Home & Family

        Many studies agree that in order to improve the health of the community it is necessary to conduct interventions that involve the home environment. It is the goal of this portion of the Eat Smart/Healthy Starts campaign to encourage healthy eating and food choices in Hamilton County families. Over the next three years this will be done in a variety of ways.  The Junior League of Chattanooga will be participating in their national organization’s Kids in the Kitchen program. This program encourages parents to prepare and cook food with their children. By teaching kids to cook we are providing them with a life long skill that can help them to lead a healthier lifestyle. This also provides opportunities for families to spend some fun quality time together.  Be on the lookout for this program to hit the ground running in March of 2008 across Hamilton County at a variety of different locations. This will be a continuous program that will have an event every month.

Another project that we hope to start in the spring of 2008 is community gardens. These gardens would be run by the community or church group to teach kids about the cultivation and care of food for family consumption. The advantages of this sort of program are that children will be more likely to eat these fruits and vegetables because they helped to grow them. If land is not available then window gardens are a fun option for a family or community.  If you have any questions about the program or want to participate call Danielle Larson at 209.8090.