(Editor’s Note:  Photo Ops include Commissioner O’Dowd meeting with parents and children taking part in cooking demonstrations and healthy play activities; the Simple Cooking with Heart program sponsored by the American Heart Association; and the Kids Corner program lead by the Raritan Bay Area YMCA)

On November 2, Commissioner O’Dowd will join staff of the Jewish Renaissance Medical Center and members of the statewide ShapingNJ partnership, including the American Heart Association and the Raritan Bay Area YMCA, to demonstrate affordable healthy food selection and preparation and provide information on good nutrition and local sources of healthy foods.  More than 100 people from the medical center community are expected to attend.

This event will take place in the Community Room at the Jewish Renaissance Medical Center located at 275 Hobart Street, Perth Amboy from 11 a.m. – Noon.

Wednesday’s event celebrates National Start Eating Healthy Day, sponsored by the American Heart Association to encourage people to develop good food habits, eat heart-healthy and be active. Their Simple Cooking with Heart demonstration, presented by Heather Cunningham, Clinical Nutrition Manager of the Raritan Bay Medical Center, will feature easy to prepare nutritious recipes for the entire family. 

The Kids Corner will engage young children with healthy snacks and play activities directed by the Raritan Bay Area YMCA.  Tabletop displays and information sharing opportunities will be provided by other ShapingNJ partners including the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the Middlesex County Public Health Department and WIC, the Women, Infants and Children Food and Nutrition Service.

Obesity is a serious public health problem that puts children and adolescents at greater risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. 

To reduce obesity rates, the Department’s Office of Nutrition and Fitness (ONF) launched ShapingNJ in 2009, a partnership that has grown to more than 170 organizations working together to coordinate statewide efforts that enable people to eat better, be active and live healthier lives.

The Jewish Renaissance Medical Center is one of New Jersey’s 20 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) that provides a safety net for the state’s most vulnerable populations that are most likely to face major financial, social, geographic and language barriers to obtaining health care.