UC CalFresh partners with the Community Food Bank to offer nutrition education at food distributions events. This week, we were in Orange Cove teaching "My Healthy Plate."

Nutrition Educators, Kaili Acosta and Nancy Zumkeller shared tips and tools to make healthy meals.

To locate a food distribution location in your community, please click here or call 559-237-3663.

National Night Out at Frank H. Ball was a great success!

Nutrition educators, Tacu Vang and Evelyn Morales, gave out information on Myplate to families and engaged kids in a fun MyPlate matching game.

UC CalFresh is committed to working in schools and community centers to provide a comprehensive approach to nutrition education. We aim to grow healthy families through direct education paired with environmental supports. Participating in community events such as National Night Out allows us to make nutrition a part of the community fabric. To read more about our work, click here.

National Night Out is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). NATW is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of various crime prevention programs including neighborhood watch groups, law enforcement agencies, state and regional crime prevention associations, businesses, civic groups, and individuals, devoted to safer communities. Read more

We are excited that the OrganWise Guys will make their third appearance this upcoming school year at Olmos and Rowell Elementary Schools!

In addition to our UC curriculum, the OrganWise Guys curriculum teaches children of all ages to care of their body from the inside out by bringing organ characters to life using plush dolls.

At the end of each year, students display the knowledge of each character that they have gained.

We look forward to another great year with the OrganWise Guys!

At the end of the school year, Emily started a nutrition education series at Yokomi elementary. After each lesson students got a challenge to complete until she returned for the next lesson. Read more on that here. Today, Emily reflects on the impact of the lessons.

By teaching my Yokomi second graders every week, I was able to cover many topics, from hand washing to plant and animal proteins. I was amazed by how much they remembered from week to week, and the way they were able to build upon each lesson, always ready for a new challenge!

I made sure that my last lesson with my second graders was fun by reading Bearobics: A Hip-Hop Counting Story by Vic Parker.

In this story different animals engage in different dance moves; so what did the students do? They danced like animals!

From the mice tango to the kangaroo hop, the students were let loose in the classroom, learning that exercise can be a lot of fun.

As I said my final goodbyes, the students eagerly asked me what their challenge was this time. I hadn't prepared a challenge since I wouldn't check in with them again on their progress, but I made it their goal to exercise at least 60 minutes a day all summer.

I may not be there to see if they keep up with this challenge, but I know they've been provided the tools and the inspiration they need to keep this challenge, along with all of the healthy eating challenges they've received this school year. 

There are only a few more weeks until UC CalFresh is back on school campuses, working to build healthy families through nutrition and physical activity education. We can't wait!