Ann Arbor's Ecology Center wins $300,000 grant to improve kids' access to healthful food
Ann Arbor’s Ecology Center has won a $300,000 grant to work with three Detroit health care providers to improve access to healthful food, especially for children, the nonprofit announced.
The three-year W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant will be used to work with food growers and suppliers, community organizations and health care providers to improve awareness of public health and environmental issues around food.
Goals include expanding farmers markets at hospital facilities and fostering collaboration among hospitals, community groups and other entities that work to promote healthful food in Detroit neighborhoods, as well as running educational and outreach programs.
Photo by Flickr user futureshape
The Ecology Center’s three-year-old Healthy Food in Health Care program has advocated for local and sustainable food in the state’s health care sector. It helped launch Healthy Food Hospitals, led by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, in May, in order to improve the use of local and sustainably grown food at Michigan hospitals.
Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
Mr Blue
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 5:02 p.m.
We subsidize corn for ethanol and cattle feed and cut funding for children's school lunches and nutrition education.
Sallyxyz
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 2:19 p.m.
Mr Blue, I agree. The priorities are totally screwed up. If you have ever visited a public school at lunchtime, you will see unbelievable junk food served every day, which meets the so-called nutritional requirements that the government mandates. Greasy cheese covered bread sticks qualifies as a serving of dairy to mention one example. Greasy french fries qualifies as a serving of a vegetable. Many kids that bring lunches from home also contribute to the problem, bringing a jelly sandwich on white bread and a bag of chips.
Michigan Man
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 3:32 a.m.
Mr. Blue - What for lunch on Monday (7/18/2011)? Where can I go for a free school lunch - do I need to bring an ID?
Stephen Landes
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 11:07 p.m.
Whoops! that should be "starve people and produce ethanol THAN to feed people and drill, baby, drill." Sure wish this comment page had an editor!
Stephen Landes
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 11:06 p.m.
Mr. Blue -- you will have to overcome two interest groups to get rid of corn subsidies: left-wing environmentalists and Big Corn. I predict the easiest group to tackle will be Big Corn because we can export corn these days as containerized freight and ship it to hungry parts of the world. The environmentalist fringe still hangs on to the belief that it is better to starve people and produce ethanol and to feed people and drill, baby, drill.
Mr Blue
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 8:35 p.m.
Let's take the corn subsidies and invest in school lunches instead.
Michigan Man
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 7:18 p.m.
Mr. Blue - No one is stopping you from acting in a generous and benevolent manner by writing a check to contribute financially to school lunch programs. These governmental units also take cash, I would presume. Feel free to subsidize these programs, if you so choose.
BhavanaJagat
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 4:44 p.m.
Ecology as a branch of science deals with the relations between living organisms and their environment. Ecology Center may like to apply this principle while it encourages what is called healthy eating. The human body could be viewed as the field of activity. The first and most important activity is that of obtaining food for existence. The second activity is that of using the food for metabolism and various living functions. The third and equally important activity is that of knowing the relationship between the owner of the body and the field of activity. The human identity and individuality is a function of this relation between man and the activities of his body. Man has to establish a relationship with his body and know its activity called food consumption. The well-being of man depends upon the nature of this relationship. Like all other external human relationships, the relationship between man and his food must be based upon respect and trust. Food provides nourishment, the calories the body needs and supplies the materials that the body uses for its growth and maintenance. When food is viewed as a spiritual substance, the relationship would be healthy, it would not lead to food cravings, it would not contribute to eating disorders, and it provides the satisfaction and happiness or the sense of satiation that naturally inhibits excessive eating.
Sallyxyz
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 4:37 p.m.
Improving awareness is a worthy goal, but unless the cost of the vegetables is low, people who need them won't buy them. I saw a documentary with an interview of a low income family who had a budget of $5.00 to feed a family of 6 for dinner. They went to a grocery store and looked at green peppers at $1.50 each, apples at $1.00 each, potatoes at $1.29/lb, etc. Discouraged, they ended up at a fast food joint and bought 5 $1.00 burgers and shared them among 6 people for dinner. The prices at farmer's markets are higher than grocery stores. This is July, and at Meijer this week, green bell peppers were $1.79/pound (each pepper was about $1.20) and red/yellow bell peppers were $1.50 EACH. Green leaf lettuce is $1.49/lb. I watched food prices escalate to the point where very little produce is under $1.00 a pound. This is an outrage to say the least. Middle class Americans are buying these outrageously priced vegetables every day, but poor people simply can't afford fresh produce, either at grocery stores or farm markets.
Michigan Man
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 2:38 p.m.
Would the elimination of school lunch and/or food programs help with the obesity epidemic, especially within young populations. It does seem counter intuitive, at least to me, that we grasp our hands in panic about the obesity problem but it seems we send our school children off to school (predominately a public school issue) and feed them free, crappy food during the school day and in after school programs. This just then contributes to the obesity matter. My solution - eradicate school lunch programs - lets at least check it out and look at the outcome(s) to determine the efficacy of this approach. Plus, think of the savings on the expense side of this solution.
Sallyxyz
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 4:39 p.m.
School lunches are full of junk food that meets the definitions of certain required servings of fruits and vegetables. How about a greasy pepperoni pizza slice that qualifies as a serving of "vegetable" because of the tablespoon of sugar-laden tomato sauce.
Mr Blue
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 2:57 p.m.
It's silly to think that school lunch programs are a cause of obesity. Michelle Obama is working hard to educate people about good diet and how important it is for younger people to eat better so they can learn. Children's metabolisms burn calories at a higher rate, so kids need more and healthier foods all day long. To deny them any nourishment during the day, except as what they provide themselves is cruel and unusual punishment, especially for those less well off than their peers. It's a fact that hungry kids don't do well in school. Poorly fed adults are less productive in the work place. It sounds like you'd prefer that only children from privileged families to have a chance to learn. I understand that some people believe in survival of the fittest and they belong in the jungle with the rest of the wild animals. Most of want to live in a civilized society. In the long run there are no "savings" from this kind of cruel strategy.
xmo
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 12:52 p.m.
They really have to push vegetables on people! Here they are trying to get more local grown vegetables in Hospitals and have seniors eat more of them. In the State Women's prison in Ypsilanti, the women grew organic vegetables but did eat them and shipped them to a food bank! Come America, EAT YOUR VEGETABLES! or like the President said: EAT YOUR PEAS!
Mr Blue
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 2:46 p.m.
Serious people read this and sigh.
Ron Granger
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 12:31 p.m.
Our government gives billions and billions of our tax dollars to large corporations as subsidies for junk food. That's why mcdonalds and other junk food is cheap. Meanwhile, healthy foods like vegetables and fruit remain cost prohibitive for large portions of the population. We need to fix this.