July 2010: Make The Move Toward Healthy Food

Monthly Feature Archive

More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods that are more than a mile from a supermarket. These communities, where access to affordable, quality, and nutritious foods is limited, are known as food deserts. Lack of access to proper nutrition is only one of the many reasons why children are not eating the recommended levels of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Let's Move — a nationwide campaign to tackle the challenge of childhood obesity – encourages adults to get involved and make a commitment to help youth have access to healthy food and to make smart food choices. Visit the Let's Move website to learn more, and read the Let's Move blog to stay up-to-date on related happenings and progress.

Video: Eliminating Food Deserts in America (Philadelphia, PA)

Video: Eliminating Food Deserts in America (Philadelphia, PA)

 

You can play a vital role in providing youth with opportunities to get healthy, affordable food. What you can do:

  • Pick fresh produce from a local farm to donate at food banks
  • Share your gardening knowledge with food bank clients and children
  • Create a community garden
  • Conduct summer feeding program outreach
  • Take local decision makers on a tour of neighborhood stores to show how few fruits and vegetables are being sold

Need resources to help you get started? Read stories of service about healthy foods to get motivated, and use the following materials to gather other ideas, information, and activities:

Access to Healthy, Affordable Food

Healthy Eating

Activities and Games for Kids

Join the Let's Move movement, and along with thousands of other people across the county in service, you can provide access to healthy affordable food and create a healthier generation of kids by nourishing young bodies.

MORE RESOURCES

Effective Practices

Bibliographic Records

Related Websites