Food Bank for NYC takes healthy eating on the road

Encouraging healthy eating and living is Food Bank for NYC’s main goal this summer when it comes to New York city kids. The hunger-relief organization is trying to educate teens on a more nutritious diet with the “Change One Thing” program which features a healthy snack truck which will be making stops at the borough’s parks.

With the goal of connecting with over 215,000 teens during July and August, Food Bank will have its truck where they hang out in the summer — parks, pools and rec centers — encouraging teens to swap “Citrus Cucumber Water” for soda and “Popcorn Trail” for chips.

The truck will offer kids free activities, giveaways and healthy recipe booklets, and encourage them to make just a single change on their way to a healthier lifestyle.

In Brooklyn, the truck will make three stops:

• Thursday July 11, 12-3 p.m., Commodore Barry Park/Pool, 1 North Elliot Place;
• Saturday July 13, 12-3p.m., Brownsville Playground Basketball Courts, Hegeman Ave and Linden Boulevard between Powell Street and Mother Gaston Boulevard; and,
• Tuesday July 16, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Betsy Head Pool, 694 Thomas Boyland Street.

The program will run until September 2.

In addition, Food Bank will provide another program, CookShop, to participants at after-school sites and emergency food programs. CookShop offers a nutritional education to provide those who are food stamps-eligible with the knowledge and tools to make healthier food choices. This program will run for six consecutive weeks in over 50 sites.

Check out eatwiseteens.org for more information.