December 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24

Food banks and park and recreation
agencies can partner to increase access
to healthy foods and support social connection
to advance community health
and well-being.
Heaven's Windows hosts its food
distribution at the Goodland Acres
Food Pantry, located within Goodland
Acres Park. This supportive
relationship has brought a steady
presence to the park and has created
an additional food access point
for community members.
Nutrition Education
In Seaside, Oregon, the South
County Community Food Bank
provides
food
through
monthly
pickups to community members,
but
staff realized community
members faced a knowledge barrier
around how to use the available
healthy food options. Sunset
Empire Park and Recreation District
Operations Director Darren
Gooch, who also serves as president
of the food bank, has worked
to engage the local food bank volunteers
to host nutrition education
classes for community members at
their recreation center. Gooch says
as a team, they're working to build
more variety into the monthly offerings.
" The food bank provides a
bridge and helps get them through
to the next month by providing 10
to 12 days of food each visit, " says
Gooch.
Resource Sharing
The Derby (Kansas) Recreation
Commission staffs and runs the
Oaklawn Activity Center in South
Wichita, Kansas. In early 2023,
they received 100 fruit and vegetable
boxes from the Kansas Food
Bank that they distributed with flyers
about upcoming Community
Wellness Hub activities, including
nutrition
education,
grams and cooking
fitness
prodemonstrations.
By distributing both produce
boxes and information about upcoming
activities, the recreation
commission was able to offer food
distribution in a safe and trusted location,
provide community members
with immediate food access,
as well as support sustained engagement
and relationship building
through Community Wellness Hub
activities.
Desert Recreation
District
in
Indio, California, works with the
FIND Food Bank to provide resources
supporting food access and
information about the daily pantry
locations. The recreation district
also hosts a food drive location at
its Bagdouma Community Center,
the site of the agency's Coachella
Community Wellness Hub. This
colocation of services allows community
members to access fresh,
healthy food, as well as social service
supports and connections to
programs that enhance their health
and well-being.
Food banks don't need to be in
the shadows until a holiday or an
emergency. Finding ways to work
together
to
increase
access
to
healthy foods and support social
connection and resources is a key
way to advance community health
and well-being in partnership. For
more information on developing
partnerships to support a Community
Wellness Hub, explore NRPA's
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25
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December 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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