The mission of the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Task Force of Partners brings together the many resources that contribute to improved nutrition and increasing the activity levels of adults and children in the Greater Fall River Area.  This Task Force also seeks to reduce levels of overweight, obesity and poor nutrition by providing nutrition education and access to healthy foods throughout the community. Working closely with the Fall River Mass In Motion Project, this Task Force also seeks to improve the physical environment to enable multi-modal transportation, greater use of parks and open spaces, and resources designed to increase physical fitness. At the March 3, 2015 meeting, Umass Extension Nutrition Education Program Supervisor Andrea Gulezian, MEd, RD, LDN was invited to describe her program and the many nutrition education programs that her program provides both children and adults in Fall River. A number of Task Force members expressed an interest in connecting with her program to bring expanded nutrition education to the City. The meeting concluded with some discussion of the upcoming South Coast Bikeway Summit and several new grants that are expanding active living resources for seniors in the City. For more information about the Task Force, contact Co-chairs Dave Weed  at 508-837-9029 or Julianne Kelly at 508-324-2405. (Bottom four photos courtesy of Brian Moses)

(Top row) Umass Extension Nutrition Education Program Supervisor Andrea Gulezian, MEd, RD, LDN describes her program and the many nutrition education programs that her program provides both children and adults in Fall River, as well as other Southeastern Massachusetts cities. (Row two) Fall River Schools Health and Physical Education Department Head Brad Bustin asks about arranging some of the education programs for the newly forming Parent Academy. (Row three) Ms. Gulezian displays one of the posters that reinforce some of the nutrition messages that her program teaches before  HEAL Co-chair Julie Kelly talks about an upcoming South Coast Bikeway Summit to Task Force members Gloria Salinas of Head Start and Lisa Alves and Carol Webber of the WIC Program. (Row four) Julianne describes some of the other healthy eating and active living projects currently underway including the Permaculture Garden project at Cottell Apartments and the Walk to a Healthy Market Project as Micah Savitzky, Sophie Fierst, Angie Bras, Marcia Picard and Brian Moses listen. (Bottom row) Julie asks David to describe a current grant-application process that could expand Mass in Motion to ten communities in Bristol County over the next four years.