A Full Day: Collective Roots, The Carey School & Second Harvest Nutrition Class

Every once in a while the stars align: all the things you wish you could do in a day actually fit into the day's schedule. Yesterday was one of those days.

The morning was spent in East Palo Alto - helping with a new garden installation with Collective Roots, part of the Fresh Approach organization. Najiha (pictured in the blue & white plaid shirt) leads volunteer teams to install raised bed gardens for Fresh Approach clients. Today's install was for Karla (pictured in a green sweatshirt) who is originally from Peru. Karla will be attending one of the Fresh Approach Veggie RX classes to learn more about nutrition and healthy cooking - and there she'll receive seed packets that she can then plant in her new raised bed garden.

Our 5 person volunteer team made quick work of the garden install. Then it was off to The Carey School to talk with the 5th grade class.

From left to right: Mr. Bill, Ms. La Trice, Ms. Jessica and Mr. Daniel

The 5th Graders at The Carey School are very interested to help our We GROW for the Pharmacy program and were super enthusiastic and attentive. Ms. La Trice and I will be invited back in the near future to learn the results of the brainstorm session.

From left to right: Eiko & Anni - Health Ambassadors for the Second Harvest Food Bank

The day's last activity was a Nutrition & Wellness class for Diabetes Management, put on by the Second Harvest Food Bank at the Samaritan House clinic on 39th Ave. The topic for the class was "healthy snacking" and Eiko made up two recipes for everyone to sample: 1) Sweet yogurt fruit dip; and 2) Avocado tuna salad. My favorite quote from the evening: "Just call it (pico de gallo) Mexican Salsa - the salsa is red, white and green and so is the Mexican flag". So grateful for these types of classes to help folks make quick & easy recipes that are good for them.

Hope everyone has a great second half of the week.

GROW San Mateo!

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