- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Fresh fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthful diet, but it's hard to keep perishable foods on hand if one doesn't have a refrigerator or a home. To enhance the health of homeless people, the CalFresh Healthy Living, UC Cooperative Extension team in Alameda County has partnered with the South County Homeless Project to grow fresh produce for people staying at the emergency housing in Hayward.
For the past seven years, CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE Alameda has been delivering nutrition lessons to residents of the South County Homeless Project, part of Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency. The classes include Rethink Your Drink, Food Safety, Making Every Dollar Count, Eat Healthy Be Active Community Workshops, and Fresh from the Garden.
The South County Homeless Project facility houses 24 people for up to a year. With the help of the CalFresh Healthy Living, UC Cooperative Extension team, its existing garden was refurbished and redesigned. The large outdoor garden behind the facility offers therapeutic gardening opportunities to residents and provides food for their meals.
"I love the garden and when the cook cooks the vegetables, they taste amazing,” said one resident. “I am thankful for this garden and for having the CalFresh Healthy Living team.”
At one time, South County Homeless Project's backyard featured a flower garden. After years of neglect, weeds overtook the garden.
In 2022, CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE Alameda proposed getting residents involved in growing food by resurrecting the garden with edible plants.
“Not only could we continue to engage residents in nutrition education classes, but we could also work together to reinvigorate their neglected garden,” said MaxFairbee, nutrition educator withCalFresh Healthy Living team,UCCE Alameda.
More than 15 varieties of herbs and vegetables planted
Residents and staff set out to replace the weedy beds with a vegetable and herb garden.
“We worked with South County staff and residents on the design, clean up, planting, harvesting and ultimately incorporating food from the garden into the kitchen for residents to enjoy the fruits of their labor,” Fairbee said.
For gardening expertise and support, Fairbee enlisted the UC Master Gardeners of Alameda County's Community Garden Team to help. While the CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE staff continued providing nutrition classes, the UC Master Gardener volunteers trained the residents on the basics of gardening.
In April, after heavy rains, the group planted 50 seedlings, half donated by the UC Master Gardeners. They planted two varieties of lettuce,arugula, four varieties of tomatoes, zucchini, kale, onions, cucumbers, green beans, Swiss chard, kale, basil, cilantro, tarragon, thyme, parsley, rosemary, oregano and mint.
From garden to table
“In May, we harvested lettuce and in June, we harvested green beans, cucumbers, kale and onions,” Fairbee said.
The fresh vegetables and herbs were used to prepare salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes for the residents. Fairbee and the other educators have also used the fresh produce for cooking demonstrations and tastings as part of their Fresh from the Garden class.
"We have been able to use many of the veggies as sides or to go in the salad," said one of the South County Homeless Project cooks.
"One of the chefs used the zucchini in the pasta sauce, it was so good! I didn't really know you could use it that way!" said a resident.
After tasting summer squash andgazpacho made with tomatoes from the garden, a South County resident namedSelina said, "I was surprised how good the raw summer squash tasted and how the flavor was different after it was cooked. I'll definitely be adding more zucchini to my plate."
Challenges to keeping the garden going
To keep the garden healthy, they faced competition with plant-chewing snails, slugs and aphids and cats digging in the soil. Because the water source is over 200 feet from the garden, they run a long hose across the main path, along the parking lot to water the plants, then unhook the hose and stash it indoors after each use so that it won't get stolen.
Another challenge of maintaining the garden is getting enough residents and staff to volunteer to work on it.
“Although staff are supportive of the garden, none actually have time to work in the garden,” Fairbee said.
The residents harvest, wash and store the produce in the kitchen. Only four to six of the 24 residents are typically interested in working in the garden, pulling weeds and protecting the plants from pests – most are focused on getting a new job and a home. South County residents usually leave the temporary housing within a few months.
For more consistent garden maintenance, Fairbee is looking to other community groups for volunteers. He is also hoping to persuade the county government to install a water spigot close to the garden so they can install drip irrigation to water the garden.
“We'd like to work with the UC Master Food Preservers to teach residents how to preserve herbs and vegetables,” Fairbee said.
He hopes South County Homeless Project residents will continue gardening in their new homes to grow fresh vegetables so they can enjoy a more nutritious diet and better health.
Beyond the fresh food, the South County Homeless Project residents and staff enjoy the ambience of the garden.
"It's really nice to go back there and just sit, it's really peaceful," said one staff member.
A resident added, "(The garden) relaxes me from stress. I love the garden."
- Author: Michael Hsu
Tehama County students empowered by CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE educator and teachers
It's not uncommon for high school or college students to speak up and seek to improve their school environment. But at Evergreen Middle School in Tehama County, more than 100 sixth graders led the way to create healthy changes at their school.
As part of their health classes during the 2022-23 school year, the students researched the availability of spaces for physical activity, developed a survey gauging their peers' health awareness and needs, analyzed the results and data, and made recommendations for improvements.
“We learned that there's not a lot of places – except for Evergreen Middle School and some other parks around [our community of] Cottonwood – that have many physical activity places that you can easily get to or have access to,” said Bailey, one of the students.
They were guided by Mario Monroy-Olivas, a nutrition educator with CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California Cooperative Extension in Tehama, Shasta and Trinity counties. Locally administered by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, CFHL, UCCE is one of the agencies in California that teaches nutrition to people eligible for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) – referred to as CalFresh Food in California.
Working alongside Evergreen teachers Roxanne Akers and Albert Estrada, Monroy-Olivas challenged the sixth graders to tackle a “Youth Participatory Action Research” project – a yearlong, multi-step undertaking typically designed for older teens.
“The fact that we're doing it with these younger kids, starting a lot sooner, I think it's super impactful for them to know that, together, collectively they can make huge changes that will create positive outcomes – not just for themselves but for an entire community,” Monroy-Olivas said.
Middle school students speak up at school board meeting
In February 2023, eight class representatives presented their findings to the Evergreen Union School District Board of Education. Speaking before the five-member board for 20 minutes, the young people were naturally a bit nervous.
“It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but it wasn't that bad, once we got up there and got it over with,” said Lilah, one of the presenters. “Me and a couple of my friends were doing pep talks and practicing what we were going to say.”
The students showed a composite map that they drew from their classes' investigation of spaces for physical activity in the area, and shared a brochure that outlined their research and survey results. In a survey of more than 80 of their peers, 92% of respondents said they needed more access to physical activity equipment during class breaks, recess and lunch.
“The board members were super impressed with the students, coming to the school board and doing this,” Monroy-Olivas said. “They said they haven't had students doing this kind of advocacy work; for them, it was a really big deal.”
In the end, the young people made a strong case for more water-bottle refilling stations, badminton equipment and balls for other sports, and stencils for schoolyard activities like hopscotch, four square and snail (a type of hopscotch game).
“We got almost everything we asked for, and the project we're working on now is to help put in the things we asked for,” said Lilah, adding that, during this current school year, the students (now in seventh grade) are working on acquiring the stencils and paint.
More than just equipment, students gain skills and confidence
While the promise of new gear is exciting for the youth, they are acquiring something even more valuable and enduring – a sense that they are empowered to make a difference in their community, according to Janessa Hartmann, UC Cooperative Extension community nutrition and health advisor for Tehama, Shasta and Trinity counties.
“Yes, it's important to want to do stencils and hydration stations and have more equipment,” Hartmann said, “but the bigger impact for the students is that they think: ‘Now I know that my health is important, now I know how to advocate for myself, and now I know that I can do that.'”
Monroy-Olivas said he observed tremendous growth in all the students, and especially in the self-confidence of the class representatives.
“I grew as a leader because I used to be really shy and hated talking in front of people, but through this project we're doing, this has really helped me be able to talk in front of crowds – and listen to others,” Lilah explained.
In a survey at the end of the sixth-grade project, the percentage of youth who answered “Yes, most definitely” to the statement “I want to make a difference in making my school/community healthier” jumped from 19% before the project to 44% after. And that percentage of “Yes, most definitely” replies jumped from 6% to 31% for the statement “I can use research results to come up with solutions or recommendations for making my school/community a healthier place.”
“We learned to promote what we want and try to get it as much as we can, so we can get more physical activities and more people can be included,” said Brian, another student working on the project.
“It's important so when we get older, we know how to voice our opinions and let people know what we're thinking,” added classmate Brooklynn.
Wishing that he had such an opportunity when he was growing up, Monroy-Olivas said he feels the students now know the power of their voice.
“I wholeheartedly believe that's the biggest win out of this whole project, that they're learning how to advocate for their own voice and change,” he said.
/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
CSAC honors CalFresh at Farmers Markets project in SLO
CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE San Luis Obispo County and the CalFresh at Farmers Markets cross-sector working group received the 2023 CSAC Challenge Award for creating more equitable access to healthy foods and supporting local farmers in San Luis Obispo County. The project was one of 389 entries to the California State Association of Counties awards, which honored 14 programs from 11 different counties.
In San Luis Obispo County, 8.4% of residents and 9.7% of children are food insecure, which is defined as lacking consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Nutrition incentives such as CalFresh can increase access to healthy food in low-income communities. With Market Match, for every $1 of CalFresh redeemed a person can buy $2 of food at the farmers market.
In 2017, UCCE staff formed the CalFresh at Farmers Markets work group. Members represent agriculture, government, schools and community-based organizations such as food banks.
Their goals were to increase the number of markets that accept CalFresh and offer Market Match, provide a more consistent and welcoming experience for CalFresh customers across markets, and increase the visibility of farmers market nutrition incentives.
They developed the Farmers Market Navigator program. Launched in 2022, navigators are leaders from the community who address the language, culture, knowledge, trust and discriminatory barriers to shopping at farmers markets that low-income clientele often face. The multilingual (Spanish, Mixtec, English) navigators began conducting outreach in the community and attending north county markets to answer CalFresh questions.
Of the 13 certified farmers markets in San Luis Obispo County, the number of markets that offer Market Match has increased from four in 2016 to nine in 2023. Since launching the project, they have seen a 463% increase in benefit redemption comparing the summer months (March-August) of 2016 and 2022 ($21,073 and $118,569, respectively) and a 537% increase in CalFresh customers (478 and 3,046, respectively).
Since 2017, there has been over $550,841 in CalFresh and Market Match redemptions at SLO County markets, leading to $917,000 in local economic activity (based on an economic multiplier of 1.9 for Market Match and 1.5 for CalFresh). At markets where the navigators work, there was a 172% increase in new CalFresh customers and a 171% increase in CalFresh and Market Match redemption in the first six months alone. Surveys conducted across the state by the Ecology Center show that 79% of participants say they buy more fruits and vegetables due to the Market Match program.
“These results show that cross-sector partnerships can increase access to healthy food and support for local agriculture,” said Shannon Klisch, UCCE youth, families and communities academic coordinator in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties, congratulated the group on winning a prestigious 2023 Challenge Award, saying, “All counties applaud UCCE in San Luis Obispo County for their innovation and dedication.” He added, “This year's recipients were among the best of the best, and we are proud to honor their efforts with this distinction.”
Murillo-Barrick, Richards receive $1.7M for climate action project
Cristina Murillo-Barrick, BlPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) community development advisor for Alameda County, and Chandra Richards, agricultural land acquisitions academic coordinator for Riverside and San Diego counties, have received a $1.7 million grant from the California Department of Conservation's Climate Smart Land Management Program.
Murillo-Barrick and Richards are the co-principal investigators of a project designed to increase climate resilience on the state's natural and working lands.
The project is aimed at building capacity and technical assistance for climate smart implementation by collaboratively developing plans centered on two of the most pressing climate action issues: equitable land access and land management diversification.
The funding will help UC ANR identify barriers and opportunities through engagement with historically underrepresented communities through coalition building, capacity assessment and climate-action planning.? More information about the project will be shared in early 2024.
Details about the Climate Smart Land Management Program and other projects funded can be found at https://www.conservation.ca.gov/index/Pages/News/California-award-8-5-million-climate-action-natural-working-lands.aspx.
UCANR employees give shout-outs to colleagues
For the Winter Faire, ANR employees submitted notes of gratitude for colleagues. Roxana Price, UCCE adult nutrition community educator in San Bernardino County, assembled the shout-outs below.
- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalon
- Editor: Amanda Linares
- Editor: Danielle Lee
Nutrition Policy Institute researchers led a recent study published in the California Agriculture journal. During COVID-related school closures school meal consumption was associated with eating more fruits and vegetables. Researchers administered online surveys to 3,297 fourth and fifth-grade students in 67 CalFresh Healthy Living–eligible schools and after-school programs in California during the pandemic. Survey results showed that, on average, students who ate one or more school meals daily consumed fruit and vegetables four times per day. This was significantly higher than students who did not eat school meals; they consumed fruits only two times and vegetables three times per day. However, 100% fruit juice accounted for 40% of daily fruit intake and students who ate school meals had significantly higher sugar-sweetened beverage intake with three-quarters of it coming from flavored milk. Study results suggest an opportunity for improvement in supporting and encouraging schools to continue providing nutritious meals, whole fruits instead of 100% juice, and reduce sugary drink consumption by promoting unflavored milk. The study was led by NPI researchers Kaela Plank, Amanda Linares, Sridharshii Hewawitharana and Gail Woodward-Lopez. This study was conducted as a part of a contract with the California Department of Public Health with funding from the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education.
- Author: Amanda M Linares
- Contributor: Kaela Plank
- Contributor: Sridharshi Hewawitharana
- Contributor: Gail Woodward-Lopez
- View More...
Nutrition Policy Institute rolled out an online evaluation tool, EATS, for local health departments to evaluate school-based CalFresh Healthy Living during pandemic-related school closures. EATS data showed that students receiving school meals during the closures were more likely to eat fruits and vegetables, an important insight that could impact school nutrition policy in the future.
The Issue
In March 2020, schools across California shuttered in an effort to protect students and staff from COVID-19 infection. School closures impacted provision of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, and thus, the nutrition safety net they provided. School districts across the state pivoted to centralized meal distribution via grab-and-go and drive-up, or even utilized home delivery in some cases. Despite monumental efforts to get school meals to the children who needed them most, meal participation declined significantly during this time.
The California Department of Public Health's CalFresh Healthy Living Program (CDPH-CFHL) prioritizes improving child nutrition security and diet quality. Local health departments partner with K-12 schools to implement CFHL nutrition education and policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change strategies that aim to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables and decrease consumption of sugary drinks. Their existing relationships with school districts enabled them to support efforts to ensure that school meals met dietary standards and student needs during school closures.
How UC Delivers
During the pandemic, local health departments modified their school-based programs to continue to reach students outside of the school setting. For example, they delivered nutrition education remotely via Zoom or pre-recorded lessons, and they pivoted to PSE change strategies like modifying school meal distribution practices to help ensure students continued to have access to healthy foods.
Nutrition Policy Institute supports local health department evaluation of school-based CDPH-CFHL interventions, and without modifying the existing data collection methodology to reach students learning at home, evaluation would not have continued. Evaluators adapted their methods, including migration of the Eating and Activity Tool for Students (EATS) to an online platform. This survey measures student eating and physical activity behaviors, and during pandemic school closures, included questions about if and where students ate school breakfast and lunch. Nutrition Policy Institute prioritized school data collection during this extraordinary period, understanding that analysis of these data could draw attention to the impacts of COVID-19 on California's youth, in particular, those already facing nutrition disparities.
The Impact
During the 2020-21 school year, as a result of Nutrition Policy Institute's development and coordination of the online EATS tool, local health departments were able to collect data from 3,297 4th and 5th grade students from 67 CFHL-eligible schools (where at least half of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals). About half of students were female (52%) and half identified as Latino (50%). Most students were attending school exclusively by distance learning at the time of the survey (83%). Approximately one quarter of students had eaten at least one school meal the previous day (27%), with about 1 in 7 reporting they ate both breakfast and lunch (15%).
We found that students who ate one or two school meals a day had significantly higher intakes of vegetables, whole fruits, and 100% fruit juice, compared to students who did not eat school meals. Specifically, students who ate one school meal a day ate more beans and orange vegetables, while those who ate two school meals a day consumed a wider variety of vegetables, including beans and orange vegetables. However, children who ate one school meal a day drank more fruit drinks (non-100% juice) and flavored milks than those who did not eat school meals. Further, students who ate two school meals consumed more fruit drinks, flavored milks, and sports and energy drinks than those who did not eat school meals.
Our findings suggest that school meals continued to be an important source of fruits and vegetables for school-aged children during the pandemic. This highlights the importance of focusing PSE efforts on improving school meal distribution and overall quality, should students' in-person attendance be challenged again. Despite this, findings also underscore the need to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, which are a primary source of added sugars and nutrient poor energy in children's diets. This highlights an opportunity to strengthen school-based CFHL interventions by incorporating nutrition education and PSE strategies that focus specifically on healthy beverage consumption. Nutrition Policy Institute's leadership of CDPH-CFHL local program evaluation not only highlights the successes of CFHL, but just as important, the areas for program improvement. Nutrition Policy Institute's commitment to strengthening CDPH-CFHL interventions in California schools is a hallmark of UC ANR's public value of promoting healthy people and healthy communities.
This study was conducted as part of a contract with the California Department of Public Health with funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-- SNAP. These institutions are equal opportunity providers and employers.