACH faith based outreach meeting in 2006. He didn’t realize at the time, but that meeting would eventually lead him to becoming an employee of Bronx Health REACH. As a member of the Bronx Deliverance Center of Faith Church, Joseph was drawn to the faith based meetings due to the healthcare component. As a deacon in his church one of his roles is to distribute health materials and educate fellow parishioners on the importance of healthy eating and being physically active. He was instrumental in having two diabetes workshops held at the church; something that had not happened before.

In 2007, Joseph was hired as an outreach organizer at Bronx Health REACH to create linkages between Bronx Health REACH and churches in the community. His role was to  encourage them to establish health ministries. Joseph, keenly aware that the church pastor sets the tone for the healthcare ministry in a church understood the importance of engaging pastors in the effort. “If a pastor is interested in having a healthcare ministry, then that congregation will have a healthcare ministry, but if the pastor has no interest, an interested church member will have to create and advocate for it, and will find it difficult to get it going without the pastor's blessing.”

In addition, Joseph assisted with the implementation of four Bronx Health REACH initiatives with the faith based partners: Fine Fit and Fabulous, a nutrition and fitness program; The Culinary Initiative, a healthy cooking course for culinary committee members; God’s Health Squad, a youth nutrition program, and The Way, a support program for congregants living with diabetes. Joseph particularly remembers the successes of the Culinary Initiative, “One church had been serving fried foods but once they got on board and revamped their kitchen, they started making such changes as baking instead of frying foods, and serving brown rice rather than white rice,” Joseph recounted.

Unfortunately, funding for the grant that supported his role with the faith based programs ended and Joseph's position was eliminated. He continued to attend various healthcare events in the Bronx and would always run into Bronx Health REACH Director, Charmaine Ruddock. “ After one of the events, Charmaine sent me an email asking if I would be interested in a community health worker position in the newly created Vegetable and Fruit Prescription Program at three of the Institute's Bronx health centers. I came in for an interview and was hired.”

Working at the Institute for Family Health’s three Bronx health centers Joseph has discovered that there are many challenges obese patients face when looking to exercise and lose weight. “I gave one patient a flyer about the Saturday exercise classes held at Stevenson. She looked at the photo in the flyer, which depicted thin people doing exercises. Thinking that she would be the only overweight person in the exercise class, she felt she would be embarrassed in the class and discouraged from attending.”

Joseph realizes that though he is not able to make every patient he sees healthy overnight, he can encourage them to take the necessary steps by educating them about eating healthier; promoting attendance at food demonstrations at the health centers; encouraging patients to go on organized tours of neighborhood supermarkets and bodegas to identify healthy food they can purchase; and by conducting tours of neighborhood farmers markets and distributing Health Bucks to those who attend to purchase vegetable and fruits at the markets.

According to Charmaine, Bronx Health REACH’s Director, “Joseph’s vast experience living in the Bronx, his knowledge of how the community works, its residents' concerns and interests, and his insider’s understanding of the culture and values of churches, has been invaluable to Bronx Health REACH’s healthy eating initiatives in the community.”

REACH Visits Senator Schumer and Congressman Serrano's Offices

In May, Bronx Health REACH and Bronx Community Health Network met with representatives from Senator Charles Schumer's office and Congressman Jose E. Serrano's office. As with our visit to Senator Kristen Gillibrand's office in March, our community partners spoke powerfully of the impact of this work on the health of the community.

The partners at the meeting with Sen. Schumer’s staff included members from Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus, Friendly Baptist Church, Mt. Zion CME Church, and WellCare Health Plans.

Dorothy Faison, representing Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus spoke about the exercise ministry that has begun at the church and which meets every Saturday using exercise equipment provided by a grant from WellCare Health Plans. Rev. Dr. Theresa Oliver from Mt. Zion CME Church spoke about a culture of health growing in her church, and gave as an example the fruit infused water in pitchers provided every Sunday for the use of her parishioners.

At the meeting with Congressman Serrano’s staff, Bronx Health REACH Coalition members included representatives from Citizens Emergency Response Network Inc., WellCare Health Plans, and Walker Memorial Baptist Church. Wali Abun, from Citizens Emergency Response Network Inc. shared that even though his organization deals with emergencies such as hurricanes and other disasters, he became involved with the Bronx Health REACH Coalition because he believes the Bronx ranking as the least healthiest county in New York state according to the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Report is a state of emergency to the health of all Bronx residents, and should be addressed by elected officials.

Flora Goldston, representing Walker Memorial Baptist Church, spoke about the healthy changes happening in her church - parishioners are exercising more and drinking more water now provided as the beverage of choice at church events. She went on to say that it is now standard practice to disseminate health information in the monthly church bulletin.

The goal of these visits to law makers representing Bronx districts is to let them know the extent and impact of the work being done with the funding for REACH.