News and press releases

March 10, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. — CareOregon has given a $25,000 community benefit grant to expand Nourish the Community, an initiative of Adelante Mujeres. The program focuses on making long-term changes in nutritional practices of the Latino community.

“CareOregon is very proud to support this important initiative at Adalente Mujeres,” said Martin Taylor, Director of Public Policy and Community Relations. “We believe in supporting programs that address the social determinants of health and improve community and individual well-being.”

 “In Washington County, where Adelante Mujeres is located, the obesity rate is currently 23.7 percent,” said Bridget Cooke, Co-Founder and Executive Director. “Healthy food is inaccessible, economically and geographically, for many people suffering from this epidemic. For the Latino families we serve, proper nutrition and exercise compete with other necessary expenses, such as health care, housing and childcare. Lack of exercise, along with poor diet, has led to alarmingly high rates of diabetes among adult Latinos.”

The goals of Nourish the Community include increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables in their families’ diets, engaging in 30 or more minutes of physical activity each day and learning to manage stress to reinforce mental health.

In just two years, the program results are encouraging. Participants have redeemed over $15,000 at the farmer’s market to purchase fresh produce. Through a partnership with Oregon State University Extension, Adelante Mujeres has also provided cooking classes to Adult Education students. All reported positive changes in their family’s diets to include healthier choices.

Kaely Summers, Food Access Coordinator at Adelante Mujeres, shared the story of one participant who demonstrates the impact of these programs.

“At our monthly family sessions we allow time for participants to share how things are going. Typically, people share recipes, laugh about strange vegetables or ask advice of one another.

In the second season, one woman shared that her husband has diabetes and the concern she felt for her children’s future. She told the others that it wasn’t easy, but she felt motivated by the program to make changes and incorporate suggestions she had learned to help improve her family’s health. She started cooking with more vegetables, taking walks as a family and cutting back on the tortillas. Her husband went from eating a stack of tortillas with his meals to just two. As a result, her husband is now able to control his diabetes with diet and exercise, rather than medications. She encouraged her peers to stick to their goals so they too could see the results.

For more information about this CareOregon community benefit grant, contact Jeanie Lunsford at 503-416-3626 or lunsfordj@careoregon.org.

About Adelante Mujeres

Adelante Mujeres, which means “Rise-up, Move forward Women,” has worked with the low-income Latino immigrant community since 2002, providing access to resources and a forum for community engagement. The organization has helped more than 3,500 Latino families and currently serves more than 800 families a year through programs that help to break the cycle of poverty.