HCAT Programs Promote Adventurous, Tasty Fun As Summer Begins
By: Orange County Communications
This month, the Orange Healthy Community Action Team (HCAT) has been busy providing a variety of healthy, active programs for youth in our community. Partner programs with the Office on Youth ’ s School Age Child Care (OCSACC) sites and the Boys & Girls Club have proven particularly successful by providing unique experiences that reinforce healthy habits such as outdoor exercise, gardening, and food preparation.
For several years, river floats have been a favorite program offered by the HCAT. On Monday, June 3, 20 participants from The Boys & Girls Club of Orange took advantage of the opportunity to float the Robinson River, learning and adventuring as they enjoyed the outdoors. Gardening has also been a popular program topic. The free Garden Bucket program removed barriers to the rewarding activity by giving households everything needed to grow their own nutritious vegetables. These garden buckets were distributed to 208 participants! Going further, planters were provided at each OCSACC site, sowing the seed for a lifelong interest in gardening. A total of 119 students at these sites participated in the garden planter activity. Growing food is only part of the equation, and the HCAT has also helped facilitate the next steps of healthy eating by providing hands - on cooking classes at each OCSACC site. With volunteer instruction by Ms. Claudia, 117 students were able to learn about making pasta dishes. The Orange Healthy Community Action Team (Orange HCAT) is a collaboration of organizations, agencies, and community members dedicated to youth obesity prevention in Orange County. This collaboration was
made possible with funding from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY). Membership currently consists of Darnell ’ s Garden Patch, Love Outreach Food Pantry, Orange Baptist Church, Orange County Office on Youth, Orange County Parks and Recreation, University of Virginia Pediatrics at Orange, and Virginia Cooperative Extension/4 - H: Orange Office, as well as a local parent representative. For more information about VFHY - funded programs in Orange County, contact Robyn Chapman, Office on Youth Grant Program Manager, at (540) 672 - 5484.
Page 5 | June 2024
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