By Kathy Gaillard
Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) is an initiative founded by Sandra Millon Underwood, PhD, that has gained momentum and is flourishing in our community, thanks to its dedicated members and committed organizations. HEAL’s goal is simple: to educate people about the positive benefits of eating healthy, nutritious meals and finding the time and ways to intentionally be more active.
The group’s flexibility and ability to pivot to an online format during the covid-19 pandemic helped it gain even more momentum. During the almost two-year pandemic, HEAL members met virtually—twice a week—touching bases with one another, encouraging each other, and watching ‘live’ food demonstrations, courtesy of Chef Marvin Jones, who is known for cooking tasty food—without salt—but still packed with flavor.
“Our project was challenged by the pandemic, but we faced those challenges and were able to expand our work and reach broader audiences by delivering pandemic-related supplies such as facial masks, sanitizer, and tissues. Initially HEAL provided education related to healthy living and active living. We wanted to incorporate healthy eating into lifestyles and prevent diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and heart disease. As we sheltered in place, we were not able to go out into the community, but since so much of our work focuses on education, we used virtual media to continue to interact with and educate the community, including educating and responding to covid-19 mandates and concerns. It’s amazing what we have been able to do using Zoom and Facebook to continue to engage with our community,” said Dr. Underwood.
Now that shelter in place mandates have expired, HEAL has started taking its education initiatives ‘on the road’ again. The group works with nursing homes, community centers, and senior citizen organizations. This is especially significant to Milwaukee’s senior citizen population because many of them receive Stockboxes. A Stockbox is a box of healthy foods that Hunger Task Force delivers to low- income seniors free of charge. Each box contains nutritious items including rice, cereal, juice, beef stew, pasta and vegetables. Each month, nearly 10,000 boxes are delivered to seniors throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. Chef Marvin uses some of the ingredients contained in Stockboxes to demonstrate nutritious meal preparation. Residents sample the foods and are given recipes to prepare meals quickly, nutritiously, and most often without salt.
Chef Marvin, Bonnie Anderson who often presents canning demonstrations, and Valley Hollins who demonstrates mental and physical exercises, are members of HEAL who have sustained their engagement in the community, even during the pandemic.
“They are committed members who are not here for a moment, but on a long-term basis. They are from the community, in the community, and using their talents and resources to help the community. Various organizations and churches are asking us to come and share information with their members and associates because they see the benefits of the work we do.
“HEAL reaches out to the faith community to present its program, and we don’t just visit large facilities. I
believe we must make sure we reach the smaller flocks as well. Our aim is to ensure that more people are served and that no one is left without or that no one is left behind. We make a special effort to reach out to smaller, less-frequented, and often overlooked and bypassed venues, centers, residences, and shelters where people are just as worthy and the need is just as great—if not greater. We have a responsibility to go deeper and further into the community to reach, educate, and serve,” said Dr. Underwood.
HEAL is a diamond, depositing healthy related initiatives in our community to help guarantee a better and brighter future.
For more information about HEAL-Milwaukee, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/HEALmke/ , or to schedule a program call 414-229-6076 or email, [email protected].