September 15^th was a busy evening on the Lowell Elementary School campus. Over 100 members of the Lowell community gathered in the cafeteria for a healthy dinner, raffle prizes and most importantly, information on how to take steps towards living a healthier and more active lifestyle.

UC CalFresh staff Christopher DeLeon, Austin Cantrell and Consuelo Cid are ready to share healthy tips with the Lowell community.

Community agencies such as Cultiva La Salud, Fresno County Public Health Department and the City of Fresno joined UC CalFresh to share information, ranging from fruit and vegetable consumption to who to contact for safety concerns in the community. 

A collaborative effort between many agencies working to build a healthier Lowell community.

This gathering allowed neighbors to gather in order to establish a sense of community. The students at Lowell Elementary will eventually feed into nearby Roosevelt High School. Over 20 Roosevelt seniors from the Health Academy Pathway program were on campus to volunteer at the event. Their duties included set up, registration, greeting those in attendance, child care assistance, and dressing as a fruit or vegetable! Many of these students attended Lowell Elementary School and enjoyed giving back to the community.

Consuelo Cid and Pete the MyPlate Superhero  are ready to talk about healthy habits!

This no-cost event was a wonderful example of what can happen when community agencies collaborate and work towards a common goal of building a healthier community in Fresno.

UC CalFresh Fresno/Madera MCP enjoyed being a part of the Fresno Unified Food Expo that took place on Saturday, May 14^th.

The cafeteria at Roosevelt High School was filled with food vendors from throughout the valley, providing a variety of tasty foods for everyone!

The Dairy Council's Mobile Dairy even came to join the fun!

Alongside other community partners, UC CalFresh team members Brittanny Zweigle and Evelyn Morales were able to share information on MyPlate and provide easy tips and recipes showcasing how to add a variety of healthy foods into one's diet. The pair also provided an apricot taste test; after all, it was a Food Expo! Evelyn taught participants the benefits of dried fruit and the appropriate serving size to consume. 

UC CalFresh hopes to see even more vendors, community partners and participants next year!

The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program maintains a well-established partnership with Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life (BBNBTL). BBNBTL hosts summer community outreach events throughout the City of Fresno to build trust and deliver resources to the community. 

The entire family enjoys the lively music and upbeat atmosphere while they learn about the community resources available to them. 

 Community Education Specialists Consuelo Cid and Maira Enriquez attended the Vang Pao Elementary & Sequoia Middle School Community Block Party. They delivered nutrition and physical activity education to the entire family. Parents and children alike learned about MyPlate and the importance of eating healthfully and staying active. The entire family was reminded to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in their diet, choose lean meats and poultry, select more whole grains, and consume low-fat (1% milk) or fat-free dairy products. The entire family had fun learning about healthy eating and physical activity habits in an environment that was safe and nurturing. 

Community Education Specialist, Consuelo Cid (pictured above) showcases the MyPlate interactive display. The Myplate food icon always provides an excellent icebreaker to spark conversation about healthy eating! 

Community Education Specialist, Maira Enriquez (pictured above) engages and teaches participants about the importance of eating healthfully and staying active.  

We would like to thank Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life for hosting such a wonderful family event and for their commitment to enhancing communities throughout Fresno County. We look forward to attending more community block parties next summer!

School is finally back in session! The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program hopes our teachers and students had a restful and healthy summer vacation. We are excited to get the school year running by attending Back to School Night at some of our sites. Nutrition educators set up booths that provided great information for parents who may be interested in attending nutrition workshops in the near future.

Nutrition Coordinator, Nath Say at Rowell Elementary's Back to School Night

Leavenworth Elementary's Back to School Night display

We would like to say thank you to our sites that welcomed us at their events. The UC CalFresh team looks forward to another great school year of offering nutrition education!

If you are interested in attending a nutrition workshop, please contact us at (559) 241-7550.