NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION

Home Browse Search

12. At how many meal sites did your agency operate meal programs during out-of- school times (before/after school and summer) in 2016? 13. Please indicate the meal/snack and child numbers for your 2016 CACFP and SFSP programs (numbers should be for the 2016 calendar year). How many total meals did your agency serve through CACFP in 2016? :713622 How many total children did your agency serve through CACFP in 2016? : 7119 How many total meals did your agency serve through SFSP in 2016? :490318 How many total children did your agency serve through SFSP in 2016? :490318 14. Describe your agency's food service program and the benefits it provides your community. What challenges exist in meeting the hunger needs of your community? The City of Santa Ana currently collaborates with the Santa Ana Unified School District to implement the Summer Food Service Program. The program provides the opportunity for participants to participate in receiving a nutritious lunch during off school hours during the summer months. The lunch program is complimented with the annual Summer Day Camp program the City of Santa Ana holds, where fitness and health education are components of the day to day activities. The City of Santa Ana is committed to providing good nutrition and opportunities for physical activity. Our programs encourage kids to be active and to eat well. We are committed to encouraging our families to learn about Health and Nutrition so that they can live longer, healthier, more active lives. In order to help the families in our community live more enriched lives, we will provide workshops, activities and educational materials to them as tools to improve their wellbeing. Our plans to involve the selected target population in the development and implementation ofthe project will be done in the following ways: • Workshops. • Publicity and education through flyers and materials distributed to over 4,000 families. • Excursions for 200 participants. • Intergenerational workshops on nutrition and physical health. • Hands on demonstrations of nutrition, healthy eating and active living options. More than half of the children are of Hispanic heritage, and there is a growing incidence of childhood diabetes in this group. Many of the children in our area have poor eating habits. A recent study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy analyzed diabetes death rates in California and found that there is a strong correlation between the prevalence of overweight children and number of diabetes deaths. If current trends continue, an estimated 33% of boys and 39% of girls born in 2000 will develop diabetes, primarily because of unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity. Poor diet and sedentary lifestyle are culprits in excess weight and contribute to diseases such as diabetes. Socioeconomic factors play an important role as well. Minority and low-income groups are much more likely to be overweight and obese and at greater risk of developing diabetes. As in our community we witness an increase in the number of children with diabetes and the number of children who are overweight we realize that our role is to educate our families and children in good nutrition and physical wellbeing. The challenges that exist include the lack of exercise programs and resources available to parents at the school level. The services will remain in effect after the funding has ended. We will continue to promote nutrition and fitness through youth sports classes, family fitness events and adult exercise classes. The City will continue to focus on promoting physical activities and healthy snacks. All our materials will be available in English and Spanish and we will look to expand our materials to the Vietnamese language as well.