The Veggie Project

Sarah Bellos

The Veggie Project is a partnership effort that includes: Nashville Urban Harvest, Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee, Baptist Healing Trust, and the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services, together with Vanderbilt Children’s Health Improvement and Prevention Program. Markets will run from June 11 through August 7, 2009 SEVERAL LOCATIONS! North Nashville Andrew Jackson Boys & Girls Club 916 16th Ave. N. Each FRIDAY from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Antioch/South Nashville Thompson Lane Boys & Girls Club 5050 Blue Hole Road Each FRIDAY from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Wedgewood-Houston/Vine Hill Harvest Hands 424 Humphreys Street Each THURSDAY from 3:30-5:30 Last market: July 30th West Nashville Preston Taylor Boys & Girls Club 915 38th Ave. N. Each THURSDAY from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Last market: July 23rd 2008 News: <a href="http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=6593">Children’s Hospital’s Veggie Project serves sizzling second season</a> August 8, 2008 Thanks for all your support! For more information, please contact: Liz Aleman, Project Coordinator Elizabeth.J.Aleman@Vanderbilt.Edu 615.936.0888 Or, visit: http://www.vanderbiltchildrens.com/veggieproject Several volunteers of NUH participated in the Veggie Project, procuring locally grown produce for the farmers’ market component of this new and successful initiative! <img src="http://www.vanderbiltchildrens.com/uploads/images//vchip_vegproj13.jpg"> The Veggie Project aims to address issues of childhood obesity, family nutrition and food security issues in underserved communities. Specifically, five Boys and Girls Clubs in Nashville and their surrounding communities have participated and benefited from this program. The project, which was put into action this summer (2007), is comprised of two specific components: Nutrition Education and Farmers Markets. Nutrition Education Increasing awareness and educating communities on nutrition and health is one of the core components to The Veggie Project. Nutrition education classes are implemented to the children at the Boys and Girls Clubs in three clusters so that each of the nearly 600 youngsters has the opportunity to participate and receive nutrition information. The interactive classes strive to make health topics such as the food pyramid and proper serving sizes engaging for the children. This is accomplished through the use of games, music, dance and crafts that are all related to nutritional health. Additionally, a weekly newsletter is distributed. The newsletters provide information about health topics and a recipe focused on the fruits and vegetables in season. Farmers Markets Of the five Boys and Girls Clubs in Nashville, The Veggie Project was able to implement Farmers Markets in three of the locations in an effort to bring the healthiest, freshest, local produce to the communities each week. While the project works with local farmers to get the best products available, the children from the Boys and Girls Clubs are responsible for managing the markets. The children determine the volume of produce available at each market and set the prices for the fruits and vegetables. All profits from the markets go to the Boys and Girls Clubs and each Club is able to choose how they will to spend the money – one club, in particular, is creating a scholarship fund. Another benefit of The Veggie Project is that all food that comes into the community through the project, stays in the community. Any leftover food from the Farmers Markets is donated to local organizations and agencies such as homeless shelters, drug rehab centers, and elderly homes. The Veggie Project in the News Overall, The Veggie Project has provided a great opportunity for communities to come together. The children of the Boys and Girls Clubs have truly enjoyed having their Clubs becoming the “hub” of the community each week. Click on one of the following links for more information on the impact and successes of The Veggie Project in our Nashville communities: <ul> <li>Article posted by The Reporter <a href="http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=5642">June 22, 2007</a></li> <li>Article posted by the Tennessean <a href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/register/articles?id=35716">July 11, 2007</a></li> <li>Article posted by Vanderbilt University Daily Register <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070711/MICRO02130503/707110395/1196/COUNTY0104">July 20, 2007</a></li> </ul> <IMG src="http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/reporter_jpgs/reporter_6.22.07_2.jpg">

2007-08-06T21:48:23-04:00

the-veggie-project 87511

2007-08-06T21:48:23-04:00

18594

The Veggie Project 2009-06-04T00:00:57-04:00 The Veggie Project is a partnership effort that includes: Nashville Urban Harvest, Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee, Baptist Healing Trust, and the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services, together with Vanderbilt Children's Health Improvement and Prevention Program. Markets will run from June 11 through August 7, 2009 *SEVERAL LOCATIONS!* North Nashville Andrew Jackson Boys & Girls Club 916 16th Ave. N. Each FRIDAY from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Antioch/South Nashville Thompson Lane Boys & Girls Club 5050 Blue Hole Road Each FRIDAY from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Wedgewood-Houston/Vine Hill Harvest Hands 424 Humphreys Street Each THURSDAY from 3:30-5:30 Last market: July 30th West Nashville Preston Taylor Boys & Girls Club 915 38th Ave. N. Each THURSDAY from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Last market: July 23rd 2008 News: "Children's Hospital's Veggie Project serves sizzling second season":http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=6593 August 8, 2008 **Thanks for all your support!** For more information, please contact: Liz Aleman, Project Coordinator Elizabeth.J.Aleman@Vanderbilt.Edu 615.936.0888 Or, visit: http://www.vanderbiltchildrens.com/veggieproject Several volunteers of NUH participated in the Veggie Project, procuring locally grown produce for the farmers' market component of this new and successful initiative! <img src="http://www.vanderbiltchildrens.com/uploads/images//vchip_vegproj13.jpg"> The Veggie Project aims to address issues of childhood obesity, family nutrition and food security issues in underserved communities. Specifically, five Boys and Girls Clubs in Nashville and their surrounding communities have participated and benefited from this program. The project, which was put into action this summer (2007), is comprised of two specific components: Nutrition Education and Farmers Markets. Nutrition Education Increasing awareness and educating communities on nutrition and health is one of the core components to The Veggie Project. Nutrition education classes are implemented to the children at the Boys and Girls Clubs in three clusters so that each of the nearly 600 youngsters has the opportunity to participate and receive nutrition information. The interactive classes strive to make health topics such as the food pyramid and proper serving sizes engaging for the children. This is accomplished through the use of games, music, dance and crafts that are all related to nutritional health. Additionally, a weekly newsletter is distributed. The newsletters provide information about health topics and a recipe focused on the fruits and vegetables in season. Farmers Markets Of the five Boys and Girls Clubs in Nashville, The Veggie Project was able to implement Farmers Markets in three of the locations in an effort to bring the healthiest, freshest, local produce to the communities each week. While the project works with local farmers to get the best products available, the children from the Boys and Girls Clubs are responsible for managing the markets. The children determine the volume of produce available at each market and set the prices for the fruits and vegetables. All profits from the markets go to the Boys and Girls Clubs and each Club is able to choose how they will to spend the money - one club, in particular, is creating a scholarship fund. Another benefit of The Veggie Project is that all food that comes into the community through the project, stays in the community. Any leftover food from the Farmers Markets is donated to local organizations and agencies such as homeless shelters, drug rehab centers, and elderly homes. The Veggie Project in the News Overall, The Veggie Project has provided a great opportunity for communities to come together. The children of the Boys and Girls Clubs have truly enjoyed having their Clubs becoming the "hub" of the community each week. Click on one of the following links for more information on the impact and successes of The Veggie Project in our Nashville communities: * Article posted by The Reporter "June 22, 2007":http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=5642 * Article posted by the Tennessean "July 11, 2007":http://www.vanderbilt.edu/register/articles?id=35716 * Article posted by Vanderbilt University Daily Register "July 20, 2007":http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070711/MICRO02130503/707110395/1196/COUNTY0104 <IMG src="http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/reporter_jpgs/reporter_6.22.07_2.jpg">