Did you know that children on Medicaid are six times more likely to become obese than children on private insurance?(Denver Post, 2005). Nearly 122,000 children in Colorado live in poverty; this accounts for 11.3% of Colorado children! Nationally, nearly a third of all persons living in poverty have no health coverage (Housing Justice!). In Colorado alone 700,000 individuals are without health insurance and thousands more underinsured.
Families in poverty tend sacrifice health, wellness and other essential human needs in order to meet day to day needs.
32% of families surveyed by American’s Second Harvest in 2006 (a nationwide network of food banks) reported being forced to chose between buying food and paying for medical care or medication. More than 35% indicated that they had to choose between paying rent and paying for food. These pressures coupled with lack of education, resources and support commonly plague the underserved families in our community such as the homeless and lower wage
earning households.
Growing Home’s Wellness Project Components
Nutrition & Wellness: provide nutrition education (tips, recipes and advice for how to eat healthily on a tight budget) to families who often sacrifice healthy meals in order to cut costs.
Life Skill Development: provide education and support to families to enhance life skills in practical areas such as financial planning, stress management, communication, health, mental health, job preparation, etc.
Parenting Education: help to prevent child neglect & abuse and increase the wellness of children in high-risk households.
Health & Preventative Care: ensure that all families served by Growing Home programs maintain or secure medical coverage by providing appropriate health & medical referrals, information and advocacy.
Resource Provision: ensure all families served by Growing Home programs are given all needed and appropriate resources to supplement their needs.
Physical Activity: educate families served by Growing Home about the benefits of exercise and incorporate physical activity into Growing Home programs and services.
Wellness Project activities include an annual flu shot clinic. Growing Home coordinates classes in partnership with local experts and offers weekly group education to shelter guests. Staff and volunteers distribute health and nutrition advice to walk-in clients and food pantry customers (such as tips for avoiding the flu during food season, tips on how to read a food label and healthy recipe ideas for ingredients they receive in food boxes). Growing Home also invites families served in other programs and children in the Children’s Program to help tend garden plots at a nearby community garden. Participants enjoy the physical benefits of tending the garden as well as fresh, healthy, organic produce.
Surplus produce is distributed in Growing Home’s food pantry.
