Satterberg Foundation

Solid Ground’s Apple Corps Program fights the root causes of
obesity and poor nutrition in communities most at risk for diet-related health
problems. Their goal is to engage children in nutrition education and physical
activity, connect families to community resources and public benefits, and
increase access to healthy food.

Apple Corps trains and places a team of full-time AmeriCorps
Service Members in elementary schools, community agencies and after-school
programs to provide nutrition education and lead fitness programs for children
who are most at risk for poor nutrition.

Their program introduces children to basic nutritional
concepts and offers physical fitness activities. In addition, Apple Corps
provide free information about local produce, culturally appropriate recipes
specifically selected for limited budgets and high nutritional value, and community
resources that can help provide healthier nutritional and physical activity
options for families.

“As part of the Mission Delicious Programs this year, I play
the part of a farmer who has come to speak to the children about all the
healthy food that I grow on my farm. The other character in this “Farmer Fran”
skit is an unhealthy city slicker named City Sam, who eats candy for breakfast
and has no energy to operate during the day. After learning about all the
healthy food that Farmer Fran grows, and after eating a healthy snack, Sam
starts to feel better by the end of the skit. Once the children sit to eat
their Spinach Turkey Tortilla Wraps, City Sam and I walk along to all the kids
and ask them whether they like their new snack. Most students give me an enthusiastic
thumbs-up, and some students even decide to give City Sam a piece of their mind
when he walks by.”