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Nutrition & Youth
The Palette Fund partners with school and community programs that educate and encourage youth to develop healthy eating habits. Nutrition is a powerful elixir in preventing school-age obesity, which is quickly becoming one of the most prevalent disorders facing children today. Introducing healthy eating choices to kids at an early age will have a positive influence on their minds and bodies, their families, and ultimately their communities.
Our Current Programs Include
Food Fight
Teachers are in the unique position to act as change agents and role models for their students in the fight against obesity. The Food Fight Teacher Wellness Program is designed to arm teachers with the knowledge and tools necessary to make healthier eating and buying decisions, reduce stress, incorporate physical fitness, and become powerful role models for their students and their families. In 2012 The Palette Fund provided a grant to pilot this amazing program in underserved public schools in New York City.
Edible Schoolyard New York
The Edible Schoolyard at P.S. 216 in Brooklyn is the first four-season example of renowned chef and organic food activist Alice Waters’ program and the first in New York City. Its goal is to create a space in which the school children plant, harvest, prepare food and eat together, creating a comprehensive interdisciplinary curriculum, tied into New York State Standards, that connects food systems to academic subjects such as literacy, science, social studies, math, and the arts. With the help of a grant from The Palette Fund, The Garden officially opened on October 15, 2010. Because of the the great success of this program, plans to create four more Edible Schoolyard Schools in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island are underway.
Rosie’s Theater Kids
Rosie’s Theater Kids is an arts education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the arts. A grant from The Palette Fund will support the provision of healthy food for students in their after-school program, A Commitment to Excellence (ACTE II). We will also conduct a culinary-nutrition class with the students over the summer in partnership with Red Rabbit.
Wellness in the Schools
Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a non-profit, community-based organization founded in 2005 to improve the environment, food, and fitness in NYC public schools. In partnership with the New York City Department of Education’s Office of SchoolFood, WITS operates the Cook for Kids program in NYC public school kitchens and classrooms. In an effort to combat childhood obesity and to promote healthy eating, WITS works to prepare fresh meals from scratch and to educate families about the importance of eating whole, unprocessed foods. In order to accomplish this goal, WITS places culinary school graduates in schools. These in-resident cooks work alongside cafeteria workers to train, inspire, and support their preparation of salad bars and fresh homemade meals. In the school Palette is sponsoring, the cooks also conduct seasonal cooking classes and offer regular demonstrations to teach children, parents and teachers how to cook delicious, nutritious and inexpensive recipes, using fresh local ingredients wherever possible. Sponsoring New York City restaurants offer consultation and promotional support.