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Posts Tagged: Julie Cates
Food banks in Fresno and Tulare consider merger
The Visalia Times-Delta reported that UC Cooperative Extension was one of the organizations represented at a meeting about the potential merger last Friday, which also included Kaweah Delta Healthcare District, Pixley-based Be Healthy Tulare and United Way of Tulare County.
“I guess one of my fears is there is an inherent distrust of Fresno,” the story quoted Cathi Lamp, nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor for UCCE in Tulare County and a former FoodLink board member. Lamp said she is concerned the merged food bank would be based in Fresno County, and Tulare County's needs might be ignored.
Julie Cates, UCCE nutrition program coordinator, told me FoodLink of Tulare County has long focused on distributing quality, nutrient dense products and partnering with agencies, such as UCCE, to provide nutrition education.
"We were able to have our teachers at the school receiving the 'farmers market' write testimonial emails and one teacher submitted letters from the fourth-grade students," Cates said. "I am very pleased with this outcome, as it illustrates how the food distributions are migrating from the inner to outer circles of the social ecological model in which we are striving to serve, reflecting universal behavior change."
View a one-minute video about one of the collaborative projects conducted by FoodLink of Tulare County and UCCE Tulare County:
UC Cooperative Extension nominates nutrition stars
UC Cooperative Extension nutrition educators in Tulare County nominated two local principals and a teacher for the 6th Annual California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Spotlight Awards, said an article in the Visalia Times-Delta. A committee will select one outstanding principal and one outstanding teacher from among the nominees. Supporting comments that can be made until June 30 on the website, in addition to the written nominations, will be considered by the committee in selecting the awardees.
Gold medalists receive $10,000 to further promote physical activity in their communities, silver medalists receive $2,500 and bronze medalists receive $1,000.
Anyone can go to the Governor's Council website and show support for the nominees by clicking "like," which tallies support from people who have Facebook accounts, clicking "support," or writing supportive comments.
Tulare County UCCE nutrition educator Julie Cates nominated principal Ira Porchia of Roosevelt School. Twice per year Porchia purchases a children's bicycle and all students with perfect attendance are entered into a bike lottery, Cates wrote in the nomination.
“Some kids just need a carrot dangled in front of them, a small incentive,” Porchia told Cates.
Cates said Porchia cheerfully reads facts and trivia related to fruits and vegetables provided by the UCCE Nutrition Program over the intercom and came into a classroom to personally pedal a “fruit smoothie bike," a bicycle modified to spin healthy ingredients in a blender mounted behind the seat.
Cates also nominated third-grade teacher Melissa Van Osch from Frank Kohn Elementary School. Van Osch coordinates an annual “Jump Rope for Heart" and during the month of December she used "The 12 Days of Fitness" physical activity curriculum in her classroom.
UCCE nutrition educator Leonila Leon nominated principal Valerie Brown of Maple Elementary School. Brown supports nutrition and fitness programs that allow students to become healthier, the nomination says. Brown enrolled several of her teachers into the UCCE nutrition program. The teachers receive a curriculum to teach students about healthy eating and exercise.
Principal Ira Porchia rides the "fruit smoothie bike."
