PROGRAMS
HELP’s Goal: Growing Healthy Communities
Our FREE Programs:
Adopt A “Farm Fresh” School Program—Healthy Students
Two-year-long State Pilot Program offering 3 Elementary Schools a range of Farm to School Nutrition Education Programs, Produce Tastings, Cooking Demos, School Gardens, Classroom Ag Worker Presentations, Farm Field Trips, Physical Activity Classes, Celebrating Wellness Days and locally grown Salad Bars. (Salinas, Monterey and Soledad-Pilot sites)
Project Head Start: Fruits and Veggies 101—Healthy Kids
Introducing Kids 3-5, and their parents, in Monterey County’s 36 Head Start sites to the healthy and FUN world of produce with a delicious, hands-on series of month-long programs that takes kids from “yuck” to “yum” and teaches early healthy eating habits and agriculture appreciation.
Choose Your Life/ Agriculture Workplace Wellness Classes –Healthy Employees
Nutrition and exercise classes for regional agriculture employees. Assistance on developing company wellness policies Over 450 shed, cooler and field workers reached to date in 12 participating companies.
Shaping Healthy Families—Healthy Children and Parents
Dinner-time Parent/Child wellness and physical activity classes featuring nutrition education on the new Food Pyramid along with aerobics, yoga and dance and a HEALTY meal. 150 parents and children reached to date.
Celebrating Wellness Days—Healthy Schools
Offered to date to 13 Salinas City Schools, and set to be offered to 13 Monterey Peninsula Unified Schools in 07-08, this half –day program for students, parents and teachers includes an interactive Wellness Assembly and three class rotations in cooking, nutrition, produce sampling, gardening, planting and physical education. Monterey County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Kotowski, supports expansion of this program to ALL regional elementary schools.
Simply Fresh TV-Produce Recipes/Nutrition Information—Healthy Communities
Healthy produce TV cooking showcase promoting nutrition and local brand awareness. Sponsored by regional Ag companies and the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. 60 second commercials broadcast 230 times per month on all regional broadcast and cable channels in English and Spanish. Also live cooking demos and produce samplings in local libraries, schools, clubs, grocery stores and special events. Recipes are now featured in Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital’s cafeteria and soon in patient meals.
Wellness Council Alliance—Healthy School Districts
HELP continues to unite our region with the formation of this 22 District alliance of Wellness Council chairs, parents and student representatives. Group meets quarterly in facilitated workshops to share best practices, challenges and resources.
HELP’s “In the Kitchen” Exhibit at National Steinbeck Center—Healthy Locals and Visitors
HELP will have its own permanent Healthy Eating and Cooking exhibit within the Rabo Bank Agriculture Museum at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. Visited by over 10,000 attendees per month, this expands the reach of HELP’s message of healthy eating and wellness and supports agriculture’s role in combating obesity and its’ importance as part of a healthy diet.
Fruit and Veggie Vending Machines/Salad Bars—Healthy Schools and Companies
National Pilot Program being developed in partnership with the Produce for Better Health Foundation. To be funded in-part with a $175,000 Congressional Appropriation. The goal is to get Monterey County single-serving produce into schools, community centers, hospitals and other publicly run institutions in the region and eventually around the state and nation.