Secretary Vilsack Visit Kicks Off Farm to School Month

Yesterday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Madison and our friends at REAP Food Group and other great local organizations. As part of his visit, Secretary Vilsack discussed the federal government’s efforts to support local agriculture through Farm to School and other programs.

Secretary Vilsack’s visit was a great way to kick off October, which is national Farm to School month. Strengthening local economies and improving the health of our kids are goals we all share. Farm to School programs meet these goals by connecting schools and local farms to provide healthy and nutritious foods for students. 

More than 100 Wisconsin schools already have Farm to School programs in place, but many more lack the resources to start or expand their programs.

Health First Wisconsin wants to see kids across the state leading active, healthy lifestyles and eating fresh, local produce. We applaud Secretary Vilsack and the federal government for taking the lead on supporting local producers and promoting healthy, local foods in our schools. We hope state leaders will take note and join the effort to support the Farm to School movement in Wisconsin.

Farm to School programs encourage healthier eating habits and academic success, and boost business for local farmers. Students in Farm to School programs have been shown to eat more fruits and vegetables and they build a foundation for lifelong healthy eating habits. Farm to School programs also provide a valuable market for local farmers and producers.

Anyone can join the movement to promote Farm to School programs in Wisconsin by signing up at makefarm2schoolhappen.org.

There are currently 14 communities throughout the state working to support and grow Farm to School programs in their counties through the Transform Wisconsin movement, which is funded through the community transformation grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To find out more about Transform Wisconsin communities, please visit www.transformwi.com.    

Join the movement to Transform Wisconsin

The tremendous burdens of obesity and tobacco on our state are well-known. Earlier this week, the CDC released new data showing that more than a quarter (27.7%) of Wisconsinites are obese, and the national costs related to obesity are staggering. A separate study released this week underscored the importance of promoting smoke-free living, reporting that nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke outdoors experience significant, lingering health effects.

By joining the Transform Wisconsin movement, you have an opportunity to do something to reverse these trends and improve the health of your community.

Transform Wisconsin is a new statewide effort that seeks to improve the health of our communities.  It is founded on the idea that health doesn’t happen in the doctor’s office – it happens where we live, work, and play.

At its core, Transform Wisconsin is about solutions.

In late July, the Transform Wisconsin Coalition awarded 30 grants, totaling $6.6 million over the next 26 months, to diverse community organizations across the state. Transform Wisconsin Coalition leaders, local grantees and community members gathered to announce the news at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Stoney Acres Farm in Athens (near Wausau), Emerson Elementary School in La Crosse, the North Beach Gazebo in Racine, and the Eastside YMCA in Green Bay. 

Twenty-four communities are receiving an Impact Grant, which will focus on one of three key areas: expanding smoke free environments to include apartment buildings, strengthening farm to school programs so Wisconsin students have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, or increasing physical activity for kids by promoting and implementing open gyms between schools and community agencies.

In addition, six communities are receiving a Transform Wisconsin Grant, which will focus efforts on all three key areas. In total, the projects will reach over 2.6 million people in Wisconsin, or about half of the state’s population. 

Transform Wisconsin is an unprecedented opportunity for individuals and communities to come together to improve health through innovative and effective local policies.

We all agree we want our kids to be safe and healthy. Together, we can – and we will – transform Wisconsin to a place where kids eat fresh, local fruits and vegetables at school; community members use schools for physical activity; and everyone has an opportunity to live in smoke-free housing.

Through Transform Wisconsin, communities across the state will improve health by making it easier for all residents to make healthy choices.

Everyone has a role in solving obesity and preventing chronic diseases. We invite doctors, teachers, farmers, and people in communities across the state to come together to find solutions that work for Wisconsin.

We need you to join the Transform Wisconsin movement! Visit www.transformwi.com today and sign up to receive updates or volunteer for a project in your community.  

You Can Help Transform Wisconsin

Earlier this week, we launched Transform Wisconsin – an exciting effort to help Wisconsin communities become healthier.

Every person in Wisconsin has the right to breathe smoke-free air and have a healthy and safe place to live, work and play. The bottom line is that living in healthy communities makes it is easier for everyone to make healthier choices, like eating more fruits and vegetables and being more physically active.

To move us toward healthier communities, Transform Wisconsin is offering competitive grants to non-profit and local government groups seeking to promote active communities, smoke-free living and access to fresh, local foods.

Transform Wisconsin will bring together parents, farmers, landlords, schools – and people like you – to find innovative solutions to improve the health and quality of life in communities across the state.

From May 1-June 15, local governments and non-profit organizations can apply to receive Transform Wisconsin grants. Potential applicants can also sign up and participate in a webinar on Tuesday, May 8th at 10am to learn more about the grant application process.

Transform Wisconsin is built on the idea that when we invest in communities, we invest in health and make lives better. We have a tremendous opportunity to make the kinds of changes now that will benefit our health for generations to come.

Want to join the movement? Follow TransformWI on Facebook and Twitter and be sure to visit the website for updates and the opportunity to vote for your favorite project proposals in the coming weeks.

Together, we can Transform Wisconsin into a place where everyone can access fresh fruits and vegetables, breathe smoke free air, and have safe places to play.

That will be a beautiful thing.