PLAY is an eight week health intervention for low-income families whose children are facing obesity. Farmers, physicians and families come together to make locally grown food available to those who need it most.
Leader
Suzi Grady
Location
55 Shasta Ave. Petaluma, CA 94952
PLAY is an innovative collaboration between Petaluma Health Center (PHC) and Petaluma Bounty (PB) that provides families with nutrition, farm-based education, cooking demonstrations, as well as eight weekly Bounty Boxes full of fresh vegetables and fruits. The purpose of the PLAY Program is to provide families with the tools, information, motivation, food and support to make lasting healthy lifestyle changes related to participants’ food choices and physical activity level. The Bounty Farm is a crucial component of the PLAY Program as it impacts participants’ attitudes toward healthy food and choices as well as increases their willingness to try new foods.
Young patients with diet-related illness are referred to PLAY by their physicians. Families attend eight weekly PLAY sessions starting 6/6/13-six at Petaluma Health Center and two at Petaluma Bounty. They receive eight weekly boxes of produce from the Bounty Farm for each week they attend. Upon completion, PLAY participants are connected to a network of support including CalFresh, community gardens and other resources so they can continue their new healthy behaviors. A pre and post survey are conducted and reunions are scheduled to collect and analyze data so program administrators can continue to improve PLAY. Petaluma Bounty seeks to conduct three sessions of PLAY with the last session finishing by 11/15/13.
Petaluma Bounty's mission is healthy food for everyone through collaboration, education, and promoting self-reliance. This collaboration with Petaluma Health Center allows us to reach low-income families whose children are facing obesity. Participants of PLAY are facing food insecurity and other poverty-related burdens. Statistically speaking, without a drastic lifestyle change, these children are likely facing a lifetime of chronic disease and obesity, which will make it even more difficult to break out of the cycle of poverty and poor health.