March is National Nutrition Month across the U.S. with the 2017 theme from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics being, “Put Your Best Fork Forward.” What does that look like for our Los Alamitos students and seniors?
Are we putting out best fork forward? Here’s a snapshot of what is happening under the radar.
March is National Nutrition Month across the U.S. with the 2017 theme from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics being, “Put Your Best Fork Forward.” What does that look like for our Los Alamitos students and seniors?
Are we putting out best fork forward? Here’s a snapshot of what is happening under the radar.
Emeline Noda, Recreation Manager, City of Los Alamitos Community Center, said in an interview, “Every week day in Los Alamitos (except holidays), seniors over 60 years of age are offered a tasty and nutritious meal with socialization.”
Senior Lunch is served at 11:15 a.m. four days a week (not Tuesday) at an optional $3.00 donation. There is no residency requirement, but seniors must be over 60 years of age otherwise the lunch is $5. A spouse less than 60 years of age or a caregiver pays $5. The same menu is delivered to homebound seniors with less mobility in Los Alamitos and Rossmoor from Monday through Friday.
A nutritionist and chef at ‘Community SeniorServ’ plan the monthly lunch menu according to the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” and specific US Department of Agriculture standards. “Attention is paid to sugar, salt and fat to promote heart health,” but Noda adds, “the meals are not bland.” Andy Kim, Site Manager/Recreation Specialist says that the program has been active about 25-30 years. He obtains a count each day for how many seniors will eat on the following day and then orders the meals. Kim explains, “Once the food arrives, we warm it, portion and serve the seniors at their table. There is very little waste. Since meals are not served on weekends, the seniors may eat at home or join their family then.”
It is not surprising that some of the participants attend daily and enjoy spending time with each other. Kim says, “It is a friendly community. They have crafts and local entertainment like bands and singing groups. Several sponsors, like Monarch Health, Humana and Health Care Partners may sponsor crafts or provide cupcakes and then speak for a few minutes about their programs.”
Each day Monday-Friday between 8 and 11 a.m., the Center is open for coffee, bread and pastries (small donation appreciated) with meetings on senior topics and an occasional health fair or invited speaker.
The Bread Program offers an array of donations from local restaurants, like Katella Deli, and local food stores like Sprouts, Ralph’s and Pete’s Coffee. These food donations have the ‘sell by’ that same day. No dairy or meats are included. The Food Finders program collects the food and Kim and his staff arrange the available items each morning. Seniors can buy, as if in a grocery store, and donate what they can afford—anywhere from a nickel to a dollar for each food. The afternoons are filled with instructor-led classes at the Katella Senior Living Community. Classes focus on music arts, books coming alive, fitness with stretch, and the history of comedy and humor. These activities not only support senior independence but they also promote good emotional and physical health.
The Senior Lunch Program has a combination of fun, fitness and food and convenes in the Youth Center. “This might keep some seniors away,” Noda comments, ”as they don’t readily identify their needs as serviced in a youth facility, but they soon learn we have many things just for them.”
”Every Tuesday at 10:30 a “Balance and Fitness” session takes place at the Community Center next door to the Youth Center and is followed by a very popular, ‘Tuesday Lunch Bunch.’ Two dozen or more seniors meet at the Youth Center where food from one of five local restaurants is served. This includes Island Grill, Griffin Grill, Polly’s Pies, Chick-fil-A, or Aroma Italiano. Seniors make a reservation the Thursday prior, pay $5 and enjoy a set menu, tasty food, friendly faces, and sometimes vocal entertainment.
Besides the support of participating restaurants, local sponsors keep the program alive. They include HealthCare Partners, Monarch HealthCare, Polly’s Pies and Chick-fil-A.
Then on Thursday ‘Senior Club Day’ begins at 10 a.m. ending at 3:30 p.m. after lunch, discussions, entertainment and a social time. The TGIF calendar is busy with FREE Ukulele lessons (Ukuleles provided) and root beer floats! Seniors can enroll in paid contract classes such as Line Dance, Yoga, Needlecrafts as listed in the Los Alamitos Recreation & Community Services booklet or online at www.cityoflosalamitos.org.
Which brings us to ask what is happening Monday through Friday at any one of Los Alamitos elementary schools to ‘Put Your Best Fork Forward’ for our children?
In an interview with Evelyn Garcia, Principal at Hopkinson Elementary School, she explains, “We make every effort to bring a smile to our kids’ faces at lunch because we allow them to select where they want to sit to eat and to enjoy their friends.” She continues, “For 25 minutes students are required to sit and eat, then they have 20 minutes to play.”
This balance of food with fitness is highly sought throughout the U.S. to build a successful and healthy ‘teaching and learning’ environment.
At Hopkinson, teachers socialize separately from their ‘LITTLE HUSKIES’ while Noon Aides supervise the total 45-minute lunch break.
Seen as a good mental health approach, both students and teachers re-energize for afternoon class time.
In planning lunch, parents can view the weekly menu online. Five components are prepared in the centralized kitchens of the Los Alamitos Unified School District and offered daily: fruit, vegetables, protein, whole grain-rich grain and milk.
Assembly and service happens at the school. The 5 Star menu has two entrees with an alternate cheese sandwich available every day.
Parents decide with their children whether to buy or to pack lunch. “About 70% of children bring lunch Monday through Wednesday, but Thursday and Friday are different when kid’s favorites are offered,” Garcia explains. “About one-half of the students buy lunch those two days. Otherwise, parents and kids might pack fruit, cold cuts, cheese or hot soup in a thermos.” Eight ounces of 1% low-fat white milk or nonfat chocolate milk is available for 50 cents each. A school lunch is $3.00.
A hidden jewel at Hopkinson Elementary is a courtesy, shaded area for lunch. Any family member or guardian listed on the student’s emergency card is able to bring lunch and enjoy the time with their student away from the central lunch scene.
Garcia explains, “We have had grandparents share lunch with their grandchild to celebrate a birthday or busy working Moms with multiple children pick a different day each week to eat with a different child. This makes it special and gives private time to either celebrate or enjoy each other.”
Other special events linking food and education at Hopkinson include the kindergarten’s trip to a farm where students learn about milk and eggs.
Maybe this is where the conundrum begins regarding which came first, the chicken or the egg? Whatever the case, it is clear that something special is happening at Garcia’s school. “How fortunate we are to also have a health conscious staff that models good health.” This explains why Hopkinson puts its best fork forward every bustling school day.
So back to answering to our original question, it is clear that at Hopkinson elementary school or any school in Los Alamitos or at the City of Los Alamitos Community Center, many positive things are happening for students and seniors. Los Al puts its our best fork forward!
Kim at Senior Lunch says, “We are beginning a new marketing program. We want to grow the number of participants and add new faces. There might be seniors who are unaware of the program. It seems a major deterrent is transportation.”
The local community including Millennials and Boomers, could engage and support this activity and our schools in a number of ways.
Consider supporting our ‘Senior Meal and Bread Programs’ by helping to enroll other restaurants which might provide a reduced price weekend coupon especially for seniors.
Maybe arrange a professional speaker to explain food labels or how to lower fat, salt or sugar when cooking at home. This would be very helpful if seniors have diabetes or hypertension.
Would school children be excited to have a grocery or market tour identifying and spelling the names of all those fruits and vegetables? This might increase a common challenge that parents face when encouraging their children to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Could Gen X volunteer 1 day a month to help deliver meals or identify and facilitate seniors in their neighborhood who aren’t aware of the meals program or need transportation. Could Millennials reach out to embrace our seniors needing a ‘safe ride’ since they support safe rides for peer teens?
It goes without saying, Los Al is doing great, but there is always room for putting icing on the cake and enhance anything we do to “Put Our Best Fork Forward” in March, National Nutrition Month and every month.
–This article appeared in the March 15, 2017 print edition of the News Enterprise.