Healthy Living in New Bedford

Healthy Living Within the New Bedford Community

image_pdfimage_print
by Nicholas Walecka
by Nicholas Walecka

Members of The City of New Bedford Parks, Recreation, and Beaches have teamed up with members of the New Bedford Public School System and local chefs to create an initiative to promote healthy living and eating by creating awareness amongst families in the community.

With the help of a $40,000 grant from the Wal-mart Foundation and the National Recreation and Parks Association, they have been able to host three Family Food Nights (one at The New Bedford Boys and Girls Club, one at Roosevelt Middle, and the most recent one at Gomes School) to help families learn how to live healthier by eating better and exercising on a regular basis.

Last Thursday, January 26th, students and parents met at the Gomes School, where they rotated amongst three exercise stations- a dance station, a yoga station, and a aerobics station- and then were treated to food demos from local chef JT Ghim of Commons (formerly Ginger Grill) as well as a demo from student chefs at Johnson and Wales and Kim Ferreira, who works with the NBPRB and is a registered dietician.

Healthy Living in New BedfordRoss Moran, a representative of the NBPRB, said they’re targeting populations that don’t typically have access to healthy foods. “We’ve had these (initiatives) at Roosevelt and The Boys Club, and we’re looking forward to the next one, which should be at Normandin in March.”

Ross, along with Renee Dufour, Pauline Hamel, and Ferreira, among others, helped recruit area chefs who focus on healthy dining, as well as some individuals involved in promoting physical activities in the city.

The goal is to promote easy ways to create cheap, healthy meals, as well as to stress the importance of exercise to create a complete, healthy lifestyle. Dufour told me that New Bedford was one of the first cities to get involved with Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” program, which was designed to address America’s obesity problems by focusing on the youth of America.

Michelle Obama Let's Move ProgramLast July, the state Public Health Council agreed to change lunch menus so that schools are required to provide students with a variety of healthier options. The USDA also has a series of new requirements that must be followed. This grant program is another part of what seems like a nationwide effort to promote health awareness amongst the youth.

Ferreira and Hamel collaborated to bring the healthy dining demos to the schools by recruiting the local chefs. Initially starting on a small scale in May, the program was fully launched in August. Kim said that the idea was, “to get healthy meals in a way that makes sense- by connecting restaurants to the community.”

So far, the program has been considered a success. Over 120 people signed up for and attended this particular session at the Gomes School. “We usually have a tough time getting parents to participate in the physical activities, but overall the night seems like a success,” said Dufour. The kids especially seemed to enjoy the physical portion of the program. “The kids liked it. They like to move, no matter what it is,” said dance instructor and teacher at the Gomes School Rachel Machado.

About nickydubbs

Check Also

South Coast Smiles Pediatric Dentistry of Dartmouth: “5 Tips To Keep your kids’ smiles shining bright!”

February is Children’s Dental Health Month! Here are 5 tips for keeping your kid’s smile …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Translate »