Power of Produce Starts TODAY!

Today, July 9th and running every Thursday until September 24th, the Power of Produce Kids Club (PoP Club) will be part of the weekly outdoor Monticello Farmers' Market from 3:30-7 PM (6 PM in starting September). The Power of Produce is a nationally recognizable club for kids ages 4-12, empowering kids to make healthy food choices and educating them on where food comes from. Each kid who attends will receive $2 of Market Money each time they visit the Monticello Farmers' Market. With the $2, kids are able to purchase any type of fresh fruits and vegetables they would like from the Farmers' Market with the Market Money they have received. The Monticello Farmers' Market is located in the Monticello Library parking lot every Thursday from May 14th until October 15th. All venders are local and within a 25 mile radius of Monticello. Vendor items include: sauces, syrups, jams, homemade baked goods, snow cones, drinks, popcorns, cheeses, herbs, canned items, farm fresh meat and eggs, garden plants, natural
detergents, crafts, and of course FRESH FRUIT and VEGETABLES! The Monticello Famers' Market does accept SNAP EBT, debit/credit cards, and cash.
Special events and fun activities will be available to kids of all ages during the PoP Club! Check out http://www.monticellocommunitycenter.com/farmers-market.html for the weekly Market Newsletter regarding the featured weekly vendor, recipe of the week, products available for the week, and special guests attending the Farmer's Market!

The PoP Club is sponsored by the Monticello Farmers' Market, Live Wright, Wright County Area United Way, Crow River, All 4 Kids and Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association. For more information contact Farmers' Market Coordinator Sara Cahill at sara.cahill@ci.monticello.mn.us or Farmers' Market Manager Stephanie Ellingson at stephellingson@hotmail.com.

Happy 4th of July!

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him." -Abraham Lincoln

Wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend! Remember to wear your sunscreen when outside and stay safe around the lake and fireworks! Enjoy the beautiful weather with friends and family!

Open Streets Buffalo!

Open Streets Buffalo is just around the corner! Saturday, July 11th from 10 AM until 2 PM, residents will have a chance to see their streets from a new perspective when the third annual even is hosted. Open Streets Buffalo will be held on 1st Avenue NE, start at Division Street and ending at the corner of 1st Avenue NE and Hwy 25 (in front of Lillian's). The event is being organized by Buffalo Community Education, Buffalo Parks & Recreation, Allina Health, and Wright County Public Health/Live Wright.
The mission of Open Streets Buffalo is to foster individual and community health through creative use of public space. Open Streets Buffalo is an event the encourages recreation, community activities, and fun in Buffalo, MN. The Open Streets event closes stretches of city streets to automobile traffic, and opens them to people for several hours to enjoy a large, temporary, public space where they can bike, walk, run, dance, do yoga, or any other physical activity. Non-profit and health organizations offer a variety of free activities and share information about their services during the event.

Join your community for fun, food, and physical activity on the Open Streets of downtown Buffalo! Visit us online at http://www.openstreetsbuffalo.org/ for more information regarding Open Streets Buffalo!

Garden of Dreams featured on Grow with KARE

Live Wright has been interacting with school gardens all around the county for quite some time now. Recently, the Monticello Middle School garden had the pleasure of being featured on Kare 11's Grow with KARE. Belinda and Bobby Jensen made their way out to the Garden of Dreams to do a short story on the flourishing garden. Click here to watch the story!

Photo by: Lawrence J. Gantner

 

Book donation part of larger effort to increase well-being in child cares

Small summer readers will have more choices at their local library thanks to Wright County Public Health. Using Statewide Health Improvement Program grant funds, the county health organization donated dozens of children’s books to Great River Regional Library last Thursday.

Aimed at very young readers, the collection includes popular titles such as “Barnyard Dance,” about a farm animal hoedown, and “How are You Peeling?” with whimsical fruits and vegetables exhibiting their “natural personalities.” The stories promote healthy eating or staying active.

“It really promotes fresh fruits and vegetables, in the healthy eating area, and promotes physical activity in fun story format,” said Susan DeMars, Health Promotion Coordinator for Wright County Public Health.

The books, funded by a grant from the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), will be housed at the Howard Lake and Buffalo libraries.

WCPH’s donation is part of a larger initiative promoting well-being in the child care setting. Susan has been working directly with Wright County child care providers for more than a year, offering free or low-cost trainings as well as technical assistance and funding to implement policies on physical activity, healthy eating and supporting breastfeeding.

The “I am Moving, I am Learning” curriculum promotes moderate to vigorous physical activity with brain development in mind.

“Instead of just letting kids go out and play free, it’s organized activities to help kids develop their motor skills, things like throwing and skipping,” DeMars said.

More than 60 area providers have participated in the IMIL training. Another 79 have participated in the training “Supporting Breastfeeding in the Child Care Setting”.

“The books we’ve donated are meant to help child care providers extend their new knowledge, and they’ll be a fun resource for parents and others in the community too,” DeMars said.

 

 

(with photo): Susan DeMars, Health Promotion Coordinator for Wright County Public Health, presents Great River Regional Librarian Amy Wittmann with several titles as part of a donation supporting healthy eating and physical activity.