A Houston/Harris County Childhood Obesity Prevention Collaborative 
March 2015  /  Issue XXVIII
In This Issue



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Healthy Changes Happening in Local Restaurants!HealthyRestaurant
Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) and HLM are working together to change environments and build a culture of health through a new healthy restaurant recognition program called Healthy Dining Matters! (HDM). HDM is led by the Office of Health Education and Promotion at HCPHES, which allows restaurant patrons the option to select a healthy choice from the restaurant's menu.

Richey's Country Cookin' is the first Pasadena restaurant to join HDM. The image on the right is of the new healthy menu recently developed with the help of HDM. 
 
Richey's Country Cookin', a local Pasadena favorite, has joined the HDM program. The restaurant worked with HDM to modify select menu items and even create a brand new healthy menu. Nutrition content is now available on the menu and nutrition facts are listed under each dish.  

Along with Richey's, there are four other restaurants in the East Aldine area who have joined HDM, and on December 16th HDM was honored with the Strategic Partner Award in Public Health by the East Aldine Management District.  The award was given for HCPHES's efforts in partnering with local non-chain East Aldine restaurants to create and promote healthy dining choices.

For more information about this program or if you know a restaurant interested in participating, please visit the HDM website.  
School Grants for Healthy Kids Now Available SchoolGrants
Schools need resources to implement health and wellness practices that get students to eat better and be physically active. Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) is excited to open the call for applications for School Grants for Healthy Kids for the 2015-2016 school year. Breakfast Grants and Every Kid Healthy Grants (supporting physical activity and nutrition programming) are available. Apply for one or both by May 1, 2015. Available grant opportunities can be found on the AFHK website.
National Bike to School Day Giveaway Bike2School

The National Center for Safe Routes to School and Schwinn's Helmets on Heads are teaming up again to celebrate Bike to School Day (May 6, 2015) with a bike and bike helmet giveaway. Individuals, schools and organizations that register their Bike to School Day event online are eligible to win one of the ten drawings. Each giveaway will include 10 bicycles and 20 helmets to be awarded to a winning school. Drawings will begin on Wednesday, April 15th. Click here for more details.   

 

Bike to School day is a national event that gives communities across the country the opportunity to join together in bicycling to school on the same day. This event is part of the movement for year-round safe routes to school and encourages biking to school as a healthy way for kids and families to make their school commute fun and active.  
Comments Due for Proposed Rules for CACFPCommentsforCACFP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released proposed rules for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), "which propose improved nutrition standards for child care, Head Start, afterschool, and adult care programs." Comments are due Wednesday, April 15, 2015. To learn more about the proposed rules, visit the   Federal Register website. 
Featured Resource: Barnraiser & the Green Bronx Machine FeaturedResource

Barnraiser is a social and funding community that allows its members to influence and scale the food movement by connecting to innovators of sustainable food and farming, celebrating their stories, and collectively backing projects that shape how we farm and eat, locally and globally. With the help of Barnraiser, the Green Bronx Machine hopes to build the National Health and Wellness Center at PS 55 in the South Bronx, "an innovative and engaging wonderland where students and teachers can grow their way and work towards a brighter future". To learn more about this project, visit the Green Bronx Machine website. To raise funds for your food movement, visit the Barnraiser site.
RESEARCH & REPORTS Research

Sugary Drinks in Communities of Color: Recent Research and Policy Options for Reducing Consumption Full Report    


Bicycling and Walking in the United States - 2014 Benchmarking Report Full Report   


Obesity in America Full Report 


Making the Case for Designing Active Cities Full Report  


New School Meal Regulations Increase Fruit Consumption and Do Not Increase Total Plate Waste Full Report  


Building Equity - Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Protected Bike Lanes Full Report 
UPCOMING EVENTS Events
 

Webinar: Connecting Kids to Healthy Food

Thursday, April 2, 2015 from 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

More Information 

 

National Healthy Schools Day
Tuesday, April 7, 2015

More Information 

 

Keeping Our Communities Healthy Conference

Sunday, April 12, 2015 - Tuesday, April 14

NRG Center, Houston, TX

More Information 

 

Healthy Living Matters-Pasadena Community Task Force Meeting

Thursday, April 16, 2015 from 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Pasadena City Hall, 1211 Southmore Ave, Pasadena, TX 77502  

 

To view more events, visit our Calendar of Events webpage.