Program Supports Low Income Residents And Seniors
A $4,000 grant from San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation (SLOCCF) will enable French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH) to offer the Healthy for Life Nutrition lecture series.
The lectures are designed to target low income residents including Latinos and seniors in San Luis Obispo County. The four week series teaches healthy eating while encouraging daily physical activity to create a healthy family lifestyle. The series focuses on nutrition education on My Pyramid, label reading, and portion control with a healthy recipe provided. Participants learn hands-on fun physical activities encouraging family exercise. The program is designed for families, but is open to anyone interested in living healthier.
The mission of both FHMC and AGCH’s Community Benefits programs are to improve the lives of people in the community especially in the area of combating obesity and other chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cancer. Community Benefits/Outreach Coordinator Patty Herrera explained why these lectures are important.
“The series has a very basic approach to many complicated issues like how to read a nutrition label, how to understand the new My Pyramid and the overall understanding that food is good. The series gives the person a better understanding of what to select and better food choices to make,” Herrera said.
The San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation has identified obesity prevention as a critical local preventive health issue. Through its Health Eating Active Living Initiative, the Community Foundation will be strategically funding programs and activities that will ensure all children in San Luis Obispo County will be healthier through developing smarter eating habits and regular physical activity. In only 12 years, the SLOCCF has given out more than $15 million in grants to assist nonprofit agencies.
For more information on the lecture series, please contact Patty Herrera at 542-6268.
