Sakara Life’s Post

LinkedIn Post: I’m excited to share that Marina’s Ruby Slipper, the nonprofit I founded, is gearing up for a transformative event in March 2025: “Thrive Together: Planting Seeds of Empowerment.” As we align this gathering with International Women’s Month, our goal is to celebrate and uplift single working mothers and their children through a day of wellness, education, and community. We’ll offer yoga sessions, children’s activities, interactive gardening demos, and resource tables spotlighting holistic support—from mental health services and nutrition guidance to career development and more. We’ll also introduce our Chicana Farmer EduPlate program, a seed-to-table educational initiative for K–12 students launching in Summer 2025. This program aims to nurture social-emotional learning and culinary exploration, ultimately strengthening the entire family unit. How you can help: Monetary & In-Kind Donations: Funding, supplies, resource materials, and swag bag items. Connections & Partnerships: Introduce us to businesses, community leaders, and sponsors who share our vision. Speakers & Volunteers: Experts in mental health, fitness, nutrition, or gardening to inspire and educate. Lunch Sponsorship: Support healthy meals to foster comfort and community during the event. Your support—no matter how big or small—will help us honor and empower single mothers as they build brighter futures for themselves and their children. If you’d like to get involved, please reach out at denise@marinasrubyslipper.org or call (800) 594-9970. Learn more at www.marinasrubyslipper.org. Together, let’s help these families “thrive together!”

LinkedIn Post: I’m excited to share that Marina’s Ruby Slipper, the nonprofit I founded, is gearing up for a transformative event in March 2025: “Thrive Together: Planting Seeds of Empowerment.” As we align this gathering with International Women’s Month, our goal is to celebrate and uplift single working mothers and their children through a day of wellness, education, and community. We’ll offer yoga sessions, children’s activities, interactive gardening demos, and resource tables spotlighting holistic support—from mental health services and nutrition guidance to career development and more. We’ll also introduce our Chicana Farmer EduPlate program, a seed-to-table educational initiative for K–12 students launching in Summer 2025. This program aims to nurture social-emotional learning and culinary exploration, ultimately strengthening the entire family unit. How you can help: Monetary & In-Kind Donations: Funding, supplies, resource materials, and swag bag items. Connections & Partnerships: Introduce us to businesses, community leaders, and sponsors who share our vision. Speakers & Volunteers: Experts in mental health, fitness, nutrition, or gardening to inspire and educate. Lunch Sponsorship: Support healthy meals to foster comfort and community during the event. Your support—no matter how big or small—will help us honor and empower single mothers as they build brighter futures for themselves and their children. If you’d like to get involved, please reach out at denise@marinasrubyslipper.org or call (800) 594-9970. Learn more at www.marinasrubyslipper.org. Together, let’s help these families “thrive together!”

🍎 Happy New Year! The Nourishing Our Future project team at Anglia Ruskin University and Essex County Council are entering the final countdown for the NOF project! Over the next 2.5 months, we'll be: 🍊 Engaging with parents to understand their perspectives on healthy eating. 🍊 Analysing insights from 200 early years settings across Essex who have shared their voices through surveys, workshops and photos. 🍊 Publishing four key reports with findings and recommendations: 1️⃣ Nourishing Our Future in Childminding Settings 2️⃣ Nourishing Our Future in Preschools 3️⃣ Nourishing Our Future in Day Nurseries 4️⃣ Nourishing Our Future: Food provision in Essex early years settings. 🌱✨These insightful reports will inspire and showcase healthy practice, as well as offer sector led recommendations to support healthy eating provision in early years settings. 🌱✨ 🥕 Follow us at #NOFEssexEY for updates, insights, and to join the conversation! Let’s make 2025 the year of positive change for our youngest children. Emily Fallon MSc ANutr Dr. Michelle Wisbey Stacy Randall Michelle Hawkins Sanjoy Deb Mitzi Harris Susie Threadgold

Can we make Boerne, The Healthiest Small Town in Texas? Can we eliminate diet-related disease & food insecurity while fostering community? Follow along, this'll be fun... I’ve seen motivated individuals & new companies across America doing AMAZING work in #ExerciseIsMedicine, #FoodIsMedicine & #FoodInsecurity & decided it was time to put all these ideas to work at Ens' school (she's 6 going into First Grade). Students & parents LOVE going to school activities, so let’s use that to our advantage & get communities to MOVE more while having fun at a monthly #FamilyFitnessNight! PE Coach Clark & Principal Hammond were supportive & recommended talking with #BoerneISD Athletic Director Stan Leech. Once we had approval, Prin. Hammond asked me to coordinate with our #PTO & BAM! Our first monthly Family Fitness Night is in September!! - Bring loud music, plan a course around the school & start getting the word out. That's all it takes! Seeing how fun & easy it was to make the Family Fitness Night happen, I had a crazy idea, "What if we could blow this up, activate the entire town, and try to make Boerne, The Healthiest Small Town in Texas"? The idea is to tackle the low-hanging fruit of health initiatives first. Think...what's low cost, already proven in other areas of the Country & only needs a few motivated community members & businesses to come together to make it happen? The attached PDF is only a draft & it's very early, but the pieces are falling into place. It’s time to share what we're trying to accomplish. The next big step is to bring everyone together at the #Boerne Health Summit this fall. There are no road maps for this, so we're going to make one! I'm using INTERRUPT HUNGER & our #MoveEatGive podcast to document every step of the way, so you can replicate similar health initiatives in your town! Upcoming MOVE EAT GIVE podcast "How-to” episodes: - “How to Bring a hashtag #SchoolGarden to Your School” with Kelly Douglas - “How to Add a #FoodPantry to a Pediatric or Primary Care Practice” with Angela Black, MD It'll be a little messy but eliminating diet-related disease & food insecurity while fostering community are kind of world-changing goals & worthy of making a little mess. Being vulnerable here… I need help! I have a fun but demanding job, two adult daughters with disabilities (EDS) & a 6 yo (she's amazing, but she's 6). If you think you’d like to help, please DM or email me at Jollie@InterruptHunger(.)com. We’ll need funding from grants or donations along the way, so if you have experience writing grants in Exercise Is Medicine, Food Is Medicine, Food Insecurity, or hashtag #CommunityHealth I'd love to talk! If you think our cause is worthy of a donation, I'd REALLY like to talk (INTERRUPT HUNGER is a 501c3)! Let’s spread some joy people! -Jollie

On this day, let’s shine a light on the power of monthly giving! Your consistent support plays a crucial role in providing healthy meals for children, ensuring they are ready to succeed in school. When you commit to giving regularly, you help us make a lasting difference in their lives. Give monthly: https://lnkd.in/d5FBK9Rh #TransformationTuesday #PSFA #NourishSuccess #HealthyKids

Raising happy, healthy children is a fulfilling yet challenging journey. Here are some practical tips to support you along the way. Sujatha Thyagarajan, Dr.Manvanthar M, sindhu Malvel

In this new blog, Yordanos Gebretinsae, a childminder in Tower Hamlets, shares her experiences of achieving the Bronze Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) award and how it has supported her practice and the children in her care. Read the blog here 👇

🌟 **Let's Champion Universal Free Breakfast and Lunch for Every Child in America!** 🌟 In today's rapidly evolving world, access to nutritious meals should be a fundamental right, not a privilege. As a procurement expert in the child nutrition sector, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of universal free breakfast and lunch programs. 📚 **Why Universal Free Meals Matter:** 1. **Boosts Academic Performance:** Children who start their day with a healthy breakfast are more focused and perform better in school. Proper nutrition fuels their minds and bodies, setting them up for success. 2. **Reduces Stigma:** By providing free meals to all students, we eliminate the shame and embarrassment some children feel when singled out for needing assistance. 3. **Promotes Equality:** Every child, regardless of their background, deserves access to nutritious food. Universal free meals ensure that no child goes hungry, fostering a more equitable society. 4. **Supports Families:** Free school meals ease the financial burden on families, allowing them to allocate resources to other essential needs. 🍏 **How Can We Make This Happen?** - **Policy Advocacy:** Urge our policymakers to prioritize funding for universal free meal programs. - **Community Support:** Engage local communities, businesses, and organizations to support and sponsor school meal initiatives. - **Innovative Procurement:** Utilize group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and cooperative purchasing to drive down costs and increase the quality of school meals. 🔗 **Join the Movement!** Let's work together to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive. Share this post, tag your network, and use your voice to advocate for universal free breakfast and lunch. Together, we can create a brighter, healthier future for our children. 👍 **Like, Share, and Comment** to spread the word and make a difference! #ChildNutrition #UniversalFreeMeals #EducationForAll #ProcurementExcellence #HealthyKids #CommunitySupport #EqualOpportunities --- Your support can make a world of difference. Let’s unite for our children and build a stronger, healthier nation! 🌟

Good to see that our quest to make school food work for every child is getting some media attention. The Labour Party can do more to improve the #SchoolFood system so #SchoolFoodReview, a network of 40+ orgs from across the school food sector, is calling on the government to include the following policies in its Children’s Wellbeing Bill: 1. Use the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to introduce nationwide monitoring to make sure both school breakfasts and lunches are tasty, sustainable and nutritious 2. Introduce auto-enrolment so that every child entitled to a free school meal can get one without the burden of admin 3. Enshrine the Holiday Activities and Food Programme in law @New Statesman @Impact on Urban Health #schoolfood #feedthefuture #childrenshealth Read more: https://lnkd.in/e87dunhE

R Community Episode 80 Importance of Education and Food for Healthy Community - Weekly food hamper combined with school supplies Food and education are two fundamental pillars for building a healthy and thriving society. They are interconnected and vital to the well-being, growth, and development of individuals and communities. Here's why they are crucial: 1. Importance of Food for a Healthy Society Nutrition and Physical Health: Access to nutritious food is essential for physical well-being. Proper nutrition supports growth, strengthens the immune system, and prevents malnutrition and diseases. A healthy population is more productive and capable of contributing to society. Cognitive Development: Adequate nutrition, particularly in childhood, is critical for brain development. Malnourished children often face cognitive impairments, which affect learning and future potential. Economic Productivity: A well-nourished workforce is more efficient, less prone to illness, and can perform better in various sectors. This boosts overall economic growth. Social Stability: Hunger and food insecurity can lead to social unrest and instability. Ensuring food security promotes peace and reduces inequalities. 2. Importance of Education for a Healthy Society Knowledge and Empowerment: Education empowers individuals with knowledge, skills, and the ability to make informed decisions. Educated citizens can participate more effectively in the workforce, politics, and their communities. Economic Growth: Education improves job prospects, increases earning potential, and fosters innovation and entrepreneurship, driving economic development. Health Awareness: Educated individuals are more likely to adopt healthy lifestyles, seek medical care when needed, and understand the importance of hygiene and disease prevention. Social Development: Education fosters critical thinking, promotes social cohesion, reduces poverty, and combats social injustices. It also helps in reducing crime rates, as educated individuals are less likely to engage in criminal activities. 3. Interconnection of Food and Education Learning Capacity: Proper nutrition enhances learning capacity. Well-nourished students perform better academically, while hunger negatively impacts concentration and cognitive functions. School Attendance and Retention: Access to school meals or proper nutrition improves school attendance and retention rates, especially in disadvantaged communities. Long-term Benefits: . Conclusion A healthy society is one where both food security and access to quality education are guaranteed. These elements work hand in hand to improve not only individual lives but also the collective well-being of the community, fostering growth, equality, and long-term stability. https://lnkd.in/gCpG38Hg #backtoschool2024 #diversityequityinclusionbelonging #diversityandinclusionmatters #EquityChallenge #equity #yeg #albertacanada #alberta #inclusionmatters #inclusion #pride2024 #Pride