On Wednesday, March 30th, 2016 Dolores Huerta Foundation’s Cultiva la Salud Project hosted a gathering for Greenfield community members who previously attended house meetings with DHF Community Organizer, Elizabeth Martinez. and expressed an interest in becoming involved with Cultiva La Salud and advocating for and promoting healthy living in their neighborhood.
The first of the monthly Greenfield General Meetings was exciting, informative, and well attended. More than 100 community members from the Rexland/Greenfield area of Bakersfield came together to discuss strategies and solutions for improving overall health outcomes.
This community, like other areas in South Kern, experiences disproportionate high rates of obesity and related chronic diseases. Not surprisingly there are inequities in resources that promote healthy living, such as access to healthy foods and beverages, as well as a lack of green spaces and infrastructure that provide opportunities for the community to be physically active. This inequity has lead to high levels of premature death and disability. This underscores the importance of working to cultivate health equity and promote full healthy lives for everyone.
“We hosted this event on the eve of Cesar Chavez Day. In honor of his legacy of community service, DHF and Cultiva la Salud are encouraging Greenfield residents to make a difference in their community by working together to reduce the burden of chronic disease and eliminate health disparities with a specific focus on exploring local policy prospects to improve nutrition and increase physical activity opportunities,” said Yesenia Ocampo, DHF Health Policy Manager.
In celebration of residents coming together towards creating a healthier community and Cesar E. Chavez Day, there was musical entertainment from a local mariachi group, activities for children, and delicious healthful food and beverages: mole, rice, beans, nopales salad, fruit and infused water with cucumber, lemon and strawberries.
Health Policy Organizer Elizabeth Martinez said, “The people expressed that they were very happy that the Dolores Huerta Foundation is starting to organize, for the first time ever, in Greenfield. This empowers individuals to become leaders and advocate for positive changes in their communities.”
