What we do, they do. Our kids are like sponges. They soak up everything around them, even when you are certain they are not paying attention.

That’s why we decided to invest in Growing Healthy Communities series (and Building Healthy Communities program coverage) beginning this month. It’s an exclusive 12-month series that looks inside our city neighborhoods and engages in frank conversations about what is helping, and hindering, healthy habits.

We are committed to support efforts to transform our city neighborhoods into places with an overabundance of healthy eating and activity options available to all residents, regardless of income.

Our readers will see more coverage chronicling development efforts to enhance fresh food access at independent grocery and convenience stores. We also will take a closer look at what hinders larger-scale investments in fresh food access.

One is consumer demand.

In order to make highly perishable fresh foods more accessible and affordable, we need to regularly purchase them from local sources.

That’s why we’ll call out “Healthier How-Tos” in every issue to help our readers identify simple tips to choose healthier, fresh alternatives.

And, thanks to the support of the Michigan Fitness Foundation, we will continue to produce our exclusive STIR and GOguide sections. They provide readers “bite-sized” tips about nutrition and expansive local activity options sure to get your family up and off the couch and having fun this year.

We’ll also pay close attention to citizen-led efforts that are helping area families to gain access to fresh foods at local schools, churches and community centers. One example is a mobile fresh food pantry at Timbuktu Academy of Science and Technology.

As important, we’ll explore efforts to close existing gaps in transportation, safety and infrastructure as well as examine underutilized programs that deserve increased community support and attention.

Together, we can change the way we work, live and play.

Lead photo: Aaleishia Boykin showcased her favorite healthy recipe at an event hosted by the Michigan Fitness Foundation. Photography by Tim Galloway

  Building Healthy Communities, fresh food access, Michigan Fitness Foundation, Preventing childhood obesity, Timbuktu Academy of Science and Technology