Lead Agency: YMCA of Orange County

Living in America meant better opportunities for families in the Warwick and Meadows apartment complexes. But that wasn't true when it came to healthy eating: the most accessible grocery store was a mile away from their homes. Lack of transportation meant that vendor trucks, which sell mostly unhealthy snacks such as sweet breads and fried pork rinds, were frequently the most convenient source of food. But thanks to the vision of the Santa Ana Healthy Eating by Design partnership and a community champion, residents now have better opportunities for healthy eating.

A bus route brochure was developed to help families access the farmers' market where they could use WIC Special Supplemental Nutrition Program vouchers and Food Stamp program benefits. The brochure helped link residents to available food sources—and, as a result, WIC and Food Stamp benefit redemption rates increased.

The Healthy Eating by Design project also supported the development of the existing farmers' market through physical improvements, including a canopy for cooking demonstrations and classes and a shed for on-site program supplies. Services were also brought home to the apartment complex, as the project made provisions to allow residents to apply for the Food Stamp Program on-site at the family resource center.

In addition, healthy eating programs developed specifically for Spanish speaking cultures—such as Latino 5 a Day, recipe exchanges, taste testing, cooking demonstrations and classes—were offered for mothers and children. Learning about healthy eating sparked so much interest among the teens that they created a Healthy Eating by Design logo and took charge of posting updated healthy eating material on the apartment complex bulletin board. Some of them even became role models by serving as "promotores," or lay health advisors for their peers.

Maria Halverson, who led the Santa Ana Healthy Eating by Design project, was critical to its success. Maria was effective as a community champion because she gained the respect and trust of the people for whom she works so diligently, serving in leadership roles with several community organizations. She also had personal experience as a community member, wife and mother of three children, which made her sensitive to the needs and challenges of children and families in the community. As one resident said, "We trust her because she has listened when she should listen and led when she should have led." Winning the confidence of community members helped the partnership connect existing resources and create new opportunities to meet its needs. For many local residents, healthy eating and healthy foods are now a part of everyday life in Santa Ana.