By Kondomar Herrera

Trade the orange finger stains of nacho chips with the bright orange of fresh carrots and see the difference it could make in a child’s life.  Now picture the healthy switch in public schools.  This is what the Massachusetts Avenue Project, MAP, is working on.

MAP, a non-profit organization, is working with other organizations to fight health problems such as obesity and chronic illnesses among children.  The 18-month pilot program, Healthy Eating By Design, features a farm-to-cafeteria salad bar program, health and nutrition education, community dinners and a weekly after school program.

“We have an urban farm on Massachusetts Avenue.  We want to give local people access to healthy foods,” said Christina Akers, executive director of MAP. “There’s too much food that has been kept durableas opposed to healthy.”

The program is based out of the Bennett Park Montessori School in Buffalo’s East Side.  It uses the arts to teach and engage students in community participation. 

MAP promotes economic self-sufficiency and features unique urban farming, Akers said.

“Buffalo is facing post-industrial decline.  About 42 percent of MAP residents don’t have access to cars,” Akers said.  “These are micro issues ... there are different problems and different solutions.”

Other issues include improving the quality of life such as:

• getting the trashed picked up
• shoveling sidewalks
• making the appearance pedestrian friendly (easy passage with less garbage, snow, leaves, and so on)

MAP works with the food aspect of the issues and collaborates with other organizations such as the new Grant-Ferry Association, Akers said.

MAP hopes to work with other public schools to reach the same goal as the pilot program at the Bennett Park Montessori School. 

The availability of healthy food is a need in every community especially in schools, where children need it most.  Obesity in children is a national health concern, according to the American Obesity Association.

“When surveyed about lifestyle factors, such as activity, medical appointments and sick days from school, researchers found that the quality of life for severely obese youth is roughly equivalent to that of pediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy,” according to Schwimmer’s 2003 article, Health-Related Quality of Life of Severely Obese Children and Adolescents.

About 20 states have banned soda and other junk foods from their school vending machines.

Contact Kondomar Herrera at herrkr11@mail.buffalostate.edu