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DonRocks

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Could you talk about the schools program you started in North Carolina? Any parallels? Any chance that Healthy Solutions could be involved here?

The program we did in North Carolina was called the Healthy Eater, Future Leaders Program (HEFLP). At the time I was doing wholesale produce distribution in schools, government etc. We started supplying 3 counties in North Carolina with produce, and my sister had always wanted to start a nonprofit. One day my sister and I were talking and we decided to create a reward program for children so they would want to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. We thought up a program and decided that we would then start Healthy Solutions to do a program in schools the Healthy Eater, Future Leader Program- thus was how Healthy Solutions was born.

The HEFLP had different levels of rewards. In elementary and middle school we had the star earner program that we worked with school cafeteria workers to give each student a little post card and everyday they ate least 3 fresh fruits or vegetables they earned a star on the card. In each school in the middle of the year the class that has earned the most stars we gave them a healthy reward lunch in their classrooms. So we brought them in sandwiches, apples wedges, water, tee shirts (that said I'm a Healthy Leader, I'm a Future Leader) and little certificates. At the end of year the school with the most stars received a healthy fun day. The healthy fun day was at Carowinds (kind of like Kings Dominion but in NC- family Fun Park) we had singers, and the children rode rides and had a time to get out and have a good time.

With higher schoolers we did things a little differently. We host essay contest and the high schoolers would have to inform tell us if it was up to them how would they make the world a healthier place with fresh fruits and vegetables. Once essays where submitted we worked with local community colleges and set up a scholarship that would allow the students to attend the college and receive some credit hours, we paid the money directly to the school so that we made sure the students use the monies for educational purposes. We invited a few semi finalists to carowinds and we announced while we were there the winners. So we in total gave 10 scholarships.

We also sent children home with little healthy food games so that their entire families could see what they children when learning. The Kindergarteners all were given little work books so they could do colorings of fresh fruits and vegetables and we gave teachers little snacks for the class so children could eat and learn.

The program was great, and it was completely funded through the food that the schools purchased so instead of a case of apples costing 18.00 a case we charge 24.00 a case and it paid for the program.

I think a program like this could work in some areas of DC, I see it a harder task to do it city wide out the gate. So maybe some pilot schools, the only issue would be it would have to function through someone who supplies the food otherwise it would require some kind of funding to get it done, which at the current capacity that Healthy Solutions has, and knowing how much space. All the schools we worked with in NC doubled the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables they ordered by the end of the year, because the children demanded they eat it, so if something like this could be replicated in DC I can see how it would have a great impact. The HEFL has a lot of what they are looking to do in the Healthy Schools Act of 2009 in regards to food, the produce that we used in North Carolina about 80% was sourced locally. The program is missing the garden piece; it did incorporate some aspects of the physical activity, and nutrition parts.

A few things I noticed about the Healthy Schools Act of 2009 is very ambitious, but with the funding constraints that DC already faces, and the issues within the schools, I don't see how it would be affordable at the way the school currently functions. Who is going to purchase the food, and who is going to actually monitor that these farmers (or local sources) are actually producing the products that they say they are. There is a lot of reference to sustainable methods of growing - but what does that actually mean- is it organic, non organic, gmo, non gmo, till or no till farming. Its open ended, what that term means. If the food is processed locally what is the original source of the food, and if it’s processed locally then that opens this program up to a lot of people- who use the name farm in their name and they are nowhere near one.

I see that in order for a lot of these changes (when it comes to food- the nutrition and physical actives part should be done- and should have been done LONG before this Bill) would require someone to facilitate it. It in theory sounds like a GREAT Bill, but in actuality it's not that simple. I see a lot of people ( organizations, and already know larger farm producers) profiting greatly off this bill, however I don't see how it would help some of the smaller farmers in our region- which is why the farm to school program was originally crafted.

I like the idea within the bill of School Gardens, but let’s first look at maybe working to keep some of school yards clean and safe as first steps before we just start to growing food everywhere. I also wonder what are the steps that are going to be taken if a school yard is found that the soil is not safe to grow on. Which will happen in certain parts of the city that already know to have lead in the soil.

It would be nice if Healthy Solutions could expand our works because of this Bill, however honestly looking at the names that have endorsed it; I doubt that we will be looked at to do so. I don't want to sound like all hope is lost- I know what experience I have and what Healthy Solutions has done, I know of all the nonprofit organizations in DC, we by far the only ones who can say that we purchased food directly from local farms year round and it was marketable and moved over 100,000lb of fresh fruits and vegetables a day 5 days a week. Already have a history of working to implement a Healthy Foods in school program in several school districts .However I'm being realistic to the way things unfortunately function in DC. It's about who's bigger, and whose known more with council members and their staff oh and Chartwells (which has not returned our calls either).

There a few other issues I did see with the Bill, I think maybe a little more research might need to be done. I read the memo that went out, and the bill. The memo stated that there was a need to farm to school because there was no way to track the origin of food from large distributors who sold to the schools. Since they cannot track where the food comes from thus food needs to be local. OK - yes I agree that food should be local- however there is a national law for points of origin already in existence and has been for quite some time. So if DC schools are not getting this information from its supplier then something is wrong! Also DCPS is including charter schools for the subsidized meals program, but are they even participate in this program? To my knowledge a lot of them don't even prepare their own meals they use a caterers- which I don't see how and what the responsibility of these caterers and food service management folks (like chartwells)to insure that even if the food is brought in to the schools that they will actually prepare them in ALL schools. My final though to bring this back to Ward 7 and Ward 8 for a minute- is there going to be a structure that says that certain schools in a area of greater need going to be priorities for all of the functions of this bill or just some parts. I don’t want to see that schools east of the river are neglected, as some already are.

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Today we are wrapping up our chat with Tanikka Cunningham, and on behalf of the DR.com community, I want to thank Tanikka for taking the time to provide such expansive and articulate responses to our questions, especially given what we now know about her many responsibilities. Tanikka is both a visionary and an activist, and I know that everyone who has read about the work she is doing with Healthy Solutions can't help but be inspired by her commitment to making high quality, fresh, affordable food more accessible to her community. And impressed by her energy, and the many creative programs for encouraging change, teaching, and involving young people she has devised.

This is definitely not the end of our involvement with Healthy Solutions. KMango has volunteered to work with Tanikka to produce a Healthy Solutions newsletter, and also is excited about applying some of her experience and expertise in business, government and organizational development to help Tanikka in other ways.

Don is hoping that we can use the chat as a springboard for a letter writing campaign to make people in local government and the media more aware of Healthy Solutions' programs, needs and challenges.

And KMango and I have discussed the possibility of having a "Friends of Healthy Solutions" benefit, perhaps something like a $10 a plate pig roast during the upcoming Spring picnic. Alternative ideas? PM me.

Many established programs that work on food access issues, like DC Central Kitchen, began with one charismatic person who had a vision and passionate commitment to do something about a great need. We have been fortunate indeed to encounter such an individual in the nascent phase of her organization's development, so that we can support and encourage its growth.

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Don is hoping that we can use the chat as a springboard for a letter writing campaign to make people in local government and the media more aware of Healthy Solutions' programs, needs and challenges.

Here is another article online about Tanikka.

Many people I meet thank me for running this website. The greatest thanks anyone could possibly give me would be to pitch in and help those who might never have the chance to use it: our brothers and sisters from Haiti (Unicef) and Anacostia (Healthy Solutions); those in our city living with the challenges of hunger (DC Central Kitchen), old age (Emmaus Services for the Aging), and terminal illness (Capital Hospice). That's what I want. That's all I need. That's how you can say, "Thanks, Don." Five dollars. An hour of your time. Even just holding a door open for someone in a wheelchair.

I'll never forget the moment when I was walking out of a New Jersey Turnpike rest stop. There was a family of color coming in, including an older man (perhaps in his 60s) pushing a woman in a wheelchair (perhaps in her 80s). I held the door open for them. As he walked in, he didn't even look at me, but as he passed through the doorway he said, with a great deal of anger in his voice, "Finally. Someone with a few manners." They were the words of a man who had been beaten down to the core, and they meant more to me than almost anything I'd ever heard. To this day, they have impact - and they remind me that it takes so little, to do so much.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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