Wellness On Wheels Mobile Education Van Provides A Hands-On Approach To Healthy Eating.
When the big green van pulls up, the kids say “Wow!”—and that’s just the reaction RWJBarnabas Health health care providers and their partners are looking for.
The 35-foot vehicle, decorated with bright fruits and vegetables, is the hub of the Wellness on Wheels mobile education initiative, which launched in the fall of 2018. Equipped with a hydroponic and earth-box greenhouse and a full kitchen, the van travels to places like preschools, senior homes and houses of worship in areas where affordable, healthy food is hard to come by. It’s fun to see young kids marvel at what an herb’s root looks like, run their fingers through soil, sort plastic fruits and vegetables or smile as they taste-test healthy recipes.
Behind those hands-on activities is an overarching goal: to help communities get healthier. “At RWJBarnabas Health, we embrace the concept of bringing health and wellness to communities by teaching people in places where they live, work, earn and learn,” says Barbara Mintz, Senior Vice President, Healthy Living and Community Engagement. “We want to make sure that people in underserved communities have a level playing field when it comes to being healthy.”
HELP FOR HUNGER
More than 900,000 New Jersey residents face hunger every day, according to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Unemployment, low wages and high housing costs contribute to the problem. So does the prevalence of “food deserts,” areas where residents live more than one mile from a supermarket and, without a car, must depend on public transportation to get there.
Too often, those residents resort to unhealthy packaged or fast foods. Wellness on Wheels aims to change those patterns and, to increase its impact, partners with local community groups. At a recent event at a New Brunswick preschool, hosted in conjunction with the Puerto Rican Action Board, a dietitian fluent in conversational Spanish showed children how to fill a plate with colorful food and demonstrated a simple, healthy recipe. Says Mintz, “We partner with local food banks and farmers markets to distribute healthy foods at our events.” Simple, culturally appropriate recipes are also provided to further support the mission of helping good health begin at home.
CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALSA
We can get protein from plants as well as animals. Corn and black bean salsa makes a protein-packed after-school snack, or the perfect side dish with dinner.
• 1½ cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
• 1 cup low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tomato, diced • ½ red bell pepper, diced
• ¼ red onion, diced
• ½ jalapeño pepper, minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper In a large bowl
combine all the ingredients and stir. Set salsa aside to allow flavors to come together. Serve with tortilla chips or on top of your favorite Latin-inspired dishes.
To see a video of the Wellness on Wheels inaugural outing and to learn more, visit www.rwjbh.org/ WellnessWheels