With a membership base of over 2,000, Community Farm Alliance spearheads policies to support family farming in rural Kentucky and creates access to healthy fresh fruits and vegetables among urban, West Louisville's primarily African American residents through a blend of programs and policies.
In Pixley, California, a small town of 2,500 that is predominantly Latino, the local school embraced joint use of its facilities, the highlight of which is Ballet Folkorico, a dance program that is run by parent volunteers. The benefits are far-reaching: children feel connected to their cultural heritage, it gives them greater self-confidence, improves their academics, and keeps them moving and active.
Hurricane Katrina was a recent memory when food scarcity became a frightening reality for many residents who already lacked easy access to healthy foods before the disaster. A food mapping effort started out as a short-term response to residents' need to get access to soup kitchens, grocery stores, or food pantries and now has become a tool for understanding
In Woodbury County, policies to support local, organic foods have helped to tip the scales in support of more sustainable practices that have potential benefits not only for economic vitality, but also for the health of the community.
In Chicago and the surrounding region, this membership-driven organization works on Complete Streets policies, local bikeways, safe routes to school, and public events to rally for streets that will accommodate bicyclists safely on their way to school and across the city.
Cultivating fruits and vegetables in an urban garden and on a suburban farm leased from the city at minimal cost, youth work with The Food Project and participate in community-supported agriculture that brings healthy produce to low-income residents throughout Boston.
This program of the Atlanta Regional Commission pays special attention to the needs of seniors as it works to improve community design and support city-wide ordinances to support better walking and transportation alternatives and healthy housing for seniors.
In an effort to improve health outcomes for children, youth, and families, the City of Salinas joined together with the Violent Injury Prevention Coalition (VIPC) and their foundation, Partners for Peace, to launch a community collaborative planning process. The resulting framework, Cultivating Peace in Salinas, focuses primarily on reducing youth violence but also addresses overall community well being.
Improving community environments requires a comprehensive approach that creates bridges across sectors. Over a period of roughly two years, stakeholders in the western unincorporated area of Alameda County (also called "The Eden Area") came together to identify, discuss, and debate the most important issues facing their communities and to develop a collective vision of livable communities and a prioritized set of actions.
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In 2009, changes to the WIC food package were implemented to bring it in to line with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The changes were designed to promote healthier food choices among WIC participants in order to improve birth outcomes, promote healthy child development, and prevent child obesity.
