Press release from Henderson County Department of Public Health:
Tour De Daycares teaches Farm to School curriculum to local daycares
Hendersonville, NC (August 21, 2017) – The Henderson County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program is bringing Farm to School to 12 county daycares and holding cooking demonstrations at the Mills River Farmers’ Market through the 2017 market season. The project is funded by a $1,500.00 grant awarded July 7 from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP).
To support Henderson County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and WIC participants, the Henderson County Nutrition Program has partnered with ASAP, early childhood education centers, and the Mills River Farmers’ Market to provide nutrition and education to families in the community as well as market opportunities for local farmers to expand healthy food access.
Named the Tour De Daycares, the education involves Nutrition Program staff, interns and volunteers who will teach children about home gardening, home food preparation and healthy eating. Farm to School activities are a natural fit as children are developing taste preferences and eating habits that will impact their health for a lifetime.
“Our ultimate goal is to grow children with fewer health problems while decreasing their risk of obesity and chronic disease,” said Registered Dietitian and Registered Dietitian and WIC Nutritionist Nicole Levi. “We want to bring awareness about how WIC benefits can enhance a family’s diet and how SNAP benefits used at the Mills River Farmers’ Market can make fresh produce a regular feature of a family’s meal.”
WIC nutritionists will hold a cooking demonstration Saturday, August 26, 8:00 a.m. – noon, at the Mills River Farmers’ Market located at 94 Schoolhouse Road. In addition, the Mills River Farmers’ Market will join Nutrition Program staff at Aletheia Academy in Mills River on September 20 at 9:30 a.m.
For more information about the program or to learn more about WIC benefits, contact Nicole Coston at 828-694-6025 or go to hendersoncountync.org/health/web_pages/nutrition-services.html<http://www.hendersoncountync.org/health/web_pages/nutrition-services.html#wic>
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