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    17Jul, 2019
    Clairton Education Center celebrated the start of summer with Summer Food Program Kickoff!

    At the beginning of June, the Clairton Education Center, a Live Well Allegheny School, celebrated the beginning of summer with a Summer Food Program kickoff event. The kickoff event was held during the last week of school and provided families with information about the Summer Food Service Program. Participants enjoyed a cookout and activities for families and children. Several organizations including Economic Development South, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the Allegheny County Health Department, and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh provided health and safety activities for children during the event.

    The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a national program of the USDA that provides free meals to kids in the summer months. SFSP ensures that low-income children receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Through the program, local sponsors like churches and community organizations provide meals and activities to children ages 18 and under.

    Allegheny County boasts nearly 300 distribution sites. The distribution sites, which range from churches to parks, provide free summer meals and fun activities to Allegheny County youth throughout the summer months. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s SFSP outreach initiative seeks to increase participation in the program by offering information, best practices, marketing support, and technical assistance to local sites.

    Anyone 18 and under can attend Summer Food Program sites throughout the summer. Wondering how you can find a summer food site near you? To find a site in your neighborhood, text “FOOD” to 877-877 or call 2-1-1 for the United Way hotline to hear site locations and meal schedules. You can also visit USDA’s Summer Meal Site Finder to find a site in your community.

    3Jul, 2019
    One Community and One Restaurant Join Live Well Allegheny Campaign

    July 2, 2019

    PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced today that Verona Borough and Bridges and Bourbon, a Penn Avenue restaurant, have joined the Live Well Allegheny campaign. Now participating are 67 communities, 51 restaurants, 32 workplaces and 18 school districts that are making health a priority in Allegheny County.

    “Welcome Verona and Bridges and Bourbon. We are grateful to have you and to see even more organizations join us in our efforts for a healthier community,” said Fitzgerald. “We are most successful when we all work together. We look forward to having even more communities, restaurants, workplaces and schools join us in this campaign for greater wellness.”

    Live Well Allegheny was launched in January 2014 by County Executive Rich Fitzgerald as a comprehensive and innovative strategy on wellness that embraces a broad concept of living well to include physical health, mental wellness, personal and community safety, prevention and preparedness, and much more. The campaign is being led by the Allegheny County Board of Health and ACHD Director Dr. Karen Hacker.

    “It has been a pleasure to watch the progress made with the Live Well Allegheny initiative,” said Dr. Hacker. “I became Director a few months before the campaign was launched and it has been a signature effort of ours throughout my tenure. It is incredible to see all the work done over the years by community partners, municipalities, school districts, places we work and places we eat. While we have had significant successes, there is more to do. If you haven’t joined the Live Well effort, please apply now.”

    Following is more information about the latest Live Well Allegheny partners:

    Live Well Allegheny Community

    Verona Borough will encourage community involvement through volunteer activities, will provide facilities or policies that encourage walking and bike riding and will promote and support farmers markets. The borough has also promised to request vending machine companies add healthy foods and to work with the companies to post nutritional contents for the foods offered. Developing walking maps and outdoor wellness trails accessible to residents of all abilities, promoting smoke-free and tobacco free buildings and perimeters, and utilizing web sites and social media to provide information on physical activity, nutrition, stress management, tobacco cessation, and other health and wellness related initiatives are also in Verona’s plans.

    “I am so pleased to learn that Verona is the newest community in District 7 that has made a commitment to improving the health and wellness of residents,” said Council Vice President Nick Futules, who is the County Council Member representing District 7. “I applaud the community’s commitments and look forward to seeing the results of its efforts.”

    Live Well Allegheny Restaurant

    Bridges and Bourbon will eliminate trans-fat oils in its cooking, be smoke-free, and will provide a location to store bicycles at or near the restaurant. It has also committed to offer vegetarian fare options and healthier beverage options, offer brown rice and other whole grains as an alternate to white rice and white bread, and offer low-fat milk as an alternate to cream for hot beverages. Other options will include healthy side dishes.