[EVENT]: St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children’s Food Access Conference

Each year, the St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children holds the annual FreshRX conference to bring together the foremost researchers, policy change advocates, strategic thinkers and practitioners in the area of fresh food access.

“We hope that via thoughtful dialogue, attendees will be inspired to learn from others, share with others and most importantly challenge themselves and their organizations to take a ‘fresh approach’ in their specific area of expertise,” wrote Program Director Jamiliyah Foster in an email.

This year’s conference “Fresh Food: A Prescription for Health,” will take place on April 29 at The Union League of Philadelphia. The conference “will provide a dynamic and interactive platform for the sharing of ideas, the forming of collaborations and the creation of action steps to identify innovative responses and develop viable solutions for changing the health outcomes of children and their families.”

The topic’s covered this year include:

• How can hospitals reduce barriers to healthy food access?
• In what ways can we increase the presence of nutritious food in public schools?
• Who should engage parents in making healthy food choices?
• What are the effects of food policy on making healthy food choices?
• Can healthy eating behaviors be normalized in low-income communities?
• Does American culture support food insecurity?

Speakers include Sarah Shrimplin, who serves as a Public Health Advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, in Region III, located in Philadelphia; Muffin Jane Friedman, director of the nutritional education program at the School District of Philadelphia; and Yael Lehmann of The Food Trust.

“The health outcomes of children improve when there is accessible and affordable fresh produce in a community that normalizes healthy eating behaviors,” Foster said. “It’s imperative that we create an environment that supports and encourages the healthy eating behaviors of children and their families.”

Image via St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children