Learning About Food

Our vision for food education is to equip residents with the knowledge, skills, passion and environment to make healthy choices for themselves, their families, and the community.

Goal 1: Expand opportunities for creative and experiential learning through cooking and nutrition

• Align Farm to School curriculum with required district and testing standards to ensure that lessons are beneficial to students’ learning processes and are reinforced across subjects. Potential Partners: Santa Fe Public Schools, Santa Fe Farm to School Coordinator, Cooking with Kids, school district administration and staff across Santa Fe County

• Collaborate with area non-profits to conduct educational trainings that will clarify food safety requirements for using fruits and vegetables grown in our community, senior center, and school gardens in our local institutions. Potential Partners: New Mexico Environment Department, National Farm to School Network, Farm to Table, New Mexico State Extension Service, and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)

• Develop education classes for parents and children that connect Farm to School activities with at-home cooking practices to help youth create lasting lifestyle shifts for themselves and their families. Potential Partners: National Farm to School Network, Local Organic Meals on a Budget, Cooking With Kids, Santa Fe Community College Culinary Arts program

• Encourage area non-profits to develop nutrition education and cooking programs tailored to the needs of tribal communities such as shopping on a budget, meeting special dietary needs, and learning creative ways to utilize commodity foods. Potential Partners: Indian Health Services, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council (ENIPC) Commodity Foods Distribution Program, Tewa Women United, Cooking with Kids, Local Organic Meals on a Budget, Santa Fe Community College Culinary Arts program and other non-profits.

• Develop nutrition/healthy cooking classes and educational materials with an emphasis on reaching people at higher risk for food insecurity and diet- related health concerns. Potential Partners: Santa Fe Community College, Cooking With Kids, Kitchen Angels, Food Depot, area culinary schools, La Familia Medical Center, Adelante, Youth Shelters and Family Services, and other non-profits.

•  Work with local non-profits to develop culinary programs aimed at seniors that promote increased knowledge about cooking techniques, diversity of dishes and nutrition information. Potential Partners: Santa Fe County Community Services, City of Santa Fe Community Services, City and County Senior Center staff, Cooking with Kids, Local Organic Meals on a Budget and other non-profits. 

• Work with area governmental departments, agencies, and organizations to develop prevention and management programs for diet related conditions to help transition folks’ diets to meet medical needs in a way that is achievable and culturally appropriate. Potential Partners: Santa Fe County Community Services, City of Santa Fe Community Services and Wellness Coordinator, Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, La Familia Medical Center and other medical clinics, Pueblo of Pojoaque Wellness and Healing Arts Center, Tewa Women United, the Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, Pre-Contact Diet Project-Pueblo Food Experience, Kitchen Angels, and other non-profits.

Goal 2: Promote the development of healthy and safe built environments.

• Work with City and County Land Use to develop Complete Streets Resolutions aimed at making our neighborhoods more attractive, accessible, and safe. Complete Streets is a national program that attempts to promote physical activity by making streets safe and functional for all drivers, pedestrians, and bicycles. Potential Partners: Santa Fe City Council, Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners, City of Santa Fe Land Use, Santa Fe County Growth Management and Land Use, neighborhood associations.

• Establish “healthy food zones” near schools and public institutions to promote the availability of nutritious food and limit the marketing and availability of unhealthy foods. Potential Partners: Santa Fe City Council, Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners, City of Santa Fe Land Use, Santa Fe County Growth Management and Land Use

• Increase opportunities for school-based events which emphasize fun physical activities for youth such as walking school buses (an alternate form of student transport; students are chaperoned by two adults while walking to school), the Bike Rodeo, and Girls on the Run. Potential Partners: School District administration and staff, La Familia Medical Center, REACH Community Leadership Team (CLT), non-profit organizations

Goal 3: Expand and diversity opportunities to access food assistance.

• Reinforce nutrition education and access by providing enrollment services, information, and vouchers for fresh, whole foods at area health care and senior centers Potential Partners: La Familia Medical Center, REACH Community Leadership Team (CLT), New Mexico Income Support Division (ISD), Santa Fe County Office, New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association, City and County Senior Centers administration and staff, Santa Fe Community Services, City of Santa Fe Community Services, non-profits.

• Expand food assistance programs to meet specialized dietary needs and cultural preferences and to offer availability during the times and days many folks can most conveniently utilize their services, such as evenings and weekends. Potential Partners: New Mexico ISD Santa Fe County Office, non-profits, food banks/pantries, and shelters

• Collaborate with area tribal governments, agencies, and organizations to ensure their communities have equal access to information and enrollment services for a variety of differenct assistance programs available to residents of Santa Fe County. Potential Partners: Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council (ENIPC) Commodity Foods Distribution Program, New Mexico ISD Santa Fe County Office, non-profits

Goal 4: Align and publicize wellness policies throughout the Santa Fe region.

• Support Implementation of school wellness policies that align with federal requirements with achievable goals that are culturally appropriate for the students, families, and staff they serve. Potential Partners: School District administration, School Health Advisory Council (SHAC), nurses, staff

• Support wellness polices for Santa Fe City and County employees and their families, which offer incentives, and innovative solutions to maintaining good nutrition and active lifestyles; institute a “Farm to Work” CSA program that brings local produce to the workplace. Potential Partners: City of Santa Fe Wellness Coordinator, Santa Fe City Council, Santa Fe County Human Resources, Santa Fe Board of County Commissioners, Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute.

• Encourage private sector wellness initiatives, incentive programs and policies that contribute to the well-being of employees and their families. Potential Partners: Whole Foods Market, La Montanita Co-op, other businesses