Philadelphia, March 7, 2011 — Bartram Village residents were recognized on March 3 for their completion of a five-week healthy eating program, in which they attended workshops every Thursday to learn how to prepare healthy meals for their families and how to shop for healthy food and snacks.
State Sen. Anthony H. Williams, Philadelphia Housing Authority Interim Director Michael Kelly and area McDonald’s owner Chris Chong co-sponsored this program and participated in the final session.
“There’s a stigma that healthy eating is unattainable in urban neighborhoods,” Williams said. “While it’s true that many communities suffer from a lack of supermarkets, families can still make better choices. We designed this program to show Bartram Village residents how they can shop smarter and give their families a variety of good choices that they can make for themselves and their children.”
During those sessions, the residents received valuable information from health experts, including Nutritionist Ayana Powell of Progressive Nutrition and Chef Cynthia Cave-McFadden, owner of Symphony’s Inc. catering.
At the final session, McDonald’s Manager Ronald Uy discussed choosing health food on the go and healthy food options at his fast food restaurant. The participants received certificates, recipe cards and cooking utensils from Williams, gift cards donated by Fresh Grocer and farmers’ market coupons donated by the Food Trust.
“The goal of this healthy eating program was to show people that there are ways to pick nutritious food in their own neighborhood,” Williams said. “Healthy eating is within everyone’s reach, whether at the corner store or in restaurants.”
This healthy eating program is a pilot program that the senator hopes to use as a model to expand to other communities by partnering with local organizations and universities. If a community group, organization or university is interested in co-hosting a healthy eating program with the senator, contact his office at 215-492-2980.
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