Jon Corpuz and Dominic Peralta
Everyone deserves a fresh, healthy, and delicious lunch; especially our children and they need help getting it. We always focus on trying to fix the troubles of the 3rd world, but what if it was the other way around, and they had something that we did not. What if they figured out an elegant solution to a compounding problem that is harming our future, our children. For over a century, the community of Mumbai has developed a highly specialized service that delivers home cooked meals to everyone, and has become an integral component to their culture. This should be used as inspiration for our communities here, and the world over. It is an efficient way for healthy food to reach our children.A Healthy Choice for Children (HCFC) is a system that delivers fresh, wholesome meals with the support of local farmers to our schools. Making the healthy choice starts with the people who take care of our children, the parents and schools. HCFC is broken down into 5 essential stages; FOOD, PREPARATION, DELIVERY, SCHOOL and RETURN/ END Each stage helps to define how healthy food will reach a child everyday, and each stage requires participation from all in the community. First, the FOOD comes from local farms. Then, it is PREPARED by local chefs who pack the re-usable tiffins. Next, a DELIVERY team brings the tiffins to the schools. The SCHOOL serves the fresh meals for lunch to our children and helps to educate them about health at many levels (self, family/community, and environment). Lastly, the tiffins are RETURNED by the delivery team to repeat the cycle for tomorrow. Food left behind is captured into compost, which is returned to the Earth for the next crop. There will be a non profit organization to help coordinate, facilitate, communicate and execute each important task throughout the stages. Over time HCFC will become an integral part of our communities.
“Excellent nutrition is required for the full development of a human being.”Our CHILDREN would benefit the most, because they would develop healthy eating habits that would stay with them for a life time, thereby averting health risks in the future. Teaching them early on about nutrition and health will ensure that they pass it down to the next generation. PARENTS benefit because they see what their children are eating. With their children, they will have access to selecting a menu, contributing to the menu and participating in class. They themselves learn about cooking, shopping, and providing proper meals for their family. The Non-Profit organization would provide benefits to the LOCAL FARMS and LOCAL RESTAURANTS by connecting them to the community. A self sustaining, healthy community is the benefit a Healthy Choice for Children provides.It starts off as a movement, fueled by the message that our children deserve better. We need connections that run deep into government, agriculture, transportation, and education. We do this by establishing a trusting Non Profit that unites these entities seamlessly, thereby creating a reliable network. It is their responsibility to oversee operations by building hierarchical maps that show accountability, setting goals and “x” year time line. This Non Profit organization must establish chapters in communities throughout the country and align with the local schools and teachers. Local Farms and Chefs join the Non Profit to help cultivate and provide the Food stage of the system. An integral part of the Non Profit is providing a transportation system that connects the Farms, Chefs and Schools, reliably and efficiently. Once this foundation is built, the parents and children now have a service that is real and that they can trust.
"For the first time in a century, American kids face a shorter life expectancy than their parents."- Dr. Rallie McAllister, M.DThere are two factors that control the fate of our children today, exercise and diet. Both stem from the ideals instilled in the home and with the passing of the traditional American home meal, our children have succumbed to the unhealthy, processed foods provided by the likes of Sysco, Kraft, and the fast food giants. This, compounded with the lack of exercise, has increased childhood obesity, risk of diabetes, and further health risks/problems later in life. Whatever happened to the traditional brown bag lunch? As busy as we have become today, we have put our children's health at stake. Parents and schools are not being held accountable for the poor eating habits and declining diets of our children.
The optimal outcome will be a bright, healthy, and educated future for our children. A Native American proverb went as follows: We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors: we borrow it from our children. We are compromising their future of enjoying this Earth, by not properly educating them about healthy eating habits. Successfully teaching health to children through a dynamic and interactive class will bring a deeper understanding to all involved in a Healthy Choice For Children.HCFC's success will be measured through personal aspirations. For example, when you see people wanting to give their time (parents, teachers, farmers and chefs), when communities want to take responsibility, and when parents finally become accountable for their children. As children gain the confidence to stand on their own, they will understand that the success of their communities and the future of their environment, hinges on making the right personal choice. Our team carries the hope, confidence and responsibility to make HCFC real and meaningful to people’s lives.
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