Gaithersburg Honored for Expanding Access to Healthy Food

The city of Gaithersburg was recognized by the National League of Cities for completion of a key health and wellness goal for Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties. This is a major component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, which is dedicated to solving the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation.

Gaithersburg was awarded a bronze medal in Goal III: Smart Servings for Students, recognizing the city for efforts to expand access to programs that offer healthy food before, during and after the school day, and over the summer months, according to a news release.

Medals awarded previously include Gold, Silver and Bronze for Goal V, Active Kids at Play, recognizing Gaithersburg for mapping and completing a needs assessment of play spaces, developing an action plan, and launching practices to increase access to safe places for physical activity.

The city also received Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for Goal II, My Plate, Your Place, for actions to improve access to healthy, affordable food, and a bronze medal for Goal I, Start Early, Start Smart, promoting nutrition and physical activity in early care and education settings.

For more information visit www.HealthyCommunitiesHealthyFuture.org or contact the Gaithersburg Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture atwww.gaithersburgmd.gov, 301-258-6350.