Food assistance program access

HKHC Personal Profile: Samina Raja (Buffalo, NY)

mdessauer — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:14:21 -0600

Samina Raja has been there. She knows. Some speak theoretically about food justice and health. Samina brings personal experience and cultural relevance to the conversation. “When my daughter and I moved to the United States, I was on a limited budget and always thinking about how I was going to provide for us.” A friend connected her to a community garden, which helped, but still she struggled. “I know what it feels like to be a poor person, what it feels like to scrimp. As a parent, I shouldn’t have to think about how many busses I have to take to get to the grocery store.

Active Living By Design Advocacy Resource Guide

vconti — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:40:47 -0500

Spartanburg County, SC

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:56:53 -0600

Decades of deindustrialization and subsequent job losses have taken a significant toll on the financial health of Spartanburg County, once a booming textile center and transportation hub in northwest South Carolina. The economic downturn has also affected the physical health of Spartanburg residents, 70 percent of whom are obese or overweight. Many suffer from multiple problems associated with their weight.

Rochester, NY

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:46:39 -0600

Like other Great Lakes cities, Rochester has spent the past several decades confronting a shrinking manufacturing base, job losses and deepening poverty. The health of many residents has suffered as a consequence, and perhaps hardest hit have been residents of the Crescent, as the deteriorating neighborhoods immediately surrounding downtown are known.

Phoenix, AZ

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:32:35 -0600

In less than 20 years, tremendous growth has turned Phoenix into the nation’s fifth-largest city. But the expansion of critical infrastructure has not kept pace with its surge in population and land development. The imbalance is particularly acute in older neighborhoods, where there are too few safe and accessible parks, playgrounds, streets, bike paths and public pools for the burgeoning ranks of children.

Nash and Edgecombe Counties, NC

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:20:45 -0600

Obesity comes early in Nash and Edgecombe counties: 29 percent of young children in the two North Carolina jurisdictions are obese or overweight before kindergarten.

It’s an extremely troubling pattern and one that only gets far worse with age. Among men and women here, nearly three out of every four are obese or overweight. The adult rate places Nash and Edgecombe among the top five heaviest counties in North Carolina.

Houghton County, MI

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:04:16 -0600

Houghton County sits at the tip of Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula, a rugged, sparsely populated forest region bordered on two sides by Lake Superior. People here are used to long, snowy winters. Since 1968, when Houghton’s last copper mines closed, they’ve also endured high rates of poverty and unemployment.

Hamilton County, OH

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:02:47 -0600

The vision of Hamilton County Public Health is to transform the lower-income neighborhoods of Cincinnati and four other communities into places where residents can easily find and afford fresh fruits and vegetables, where children and families have safe spaces to walk, play and be active.

Jacksonville, FL

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:53:25 -0600

Health Zone 1: It is the urban core of Jacksonville, an area where 40 percent of children live in poverty and 100 percent of residents live in distressed neighborhoods. It is a place where crime is high, and traffic is fast and heavy, and children risk their safety simply by walking to school. Messages are never subtle here, from the barrage of snack and fast-food advertising on billboards and convenience store windows, to the playgrounds that are locked immediately after school ends in the afternoon.

Cuba, NM

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:48:41 -0600

Its natural environment offers desert, forests, mountains and often spectacular sunsets. Its built environment presents quite a different landscape, as residents in the northwest New Mexico community of Cuba can attest.