Angelika Andrukiewicz
Angelika Andrukiewicz is an MPH student at Sacred Heart University who Interned and worked with the following organizations: Bristol Burlington Health District, Parent and Child Center at Bristol Hospital, Bristol Housing Authority, HRA, and Bristol Community Services. The population being served includes families enrolled in SNAP/WIC programs, low-income families, and children. The BBHD Family Food Program was addressing childhood obesity in Bristol, Connecticut by establishing and creating fresh produce vouchers for low-income families to be used weekly at the Bristol’s Farmers Market. The program incorporated nutritious elements by engaging families in the community to use fresh produce vouchers to get healthy foods for their families each week. In addition to providing these vouchers, the program was able to build stronger relationships between community organizations and the BBHD to help discuss other possible community needs. Ultimately, the program aimed to reduce childhood obesity within the community by continuing the program every year. The results from the program have shown that a program like the BBHD Family Food Program has only improved people’s lives. The purpose of this program was to dedicate funds for the exclusive purchase of fresh produce in an effort to reduce childhood obesity rates in the Bristol-Burlington district. The main findings show that children have eaten healthier, maintained a healthy weight and that the program has helped families in establishing healthy ways of living for the future.