Smart Shoppers Make Healthy Shoppers

on in Health

By Paul A. Aguilar, Project Coordinator, Institute for Hispanic Health, NCLR

Last month NCLR highlighted the many successes of its healthy shopping program, Comprando Rico y Sano.  Since 2010 this program has helped us reach more than 4,000 Latinos in 22 communities across the country.  This year NCLR updated the Comprando Rico y Sano curriculum and provided training and materials for 14 of its Affiliate organizations.  All of this was made possible by the generous support of General Mills’s Que Rica Vida and the Walmart Foundation.  With these committed partners and the dedication of our Affiliates, this program will provide 6,000 more Latinos with valuable information on how to make healthy food choices by the end of the year.  Over the course of the next few months, NCLR’s Institute for Hispanic Health will showcase the efforts of many of these organizations.

One notable Affiliate is TODEC Legal Center, which has been serving migrant communities in California’s Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial Counties for almost 30 years.  They work every day to provide equitable access to information and services for people with limited or no English proficiency, including immigrants and migrant workers.  Since Comprando Rico y Sano has been integrated into their existing services, the organization has facilitated educational sessions, or charlas, for close to 400 individuals in the community.

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“It is our commitment and responsibility to continue empowering the Latino community in all aspects,” said TODEC Community Programs Director Luz Gallegos.  “Comprando Rico y Sano has engaged both adults and children and will lead to healthier families, an important outcome for everyone in our community.”

Another organization doing great work is the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) in Washington, DC.  LAYC works to empower a diverse population of youth to achieve a successful transition to adulthood through innovative, multicultural programs.  Recently LAYC partnered with the Washington, DC Office of Latino Affairs and aims to reach at least 500 young adults through the program.  This week, in collaboration with Even Start, LAYC hosted a charla at Bancroft Elementary School.  The parents who attended the charla received a gift courtesy of Que Rica Vida.

For more information about the program or the participating Affiliates, please contact me  at [email protected].

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