Students learn about healthy eating

Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park’s first nutrition education program known as the Moveable Feast started at the Baldwin Park Community Garden in 2002 to serve 4th grade students. It targeted the reduction of obesity and chronic conditions resulting from unhealthy eating and inactivity in children. Due to its success and impact in working with students in Baldwin Park, the program, now known as Garden Gourmets, expanded in 2012 to serve students from the West Covina Unified School District. To date, more than 3,200 students from both Baldwin Park and West Covina have participated in the program, which is funded by a community benefit grant from Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center.

The program’s curriculum is taught over an 8-month period and teaches students how to prepare healthy recipes utilizing fresh fruits and vegetables that they’ve harvested from the garden. Students also learn about composting, how to read food labels, and the importance of good nutrition and being physically active.

In Baldwin Park, the class is offered at the Baldwin Park Community Garden, which sits on a ¼ acre of land owned by Kaiser Permanente. In West Covina, the program is offered at Hurst Ranch, a historical 3-acre ranch.

“Since our food habits are learned at an early age, it is hard to break or change them as we become older. By targeting our youth through nutrition education programs such as this, we can help influence the learning that shapes their view and opinions about making smart food choices for a lifetime,” says Maggie Pierce, senior vice president & area manager, Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park.

The program culminates with a year-end celebration in which school district leadership, elected officials, Kaiser Permanente leadership, and other community leaders celebrate with students and teachers. Students provide testimonials, display their culinary skills by preparing a healthy recipe for all to sample, and share a cookbook that contains the recipes that they prepared throughout the year.

“Garden Gourmet provides students the indispensable knowledge of nutritious eating and the importance of lifelong health and wellness. We are so thankful to Kaiser Permanente for allowing our students the chance to learn outside the classroom with lessons that they can use for the rest of their lives,” says Superintendent Dr. Froilan Mendoza, Baldwin Park Unified School District.

The Garden Gourmets Program in Baldwin Park is the recipient of a Kaiser Permanente David Lawrence Award. It was also recently recognized as a Golden Bell awardee by the LA County Office of Education as an innovative educational program for youth from the Baldwin Park Unified School District. https://youtu.be/IuH6adbYYVY