Food Literacy after-school program AmeriCorps provides food literacy to students at Bret Harte’s after-school program through Food Literacy Center. Kindergarteners through sixth graders participate in this wonderful program, which inspires children to eat fruits and vegetables. Every Wednesday afternoon, students receive a new healthy recipe to read, discuss and prepare, with help from AmeriCorps’ Food Literacy Center Service members. Students can taste new fruit and vegetables, learn to follow recipes and read nutrition labels. The program gives kids the confidence to prepare their own healthy snack. For a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, swap out the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter, white bread for whole wheat, and the jelly for fresh seasonal fruit.
The after-school program’s aim is to make kids educators by taking home what they’ve learned and assist their households in making healthier food choices. Most importantly, students have fun gaining cooking skills and learning about the environmental impact of their food choices. You can learn more about the Food Literacy Center program at foodliteracycenter.org.
Family Night at Bret Harte
Last month’s Bret Harte Family Fun Food Literacy Night was a huge success. Thanks to all the Bret Harte families and sponsors who came out and made this a wonderful and lively event. Sacramento Kings Dancers were on site to meet families and sign posters. The famous Sacramento Kings mascot, Slamson the lion, also made an appearance and danced with the kids. Way Up Sacramento and the Sacramento family food bank were on site distributing fresh carrots and strawberries. Local farmstead, Yisreal Family Farms, was also present and shared their food literacy passion for urban farming.
By Adriana Gonzalez Viewpoint staff writer