Healthy Food & Beverages Team
In Winnebago County, only 36.6% of high school students reported that they ate vegetables one or more times per day during the past seven days (Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2016).
re:TH!NK’s Healthy Food and Beverage team wants to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in children attending Winnebago County early childcare programs through implementation of Farm to Early Care practices. In Winnebago County, people consuming enough fruits and vegetables, and are consuming too much sugar. Our team wants to intervene early in order to help our youngest eaters develop lifelong healthy habits.
Through our Farm to Early Care initiative, we are working with childcare programs to increase access to and education around fresh produce through nutrition education, gardening, and procuring local food. Our team is providing guidance, expertise and technical support for those interested in implementing Farm to Early Care practices in their program. Our goal is to assist 5 new childcare programs develop sustainable Farm to Early Care programs per year.
If you want to help children develop healthy habits through Farm to Early Care, join our team!
Meeting Day/Time/Place: Coming soon!
Team Chair: Vacant

Member Spotlight: October 2019
Shout out to long-time coalition member Sarah Wright! She is the Program Manager for Weight of the Fox Valley (WOTFV) and has been an advocate for healthy eating and improved food systems in Winnebago County since joining re:TH!NK as a resident in 2011. Her passion...

Partner Spotlight: August 2019
Kudos to our partner, Davis Child Care, for educating the youth about the importance of healthy foods and gardening! Young friends at Davis Child Care have been learning about the process in which a little seed turns into a plant. The children have been taking the...

UWO’s Quest III “Politics of Food” Partnership
re:TH!NK once again partnered with UWO's Quest III "Politics of Food" to support the Healthy Food & Beverages Team’s Farm-to-Preschool initiative. Students prepared lesson plans to "Plant a Seed" and the "Two-Bite Club" which encourages increased consumption of...