Whether kids are playing outside, practicing sports, attending school or swimming, what they eat throughout the day has an effect on their bodies and minds.
Over the past year, and even more in the future, the YMCA will be offering children more free healthy meals and snacks and teaching more about nutrition to help them achieve their best all year long.
Healthy food is particularly important for kids in the summer, when those who normally eat free or reduced price school lunches don’t have as much access to regular, healthy meals. Starting June 1, the YMCA is inviting kids to eat lunch for free every week day at Wallace Park. It’s called the Summer Park and Recreation Program, and it will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kids will be served a lunch of sandwiches, spaghetti, grilled chicken, fruits and vegetables, prepared by Hy-Vee Food Store. It will also include nutrition education and fun summer activities, from group games to crafts to art to science experiments. This program is possible thanks to a Wal-Mart Year Round Food Program Grant, a National Parks and Recreation Program Grant and the cooperation of Canton Park District.
“Nutrition is so important to children’s physical and academic growth. We are excited to be able to offer this new program so that all kids in our community can continue to grow and learn over the summer,” said Paula Grigsby, Executive Director.
The Wal-Mart Year Round Food Program grant will also help provide YMCA’s Day Camp with free, healthy breakfast and lunch every day of camp this summer. Campers will learn about nutrition by growing and eating vegetables with a group of Master Gardeners and community volunteers. Working in the Y’s garden each week, they will start plants as seedlings, watch them grow and learn how to eat their produce.
Last year was the first year the YMCA was able to offer free lunch at Day Camp, thanks to the Wal-Mart Year Round Food Program Grant. Day Camp Director Tracy Ford said the summer lunches were beneficial to the kids.
“The free lunches make it possible for all the kids to have a nutritious lunch, which isn’t always the case when they bring their own,” she said.
Master Gardeners, who have helped with the Y garden for 4 years now, added that campers learned better eating habits from their experience of growing and making food from the garden.
“Last summer, almost everyone tried everything we made. Surprisingly, they found they did like some of the things they had not been introduced to before, like salsa verde made with tomatillos,” said Kathy Phillips, Master Gardener.
The Y also offers healthy snacks and teaches nutrition education at its Afterschool Program sites in Canton and Farmington. They serve the snacks family style, and drink only water or milk. Each year, they continue to improve and add to the healthy snacks and nutrition education. This year, Eastview Site Director Carissa Hurst gave kids a short nutrition lesson each day. They learned about a variety of vegetables and fruits and how to prepare and eat them. They made recipes together, like homemade hummus. Carissa and her staff even sat down to eat the healthy snacks with the kids, to set a good example.
Page 2 of 2 – All of these meals, snacks and lessons strive to meet the Y’s HEPA (Healthy Eating and Physical Activity) standards. That means they will serve whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables each day. They avoid trans fats, fried foods and extra sugar. The beverages served are only water or low-fat milk. The standards are strict, but meant to help kids and families keep weight down and improve their overall health.
Over the next year, the Y will be taking HEPA standards to the next level; it is challenging all kids and adults involved at the Y to improve their eating habits. At a recent staff meeting, all staff members were encouraged to make changes in their areas to meet HEPA standards. In the next year, all programs and events will begin to follow HEPA standards, from food offered at Y tumbling events, to snacks given at soccer games, and food served at staff and board meetings.
“It’s about taking baby steps,” said YMCA HEPA Coordinator Lindsay Faber. “We don’t expect people to change everything overnight, but we would like to influence people to move in the right direction. For example, kids can still have their birthday cake, but it means encouraging kids to have just one small piece, and offering some healthy choices as well.”
The YMCA is a non-profit organization devoted to Healthy Living, Social Responsibility and Youth Development. For more information about the Y’s Summer Parks and Recreation Program, Day Camp or Afterschool Programs, contact the YMCA at 647-1616, or visit the Y’s website at http://ift.tt/1Nnhmmk.
No comments:
Post a Comment