UC CalFresh Healthy Living Program Provides Imperial Valley Communities With Nutrition Classes

Nutrition and healthy eating have always been highly requested topics for many of our Imperial Valley communities and households. In order to help be informed on healthy eating and nutrition, the PSCDC Imperial team have been partnered with the University of California's CalFresh Healthy Living program, formerly the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program, for several years. Coordination with the UC CalFresh Healthy Living program has provided residents with a plethora of resources that include diverse health education seminars, opportunities for light physical exercise, and one of the most resident-appreciated resources, community gardens.

CalFresh Healthy Living, UC helps people lead more healthier lives. Their mission is to teach people eligible for SNAP about good nutrition, how to make their food budget stretch further, and how to be physically active at any age. Their effective, evidenced-based nutrition education and physical activity classes are aligned with policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to create long lasting community change. In tandem with PSCDC hosted food distributions, the UC CalFresh Healthy Living program keeps many residents active and healthy, especially our seniors.

Martha Lopez, an agency representative from UC CalFresh, works together with PSCDC Resident Services Coordinators to offer nutrition classes and answer residents' questions for communities like Villa De Las Flores, Villa Del Sol, and many more. Martha has made a lasting impact to our PSCDC communities beyond just education. She has also helped many of our senior properties start their own community gardens as a way to get fresh produce, get physically activity every day, and a way to get out of the house and socialize. After being unable to offer in-person seminars due to the pandemic, residents are extremely excited to see her back. Villa De Las Flores residents are looking forward to the eggplants that they have recently started growing from the community garden!

PSCDC appreciates and would like to thank Martha and UC CalFresh Healthy Living for the service that they continue to provide for our Imperial residents. Health services and resources has always been a main priority for many of our communities, and the UC CalFresh has been a major contributor to our food distribution programs and as a health education provider. To learn more about them, or to see if you qualify for CalFresh benefits, visit their website at https://uccalfresh.ucdavis.edu/.