Monday, July 30, 2018

Bronx Health REACH in the News




Bronx Health REACH appeared with NY Assemblymember Dinowitz (right) and State Senator Klein (center) asking to renew the school zone speed camera program.


Unionport School-PS36 students and Saba Quality Plus Deli unveiled their Don't Stress, Eat Fresh healthy bodega marketing campaign on June 12th. Students offered free fruit salad samples to Saba Quality Plus Deli customers and promoted Saba by featuring the fruit salad during morning announcements, classroom and cafeteria presentations and by distributing fliers. The Bronx Times covered the event.

P.S. 333, the winner of the Bronx Salad Cover Competition participated in a school-wide celebration and awards ceremony on June 25th hosted by Bronx Health REACH. Bronx Health REACH partner Henry Obispo from the United Business Cooperative spoke to the students about the importance of healthy eating, and a hot sauce tasting contest was held. Their photo will appear on the cover of the ‘Bronx Salad Toolkit for Schools,’ an adapted recipe and planning guide for schools desiring to grow, harvest and eat a version of The Bronx Salad using their school garden’s produce. The Bronx Times covered the event.

On Thursday, July 12th, Bronx Health REACH joined partner Transportation Alternatives as well as Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein asking for New York state legislators to renew the school zone speed camera program due to expire in July. Bronx Health REACH Director Charmaine Ruddock provided a quote and the event received extensive coverage by News12 The Bronx, WNBC, and WCBS among others.

Emma Rodgers Recognized as One of NYC Food Policy Center's 40 Under 40



At a June 7th event, Bronx Health REACH's Emma Rodgers was recognized by Hunter College's New York City Food Policy Center as one of the 2018 class of 40 individuals under 40 years old who are working to transform the food system. The Center’s honorees include policymakers, educators, community advocates, farmers and innovators who are making significant strides to create healthier, more sustainable food environments and to use food to promote community and economic development. Emma is the Senior Program Manager at Bronx Health REACH. Congratulations Emma! We are honored to have you as part of the Bronx Health REACH team.

The Bronx Salad at Bronx Day in Albany



Bronx Health REACH partner Henry Obispo of United Business Cooperative promoting The Bronx Salad at Bronx Day in Albany.

Bronx Health REACH's Kelly Moltzen and Henry Obispo from United Business Cooperative, a partner in the Healthy Restaurant Initiative attended and promoted The Bronx Salad at Bronx Day in Albany on June 12th. Expo participants had an opportunity to taste The Bronx Salad, which was well received. The event to showcase the products and services of Bronx businesses and organizations was organized by New York State Assemblymember Michael Benedetto. Assemblymembers Victor M. Pichardo, Marcos Crespo, Andrew Hevesi, Senator Jose E. Serrano, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. spoke at the event.

Bronx Health REACH believes Bronx restaurants would be better equipped to serve The Bronx Salad if partner restaurants were supported as business owners through strategies developed by United Business Cooperative. Bronx Health REACH will continue working with United Business Cooperative and Bronx legislators to try to increase the capacity of Bronx food businesses to source healthy ingredients such as those used to make The Bronx Salad.

Four Churches Successfully Complete Healthy Children, Healthy Families Program


Some Agape Church participants of the Healthy Children, Healthy Families program show their certificates after the final session of the program.

Agape Love Christian Center, Iglesia de Dios, Mt. Zion CME Church, and New Covenant Christian Church have successfully completed their Healthy Children, Healthy Families program. Over 100 youth and parents/caregivers participated in the eight sessions, 90 minute-long nutrition and fitness workshops. Each session was led at each church by two Peer Health Coordinators who covered such topics as: building a healthy plate and healthy meal preparation, eating God's real foods, choosing healthy beverages, determining healthy portion sizes and how to read food labels. Each session included a 1/2 hour of exercise. 

Feedback from participants is very positive. Natalia, a youth participating in the Agape Healthy Children, Healthy Families program says “I didn’t like whole grains before and I learned that you can learn to like whole grains.” Another youth participant Novea added, “It’s a good program because it encourages you to be healthy and exercise regularly.” Nyla, age 8 asserted that the best part of the program was the fitness.



Members of Mt. Zion CME Church participating in a physical fitness activity, part of the Healthy Children, Healthy Families program.

Mt. Zion CME Church was the first church to complete the program in June. "The Healthy Children, Healthy Families program has given us so much more than we anticipated," says Rev. Theresa Oliver, Senior Pastor. "For the adults and youth that participated, I believe the program did more than just teach them about healthy eating and exercise. It really boosted family values and was such a blessing and reward to see families come together and grow during the program. The children really took to the activities especially the physical activity sessions. They would run and jump around and all the children became friends with each other at the end. This program has great potential for all churches since it connects the older and younger participants with a common goal of eating healthier and getting more physical activity."

“It’s a beautiful program because it provides information that can be shared throughout the community, said Emily Oppenheimer, Program Manager. "We’ve been impressed with the way health information has reached beyond those participating in the program. Church members and church leaders have shared the message of healthy food and fitness throughout their community. We’re building a new generation of health leaders with the children and families who participated in the program."

Five churches are set to begin their programs in the fall, and we anticipate having 8 faith based organizations start their Healthy Children, Healthy Families programs in the spring.

Stevenson Farm Share is a Hit with IFH Patients and Community Residents




The Corbin Hill Food Project Summer Farm Share Program, supported by Bronx Health REACH and hosted by the Institute for Family HEALTH (IFH) Stevenson Family Health Center has become a staple among IFH patients and Soundview residents looking to purchase affordable local, farm fresh vegetables and fruits. Every Tuesday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. the Farm Share is set up either inside (or outside weather permitting) the Stevenson Health Center where customers can purchase a variety of local and seasonal vegetables and fruit for only $10. Customers place their orders by Tuesday and pick them up the following Tuesday.

The program began a year ago with GrowNYC’s Fresh Food Box Program and has since changed hands with Corbin Hill Food Project's Farm Share. In the beginning, around 15 to 25 customers per week signed up to receive farm shares that has since increased to 25 to 35 customers per week! Joseph Ellis, our Community Health Worker along with the Institute for Family Stevenson Health Center's Tiffany Diaz are there every week setting up the Farm Share and greeting customers.

"Customers enjoy coming to the Stevenson Farm Share because it’s so close to where they live," said Joseph. "Customers have told us that the produce sold at the Farm Share is fresher and lasts a lot longer than what their local supermarket sells, and with the summer growing season here, there is more of a variety of vegetables and greens offered. Customers use the recipes we give out, and with our regular customers spreading the word about the Farm Share, more people have signed up."

The Farm Share is scheduled to run through November. Customers can pay with cash, credit card, debit card, EBT, or SNAP. Interested participants can sign up in person or online. For further information call (718) 589-8775 ext. 2832. Sign up now to enjoy fresh, local veggies and fruits!

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

A Zest for Life and Learning: A FoodCorp Member Reflects on Her Year Cultivating an Environment of Wellness at the Family School





In September, 2017 I was both excited and nervous as I began my year of service as a FoodCorps member at The Family School in the Bronx. The reason for joining FoodCorps was to join the fight against food injustice. Since this was my first-time teaching at a school, I approached it with an open heart.

On the first day of school I was presented with my first challenge – scaffolding covered what used to be the school’s outdoor garden. But I persevered. With funding from Grow To Learn and the School’s Wellness Committee, I created two mobile gardens housed on wheeled carts that provided the 2nd,  4th and 5th grade students  the opportunity to grow and harvest their own herbs, pea shoots, lettuce, arugula and mesclun greens indoors. Using The Bronx Salad Toolkit for Schools, seed starter kits and a few grow lights, the students and I were able to bring an indoor mobile garden to life. The second graders learned about the life cycle of plants such as peas.

The students also learned how to make The Bronx Salad, which contains many of the same ingredients they recognized from their home kitchen tables. One student exclaimed “I love cilantro and mangoes! My mother always has them in the house.” The students really enjoyed seeing their plants growing, and even tasted fresh pea shoots they grew themselves. I loved seeing students that had been squeamish about planting and working in the dirt at the start of the school year blossom into little gardeners. One student, Isabella convinced her mother that they needed to start growing their own food, and now they have a window sill herb garden in their home.

Together with the support of the faculty, staff, Garden to Café and the students, I was able to make great strides in increasing student consumption of healthy foods and expose them to new fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria throughout the school year. First, I worked with Tonya Green, The Family School Dean, to recruit and train eight student ambassadors to serve their classmates fruits and vegetables from the salad bar and collect feedback regarding which foods or flavors students liked or disliked, and what they would like to try next. This empowered the ambassadors to make the salad more enticing by designing and posting signs above the salad bar. By doing this students were encouraged to create rainbow salads. I also made raspberry and other sweet dressings for the students to try each week. Our most popular dressing was a tangy thyme and honey vinaigrette.



The school also held five taste tests in the cafeteria. For the tastings, the Garden to Café staff and I prepared samples of roasted acorn squash with brown sugar, garlic hummus and winter apple slaw for the students to sample during lunch time. Student ambassadors carried trays of the samples around the cafeteria and encouraged fellow students to sample. As more tastings were held students were willing to try the new foods without having to be coaxed by the ambassadors.

After each tasting, students would line up to record their opinions on a dot survey board. They would stand in front and have serious debates about why certain foods were better than others. One student stated, “Everybody loves carrots. Not me. I believe the lettuce was good.” At the end of one of the tastings, my team of ambassadors and I looked around the cafeteria with satisfaction. They were glowing with pride, seeing that their fellow students were enjoying healthier food items rather than sweets. It was a win for our small, but mighty team. One of my students, Rajib, summed it up best, “Everybody’s fed, everybody’s happy.”




In pursuit of more school-wide change in the cafeteria, the Garden to Café team and I organized an alternative menu tasting event for parents of students attending PS443 and PS457. George Edwards, Director of the Garden to Café program/ SchoolFood and Holly Howwit, Garden to Café Coordinator, prepared and served brown, sugar glazed root vegetables and apple slaw. Many of the parents and children asked for seconds and were genuinely surprised that these healthy foods being served could taste so delicious. One parent exclaimed, “This tastes really good and it’s healthy! I would love it if my child and I could eat like this all the time.” When parents and teachers agreed that students should have more opportunities to eat plant-based foods, I made sure students had numerous opportunities to eat healthy, not only in the cafeteria during tastings, but also during my lessons in the classroom.



Inside the classroom, I taught healthy eating lessons to three jubilant second grade classes. I worked closely with classroom teachers to align hands-on activities with their Science, Math and English lessons. Whether the students were studying fractions using different types of seeds or learning about how plants absorb water using celery, water and food coloring, I made sure the students had fun. Often when I entered the classroom, the students would scream my name, run up to me and hug me, or break into applause. My plan clearly worked. The real reward was when my students could recall information from my lessons. They would share, “I ate my vegetables today, Ms. Angela” or “When are you coming to make a salad again?” Students always had many opportunities to eat healthy foods in my classes. Together we made veggie skewers, fruit parfaits and salads.
I also led the Green Team students in a special eight session class, ‘Don’t Stress, Eat Fresh,’ about the barriers to healthy foods in their neighborhood, and the various techniques marketers use to influence their food choices. Students learned about the difference between processed food and whole food, how to read food labels, the various techniques marketers use to influence their food choices.

During a visit to the bodega near their school, students had the chance to test their knowledge and were surprised to see how many unhealthy products had ads on their packaging targeted to kids. They were also surprised to see many unhealthy snacks positioned on the shelves at their eye level to catch their attention as they walked into the bodega. At the start of the eight session class each student signed a pledge to eat less junk food and sugary beverages. By the end of the one month course, there was a slight increase in students buying fruits and vegetables at bodegas near their school.




The Family school really accepted me as part of the school family. The relationships I made with teachers, staff and students and the experiences we had will stay with me forever. I am grateful to have had the chance to serve the children of this Morrisania neighborhood. Looking back to when I was a younger student myself attending PS 41, my school lunch barely had any vegetables or fruits, so improving the eating habits of the Family School students was a goal close to my heart. I’m happy I connected with so many kids and helped them enjoy and eat more fruits and vegetables. Creating a healthier school environment was the ultimate goal, but the moments that I shared with the teachers and students of the Family School was most important to me. Hopefully the students will remember me as “the salad girl,” as I will remember the students having a zest for life and learning.

Angela Doyle 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.

We Have a Responsibility to Make our Streets Safe for All


James James, second from the left, with New York State Assemblyman Victor M. Parchardo and others advocate for the school zone speed safety camera program.

This post was written by James James, coordinator for the Claremont in Motion bike program, a partner of Bronx Health REACH.

As the coordinator of the Claremont in Motion bike program and a longtime advocate for safe streets, the chance to participate in Lobby Day with Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets, might seem like a routine endeavor that I’ve experienced a number of times over the years. And, while I’ve been to Albany with a number of organizations in the past, to lobby for women’s issues, education issues and safer streets, this lobby day presented me with an unexpected perspective on how we view safe streets in the context of transportation safety and the Mayor’s Vision Zero initiative.

On Wednesday, May 9th I boarded a bus at the Bronx County Courthouse with members of Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safer Streets for our trip to Albany. For anyone who’s been to Albany to advocate for legislation, this wasn’t your typical lobby day. While, the day was filled with your usual legislative staff meetings and photo ops with rushed legislators, the most poignant part of the day for me was hearing the heart wrenching stories of families that had to deal with the death of a child due to the lack of speed safety cameras in school zones. In New York City being struck by a vehicle is the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 14. In addition, vehicles seriously injured or kill a New Yorker, on average, every two hours. That is why this issue is so important.


Throughout the day, as we lobbied legislators on both sides of the issue, it became clear that there were some views that would not be swayed regardless of the discussion around the death of a young child in such an untimely fashion. It’s at this point that we all must find a sense of responsibility for the safety of our streets. The proposed bill would expand the number of school zones operating speed safety cameras from 140 to 290. It’s time to pass this legislation and follow the suggestions of the Mayor's Vision Zero Initiative and New York Police Department police commissioner and support passage of this law. Unfortunately, as the New York State legislative session ended, and the bill did not pass. I, along with the many organizations, advocates and elected officials are disappointed, but we'll be back next year to support safe streets for our children. I hope you'll join us.