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First Lady Karen Kasich made a significant contribution toward battling childhood obesity in Central Ohio today. A donation of $95,000 of Kasich’s leftover inaugural funds was made to local non-profit Local Matters to provide funding for their Food Matters Program, which teaches young children about nutrition, cooking and gardening. The program already works with over 1000 children and their teachers and parents in three dozen classrooms every week.
“The Food Matters program presents something very unique: a fun, engaging opportunity for children to learn more about fruits and vegetables in the classroom,” said First Lady Karen Kasich in a press release issued today. “This program inspires children and families to develop a healthy relationship with food, and the benefits of that are limitless. It’s my hope more children across the state will have the opportunity to experience—and taste—Ohio’s rich agricultural heritage.”
This contribution will expand the Food Matters program throughout the region this fall, and has the potential to reach an additional 500 grade school students per week.
“First Lady Kasich’s support allows us to take this program further than we’d ever imagined in our three years of teaching it in greater Columbus,” said Local Matters Executive Director Michael Jones. “Teaching children and their parents and teachers about healthy food from a very early age gives them a chance to break the cycle of chronic illness that is plaguing our community while also strengthening our local food economies and supporting Ohio farmers.”
More info about Local Matters can be found at www.Local-Matters.org.
Edited to clarify source of the donation funds.
At $180 per kid, that’s about 527 new kids their programs might reach, but it’s still pretty expensive if you ask me. I’m told by some teachers that, while well intended, they need to get the idealism and rhetoric of the food wars out of their approach and focus on feeding kids where they are in a way they can understand. I went to a “cooking demionstration” in Franklinton where they cooked wheat berries and mango. I suppose they were purchased over at Gleason’s or the Save-A-Lot.
Getting healthier foods into neighborhoods that are lacking in grocery store options is important, and the “Healthy Corner Store Initiative” is being rolled out to help combat that problem. Starting in Franklinton: READ MORE.
Speaking on behalf of Local Matters, we totally agree. It’s expensive to provide a 28 week program in the manner that we do. We’re working hard to find ways to bring the cost of the program down and developing ways to teach others how to teach it while not compromising on quality and impact.
Rather than accepting kids where they are, our aim is to give them the ability to make good choices for the rest of their lives.
One way to help us bring down the cost of the program and reach more kids is to become a supporter of Local Matters. Reaching an extra 527 kids just isn’t enough, every kids deserves the chance at a happy healthy future.
Feel free to email me at tmills@local-matters.org if you have questions or concerns. Thanks, Todd
One more clarification, this is not a personal donation from the Kasich family. These dollars are left over funds from the privately-funded inaugural transition account. The charitable beneficiaries were chosen back in January. If you’re interested in more details, see the article in this morning’s Dispatch: http://bit.ly/eFaJQl
527 kids is another step ahead. Regardless of how I feel about the governor, I don’t care if the money came from him or his campaign, at least the money going to something local and will have an impact.
Thanks for posting the FTON corner store article Walker. It’s a really good initiative and I think having Patrick and the Franklinton Gardens behind it is a real bonus. There was some monkey business with another organization that has little or no community support in Franklinton trying to take control of the project, but in the end the the right group prevailed.
There are a lot of challenges, like the article highlights, but I know a lot of my neighbors are excited about the potential. It’s just too difficult to get fresh produce in our neighborhood if you don’t have a car. I hear people, usually singles or couples without kids, who think it’s easy to use public transportation or to walk to the store because they haven’t tried it with one or more young cranky kids and several bags of food, one of which is full of frozen veggies.
Crumbs for the peasants.
HA! He finally does something worthy of liberals’ praise, and you bash them and put them back in an ivory tower. Complete BS. Grow up!
“bash them and put them back in an ivory tower” ???
@Nitsud I think it’s great the Kasichs did this and they deserve credit for it. Period.
Now do you have in you to criticize Kasich when he’s an ass or you do you just reflexively defend him all the time?
@Nitsud – Please don’t mistake the “bashing” of one or two people as a complete bashing by the thousands of people reading this article. I’m sure many are happy with this news. Personally, was very happy to hear this and thought it was a great cause to allocate leftover campaign funds for.
I didn’t think the comments were bashing anyone. Okay, so “crumbs for the peasants” does evoke a certain mood but I am not sure exactly what was intended. My comments were meant to be constructive. I have heard critiques of Local Matters from people in Columbus neighborhoods who have worked with them. That does not mean the organization should not be supported or that they aren’t effective, but listening to critique can make them better.
Some folks have a thin skin when it comes to politicians they adore.
Congratulations Local Matters!
Maybe Local Matters can use some of that money to lobby Kasich and ask him to reverse the decisions that eliminated the Office of Sustainable Agriculture and the Farmers’ Market support programs. The SA program is now the Office of Agribusiness with the new catchy slogan “Ohio Means Agribusiness”.
There hasn’t been ANY press on this silent reversal at the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Yet, the farm-to-school program started by ODA and ODE will either be converted from local fresh produce in school lunches to soy products (a real consideration) or eliminated, and coordination and marketing support for Farmers’ Markets has been eliminated. The latter is one of the reasons for the successful expansion of farmers’ markets around the state.
”The SA program is now the Office of Agribusiness with the new catchy slogan “Ohio Means Agribusinessâ€Â. ”
Yuck.
I’m beginning to think some connected Republican works for local matters now, seems they are getting love from several R types, hopefully they won’t start an anti-obesity campaign next.
This type of support is in line with the GOPs belief in supporting non-governmental groups to do the work without using taxes so there may be no Republican connection to them.
Someone told me they overheard Mrs. Kasich saying she is promoting anti-obesity in kids because little fat kids annoy her.
“(He) eliminated the Office of Sustainable Agriculture and the Farmers’ Market support programs. The SA program is now the Office of Agribusiness with the new catchy slogan “Ohio Means Agribusinessâ€Â.
This makes me want to throw up; and I’m a Republican who voted for him (and think he’s doing well). haha