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Pages tagged "healthy food access"


CCG & Union Partnership Results in Healthier Food for Jeffco Public School Students in Colorado

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · November 09, 2022 1:47 PM

In advance of 2021 School Board elections in Jefferson County, Coloradans for the Common Good (CCG) assembled over 300 people at Trinity Presbyterian Church for a non-partisan candidate accountability session.  All six school board candidates were asked "yes or no" in regard to increasing wages for education support professionals and increasing access to healthy food.

All six candidates said yes. After the election, CCG worked alongside member institution Jeffco Education Support Professional Association (JESPA) to hold the recently elected candidates accountable to their commitment.  The work resulted in higher wages for school workers and healthier food options for Jeffco students.  Andrea Cisneros, a leader with JESPA and CCG, tells the story of how it happened:

[Excerpt]

“Some parents got ahold of our union and asked us how to get better food that’s more culturally relevant to what they eat at home....”

“Parents were upset and didn't know what steps to take. They joined us and the Coloradans for the Common Good, … and, together, we set up a game plan.”  JESPA [Jeffco Education Support Professionals Association] is a member of Coloradans for the Common Good, a broad-based organization comprised of over 30 local institutions, including congregations, unions, non-profits, and neighborhood organizations, committed to the common good of all people.

The game plan was to grow their network of support among the community, partner with groups familiar with farm-to-table approaches, visit other districts that were serving healthy foods, and push their elected officials or any candidate running for office, at the time, to publicly support JESPA’s efforts.

JESPA ... successfully negotiated a pilot program that will replace junk food and highly processed prepackaged food with healthier, scratch-cooked options. Plus, menu creation will include parent and student voices and will have more culturally relevant options. The pilot will start in three schools: an elementary, middle, and high school.

While the menu is still in progress, Cisneros hopes to serve quesadillas, enchiladas, or homemade burritos, instead of frozen burritos in a packet.

“We realized that we have more power together, … and we couldn’t have done this without the support from our parents and community,” she adds.

[Photo Credit: NEA Today]

Educators, Parents Team Up to Bring Healthier Food to Cafeteria, NEA Today [pdf]


Together Baton Rouge Announces Saturday Bus Routes From Food Deserts to Grocery Stores

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · November 17, 2014 11:52 AM
At a meeting convened by Together Baton Rouge and the Baton Rouge Food Access Commission, TBR leaders announced a new limited-stop route to run Saturdays from 'food deserts' to grocery stores as a temporary measure to ensure access to healthy food. Asked Tamika Porter, "If there's such a thing as Whole Food, then what am I giving my children? Half food?"

Capital Area Transit System (CATS) CEO committed to providing the new Saturday bus route by June 2015. He also promised to re-evaluate every route to ensure that buses are stopping at at grocery stores where possible.

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