THUNDER BAY – FAMILY – Whether fresh, frozen or canned, fruits and vegetables help provide children and families with the vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and overall energy needed to be physically active. The Choose to Boost Veggies and Fruit initiative is being launched this month to encourage kids and families to make veggies and fruits a bigger part of their everyday lives and eat healthier. The initiative is being held by Healthy Kids Community Challenge Thunder Bay (HKCC TBay).
From April to December 2017, local programs and activities are planned to encourage Thunder Bay families to include more fruits and vegetables in every meal and snack. Initiatives and partnerships include:
- Neighbourhood Pop-Up Fresh Food Markets with Our Kids Count
- Creating a Community Garden – Developing Culturally-Informed Skills for Indigenous Families with Dilico Anishinabek Family Care
- Veggie & Fruit Cookbook, and Classes with City of Thunder Bay Playgrounds Program
- Elementary School Food Garden Coordinator with Roots to Harvest
Choose to Boost Veggies and Fruit is the next phase of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge, which promotes healthy eating, physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices for children.
As part of its first phase – Run. Jump. Play. Every Day – HKCC TBay installed 15 community play boxes in local parks, facilitated the introduction of snowshoeing to over 500 local children, and partnered with the Blucher, Picton, Windsor Community Action Group to improve the health of their residents. As part of its second phase – Water Does Wonders –HKCC TBay and local school boards installed bottle filling stations at 20 elementary schools and five municipal locations to help make water the simple and best choice for local children.
Encouraging kids to stay active and healthy is part of the government’s Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care to build a better Ontario by providing patients with faster access to the right care, better home and community care, information they need to live healthy, and a health care system that is sustainable for generations to come.
