Yellow Medicine East School District #2190 has received a grant from Countryside Public Health Statewide Health Improvement Program to work on changes in nutrition policies and practices during the 2010-2011 school year. The goals of the grant include initiating the “Farm to School” Initiative, providing locally grown fresh foods in the lunch menu, highlighting local foods with educational and promotional activities, and to experience food through taste testing. Students will also be provided with nutritional education and increased awareness about the food system and where and how their food is grown. Parents and community members will be given the opportunity to become engaged in the process and to support and strengthen school policies in using a fresh local product.
School-based nutrition strategies and comprehensive programming can improve dietary practices that affect a young person’s health, growth, and intellectual development. This in turn will prevent immediate health problems related to poor nutrition choices, obesity, and long-term health problems. These strategies can assist youth in attaining their full educational potential and good health by providing them with the skills, social support, and environmental reinforcements they need to adopt long-term healthy eating behaviors. This will lead to fewer absences, greater academic achievement, reduced chronic disease, and reduced health care costs in Minnesota.
This grant is being made possible through funding from the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) of the Minnesota Department of Health. The goal of the Statewide Health Improvement Program is to help Minnesotans live longer, better, healthier lives by reducing the burden of chronic disease caused by tobacco use and exposure, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. For more information, visit http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform/ship. The SHIP grant for our area is managed by Countryside Public Health. Please contact Cindy Skulstad, SHIP Coordinator at 1-800-407-3628 for questions or more information.
