Real Food for Kids is Whole Foods'
Nickels for Non Profits Recipient
Just let the cashier know to apply your bag credit to Real Food for Kids!
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Real Food for Kids has been selected as
Whole Foods Nickels for Non Profits
recipient through June 30.
Every time you use your reusable grocery bag at any Fairfax or Arlington store, let the cashier know you’d like your bag credit to go to Real Food for Kids!
Participating stores include Fair Lakes, Reston, Springfield, Tysons, Vienna, Arlington and Pentagon City. Be looking for an RFFK table at your store in the weeks to come and stop by!
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The "Look" Behind Real Food for Kids
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For the past five years, Real Food for Kids has had the pleasure to partner with Ellen Rudy of
Polyphony Branding
to create the “look” of RFFK. Located in Silicon Valley, Polyphony focuses on social justice and non-profit organizations, giving voice to “brands that matter.” Their work with Sierra Club, Reach & Teach, the Sustainable Sciences Institute and others is aimed at invigorating these groups with the visuals and messaging that communicate the importance of what they do, and help attract the support they need to make the greatest impact.
In 2015, Ellen and several colleagues became certified in the
IDEO
practice of Human-Centered Design and created
NPIQ
, a consortium of nonprofit consultants who deliver a full spectrum of services including branding, positioning, messaging, design, fundraising communications, engaging web design, integrated online and offline marketing. Their flagship product is called “A2SK,” a signature approach to finding out what a non-profits’ audience really wants and how to most effectively connect with them.
Ellen was also instrumental in creating the brand for RFFK’s collaborative, The Lunch Room Collective and has been working with our team on curriculum that will be used to train school nutrition directors across Virginia this summer under a contract with the Virginia Department of Education.
“We have worked with Ellen both through Polyphony and NPIQ,” said Mary Porter, “and are continually impressed, not just by the high quality of the work, but the collaboration with us to create something that will resonate with our audience. Being able to continue this partnership and have consistency in our products and messaging is invaluable. Ellen really connects. She makes the process fun and effective.”
Ellen’s work will soon be seen in RFFK’s upcoming Food Day Toolkit, a downloadable resource for schools.
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Registration for this event is FREE. Lunch is included.
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Maryland Parent Advocacy Summit
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Advocating for Quality Health Education, Physical Education, and Physical Activity
Hosted by: Action for Healthy Kids
Saturday, May 12, 2018
11:00AM - 1:30PM
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts
801 Chase Street | Annapolis, MD
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The Action for Healthy Kids Maryland State Team invites Maryland parents to join us for an engaging discussion on the advocacy issues impacting nutrition and physical activity in Maryland schools. The session will educate parents on the current legislative issues to be aware of as well as provide resources and tips on how to engage their legislators around these issues.
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News from Real Food for Kids Montgomery
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Real Food for Kids – Montgomery, a grassroots, parent and student advocacy organization working for whole, real, local, sustainable and nutrient-rich foods in the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland is hiring a new, full-time Executive Director. Application deadline: May 10, 2018, Start date: July 2, 2018. Download the full position description
here
.
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Complying with Smart Snacks Guidelines for your PTA events, school store, athletic boosters, fundraisers and celebrations can seem daunting. To help, Alliance for a Healthier Generation has launched the
Healthier Generation Store
through Amazon to help you find what you need, order it at a competitive price and have it conveniently shipped directly to you. Now its easier to make the healthy choice the easy choice for students and staff in your schools. Visit the Healthier Generation Store to learn more.
Why Smart Snacks? More than a quarter of kids’ calories may come from snacks and kids who have healthy eating patterns have been shown to do better academically, physically and emotionally. For schools, setting a healthy snack culture can impact students’ performance, attendance and behavior and influence the choices they make outside school walls.
Smart Snack Standards
are a Federal requirement for any foods sold outside the school breakfast or lunch program but the guidelines can be adopted for any school celebration, event or booster organization.
Parents and students continually voice frustration at the lack of healthy options in schools, but schools can be on the forefront of creating a culture of health. Smart Snacks are just one way.
More to consider…
Celebrations that Support Child Health
Schools and afterschool programs can provide consistent messaging
around healthy eating in support of student health. Some
ideas
to get started.
Healthy Fundraising for Schools: A Practical Guide for Parents and Educators
Is Your School Still Serving Junk Food?
Voices for Healthy Kids has released
new creative resources
in its advocate toolkit to support the elimination of junk food marketing in schools.
A popular school fundraiser is just 'junk-food marketing to kids,' experts say
Critics say "Labels for Education" and similar programs are
designed to sell junk food
to children too young to make good health decisions.
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Interested in learning more about how to advocate for a healthier school?
Mark your calendar to join Real Food for Kids at our next
Healthy Schools Advocacy Training
on November 8, 2018. We also offer this training for groups up to 25 at your site. Contact Mary Porter, Director of Programs,
mporter@realfoodforkids.org
.
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Making Each Day Healthier for All Children
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The work of the American Heart Association in tackling childhood obesity has evolved impacting people at a state and local level who live in places where access to healthy and affordable foods is limited because of distance and income barriers. This impact in urban and rural regions throughout the nation affects a broader health and societal reach than just childhood obesity prevention. The
2017 Voices for Healthy Kids Progress Report
highlights some of the accomplishments of grantees and collaborators making each day healthier for children and their families.
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Walk Audits and Safe Routes to School
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Knowing your school surroundings and neighborhood is a good start for any Safe Routes to School program. Jump into Safe Routes to School with tools for conducting walk audits or making a walking route. Want to grow your existing Safe Routes to School program? Use the
Walk Audit Toolkit
to evaluate your current walking environment or use the
Guide to Creating Walking Route Maps for Safe Routes to School
to engage more students and staff.
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Real Food for Kids and FCCLA
RFFK exhibited at the Family Consumer and Career Leaders of America Virginia State Competition in early April. This was a unique opportunity to connect with students and teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences from across the state to share the what has been acoomplished through our RFFK-FACS partnership in Fairfax and encourage them to build partnerships with their Food and Nutrition Services directors. For more information, contact Mary Porter,
mporter@realfoodforkids.org
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Join RFFK Monthly Meetings Two Ways
RFFK’s monthly meetings are held each month on the third Thursday from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Gatehouse Administrative Center, Room 2082. Anyone interested in our work is welcome to join us – in person or via conference call! If you’d like to be added to our meeting reminder list, email
mporter@realfoodforkids.org
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Articles of Interest...
A pilot program in one Boston neighborhood could transform the way students eat across the district—and nationwide.
Once upon a time, kids could bring candy to school for Halloween, and the market for trading lunchbox goodies was hot. These days, classrooms are peanut-free zones, and many schools ban treats altogether.
Kimbal Musk's nonprofit organization, The Kitchen Community, is expanding into a new, national nonprofit called
Big Green
, to build hundreds of outdoor Learning Garden classrooms across America.
Public service ads may be one way to reduce consumption.
In recent years, some cities, counties, and states have started to see their childhood obesity rates go down. Check out
this new feature
from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on
stateofobesity.org
to see stories of progress from more than a dozen places across the country.
A new study
finds obesity and physical inactivity aren't just health issues for our country, they are a threat to national security.
Letter highlights the threat that obesity poses to national security.
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Real Food for Kids collaborates with school communities to elevate the quality and character of school food; develop and deliver programs that advance literacy in nutrition and health; and engage students, parents and schools in building a culture of health that spreads to their homes and communities.
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