Alameda County Community Food Bank

Press Releases: Alameda County Community Food Bank’s First Nutrition Conference

Contact: Kari Martell
(510) 287-2344

Alameda County Community Food Bank’s First Nutrition Conference Launches Community Effort to Curb Obesity and Diabetes in Low-Income Communities

Food Bank Teams With Local Elected Officials, Public Health Leaders and Nutrition Experts to Determine Solutions for Ensuring Good Nutrition for Low-Income Residents

San Leandro, Calif. (7/22/04) – Making healthy eating a reality for all communities is one goal of a free nutrition conference being held today by the Alameda County Community Food Bank for representatives, clients and volunteers from its 300 member agencies.

The “Banking on Good Nutrition” conference, running from 9am to 3pm on July 22nd at the San Leandro Public Library, gives attendees the chance to learn how to overcome barriers to healthy eating, promote gardening in urban areas, serve healthy foods and encourage nutritious eating for children.

“Low-income communities experience a higher prevalence of chronic diet related diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease” said Suzan Bateson, Alameda County Community Food Bank executive director. “The Food Bank is committed to working with our network of member agencies to increase access to nutritious foods in low-income neighborhoods and help their clients make better food choices with their limited dollars.”

California currently faces a health crisis. In the state, 57 percent of adults are overweight or obese and rates of overweight and obesity in African American (66 percent) and Hispanic adults (71 percent) are even higher. Additionally, more than one out of every three 9- to 11-year olds in California is at risk for becoming overweight or is already overweight. Fortunately, recent studies show that certain chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancers can be reduced through a healthy diet and physical activity.

Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, (D-Berkeley) will kick off the conference with her welcome speech. Joy Moore, a nutrition outreach specialist from the City of Berkeley’s Health and Human Services (and longtime community advocate) will talk about the lack of access to nutritious food in low-income communities and how this contributes to increased incidents of chronic health diseases.

Later that day, at a special agency appreciation luncheon, registered dietician Leslie Mikkelsen, managing director of Prevention Institute, will share ideas about how community groups can work together to stop the increase in health disparities between the rich and the poor.

Honorary Co-Sponsors of the conference include the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, City of Alameda Social Service Human Relations Board, City of Oakland Health and Human Services Commission, and the City of Union City Human Rights Commission. The conference was funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Stamp Program.