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Join Be Healthy Berrien to celebrate Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® Month and enjoy the benefits of eating plenty of fruits and veggies. Fruits & Veggies — More Matters® Month highlights the importance of healthy eating – a diet rich in a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.

Adding more fruits and veggies to your diet doesn’t have to be expensive — there are many low-cost (or not cost!) alternatives. Add chopped vegetables to pasta sauce, eat kale – cooked or uncooked, or replace your afternoon snack with a piece of fruit. And simple changes can really pay off — eating healthy can help lower the risk of many chronic diseases — like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Fruits and veggies are also delicious! This is a great time to try a new recipe that features produce — or to bring home a fruit or vegetable that your family hasn’t tried before for fun. Remember, good habits start early — especially with kids. Encourage them to eat lots of fruits and veggies to help them develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.

To get started, check out the amazing farmers markets and farm stands that sell delicious food grown right here in in Southwest Michigan at www.BeHealthyBerrien.org/eat-local.  Together we can help build a healthy future for our community!

Be Healthy Berrien is works with other organizations across the state to help learn, grow, and share what we do. In August of 2019, we spent a couple of busy days visiting with the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids, who works on food access projects including healthy corner store transformations. We have received a tremendous amount of support and expertise from them as a funder for our Healthy Corner Store Initiative, and a partner in a Community Collaborative Learning Project.

When people think of the YMCA, its often thought of as a fitness organization, but community health and wellness is at their core. The Grand Rapids YMCA showed us this first hand by taking us on a tour of many of their different partner organizations in the community like urban farms, neighborhood development projects, and corner stores. Their in-depth knowledge and partnerships within community organizations is key to the success of their programs.

We love seeing what other organizations are doing in their communities, and our trip inspired us to continue spreading our healthy corner store work into communities here in Southwest Michigan.

To learn more about our Be Healthy Corner Store Initiative click here. 

The Southwest Michigan Local Food Council has BIG plans for the next three years, and they want to invite you to get involved! The Council is a collective of advocates that takes evidence-based actions toward the development of an equitable regional food system that values local farmers and entrepreneurs.  The Council’s three working groups have created strategies to Increase the JOY for local food in our community, to Improve economic ABUNDANCE & FAIRNESS in the local food system, and to GROW infrastructure and resources to support our local food system.

Strategies range from organizing “farmer + chef” pop-up meals, to hosting social gatherings, to researching needs and market analyses.  But the Council can’t do it alone!  Our working groups meet about once per month and complete unique activities to move the strategies forward.  If you love Southwest Michigan food and want to get more involved in one (or more!) of our projects, CONTACT US and let us know!  We hope to break bread with you soon!

The Benton Harbor Farmers Market takes place every Wednesday, 10am-3pm from July-September at Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park in Downtown Benton Harbor. The market aims to increase access to fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables, increase knowledge of nutrition and healthy cooking habits, support local growers and small business owners, and build relationships between producers and consumers. The market has evolved greatly since its start in the late 1990’s and has become a thriving community event for the City of Benton Harbor.

 Every Wednesday, vendors come and set up their stalls with products ranging from seasonal fruits and veggies, baked goods, locally raised meats, to jams and jellies. Other organizations join in the fun; the YMCA host a fitness hour, Spectrum Health-Lakeland does cooking demonstrations, and MSU-Extension brings educational crafts and games for kids. It is fun for all! Creating inclusive spaces is at the heart of the market’s philosophy. The Berrien County Health Department, whom organizes the market, allow customers to use a wide range of currencies to purchase healthy foods including Bridge Cards, Double Up Food Bucks, Rx for Health tokens, WIC Project Fresh coupons, and Senior Project Fresh coupons.

Be Healthy Berrien is proud to be a supporter and collaborator for Benton Harbor Farmers Market.

Our success wouldn’t be possible without the work and commitment of our Steering Committee! These partners build the strategies that are leading to healthier communities across Southwest Michigan. Be Healthy Berrien uses a Collective Impact model – meaning that every one of our partners has committed to working together toward our Shared Vision and making changes in their organization to lead the way to healthier communities.

United Way of Southwest Michigan has been a Be Healthy Berrien partner from the very beginning in 2010! UWSM is Be Healthy Berrien’s backbone agency – providing the day-to-day support needed to put our plans into action.  UWSM acts as the fiduciary and employer of record for our staff.  Rachel Wade, Vice President of Strategy at UWSM, provides great leadership on the Be Healthy Berrien Steering Committee and works hard at connecting Be Healthy Berrien’s goals with UWSM’s goals.   Rachel is wonderful at creating personal connections and building relationships with our project partners to build Be Healthy Berrien’s Network of Support. 

Learn more about the Be Healthy Berrien Team and how we are working together to build a healthier Southwest Michigan at here.

Last month we set off on an adventure to Philadelphia to visit The Food Trust, an organization that has pioneered healthy corner store transformations. Be Healthy Berrien, along with our collaborating partners, Grand Rapids YMCA and LiveWell Colorado, were able to learn first hand how The Food Trust healthy corner store model has grown and developed over the years. We visited the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, a huge refrigerated facility bursting with produce options from all around the world, where many of the Philadelphia corner store owners go to procure healthy food items. We met an influential community member, Arnett Woodall, who founded West Phillie Produce, a community grocery store focused on empowering youth and providing fresh food options to the neighborhood. And we had ample discussion about how our work aligns; sharing in both our successes and challenges.

Trying to make changes to our community’s food system is not always easy but sharing and collaborating with others who are working to build healthier communities makes a huge difference!

To learn more about the work we are doing in corner stores around our community check our healthy corner store page https://behealthyberrien.org/healthy-corner-stores/