Overview
The Healthy Living Club project marshalled 23 partners to address the need for safe places to play and better access to healthy foods in two Lafayette neighborhoods with a high population of children. The project renovated parks and playgrounds. It also improved bike trails, sidewalks and crosswalks to provide easier access to these recreational spaces. Simultaneously, the project established extracurricular gardening and fitness programs for youth; community-based healthy eating classes (including breastfeeding promotion) and events targeting all ages; supported a mobile food pantry; and developed an easy to understand healthy-living message for use by all partners.
Highlights
- Construction of new children’s playgrounds at all 6 parks
- Installation of adult fitness equipment at 3 of these parks
- Renovations at Neighborhood Outreach Center
- Construction of 1 new walking track
- Construction of a new basketball court
- Installation of benches and shade
- Safer Opportunities for Active Transportation
- Improvements to 8 cross walks and installation of 3 new bike lanes to provide safer routes to the renovated parks
- Approximately 1,950 feet of path and new signage
- A reach of 12,000 households, with over 39,000 children ages 5 to 12
- Gardens installed and fitness programs implemented at 2 elementary schools and 1 central community center
- Expansion of food bank concept/system to include distribution of food – including fresh fruits and vegetables – through a mobile pantry
- Total distribution: 443,699 pounds of food to 14,790 households
- Monthly average distribution: 14,790 pounds of food to 409 households
Project Partners
- Kiwanis Club of Lafayette
- Kiwanis Club of Lafayette Foundation
- Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department
- Metropolitan Planning Organization
- Lafayette Consolidated Government
- 13 Communications
- Second Harvest Food Bank and Mobile Pantry
- Lafayette Parish School System
- Acadiana Food Circle
- Bridge Ministries of Acadiana
- American Heart Association
- Our Lady of Lourdes Health Care Ministry
- McComb Veazey Community Garden
- Truman Elementary Community Garden
- Acadiana Breastfeeding Coalition
- Junior League of Lafayette
- Family Tree
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana
- Creole Fitness Productions, LLC
- Seed to Table
- Focused Fitness
- Acadiana Open Channel Community Media
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Overview
The West End Health and Wellness project was created to increase access to fresh, local produce and seafood in the fresh food deplete West End neighborhood of New Iberia. It established a variety of new fresh markets, through which local produce could be obtained almost every day of the week. It encouraged consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables through practical healthy eating education and promotion, and through a [low-income] produce voucher program. Markets were generated and supplied by three highly productive cooperative gardens, facilitated by active encouragement of a gardening culture within the community.
Highlights
- Access to fresh-from-the-boat Seafood – a direct (planned) result of renovations of the Delcambre Port and fairgrounds
- Establishment of New Fresh Food Markets
- Monthly Fresh Markets and Share the Harvest days; a seasonal Delcambre market; periodic Flash Markets; several weekly farm stands/mini-markets; and daily garden pick-ups
- Expansion and Development of 3 Grower Cooperatives
- Co-ops doubled their use of innovative, hydroponic greenhouse techniques, supplemented with in-ground practices
- Co-ops now have greenhouse capacities of close to 5,000 plants each
- Co-ops established the Acadiana Growers Alliance as a 501c3, to coordinate efforts of the local growers, to increase professional development, social impact, and long-term economic viability
- Constructed 6 school gardens and 50 home gardens throughout the community
- 13 school-based nutrition education or experiential gardening programs
- Cooking demonstrations/recipe development featuring market produce provided by a local chef
- Weekly radio broadcasts on food/fitness/wellness-related topics
- Community Engagement
- Calendar of health/wellness events
- Leadership training opportunities
- Garden volunteer workdays and gardening seminars/workshops
Project Partners
- Iberia Development Foundation
- Acadiana Growers Alliance
- Twin Parish Port Authority
- West End Leadership Council
- Envision daBerry
- Port of Delcambre
- United Way of Acadiana
- Iberia Medical Center
- West End Neighborhood Association
- LSU AgCenter
- Arceneaux Ford