  Feinstein Community Service Center at the Providence Campus PROVIDENCE, R.I. — March 1, 2007 —The Feinstein Community Service Center of the John Hazen White School of Arts & Sciences at Johnson & Wales University has been selected as one of the 11 Produce for Better Health Foundation National Excellence Awards recipients for 2006. The winners will officially be announced at an awards luncheon on March 17, 2007 in San Francisco, Calif. Each year Produce for Better Health recognizes companies or organizations that are doing an excellent job promoting the message to eat five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables for better health. Johnson & Wales, through its exemplary community leadership learning opportunities for students, focus on three areas for civic initiatives which include hunger, homelessness, and nutrition education. In the area of nutrition education the University hosts an array of unique programs designed to target specific populations. The Veggin’ Out program and Community Culinary Nutrition Demonstration (CCND) program are two civic initiatives offered that use University resources to generate creative solutions to community needs. The Veggin’ Out program, started in 1998, is a collaborative project designed to address the nutritional needs of low-income families by providing educational opportunities that equip children and adults to prepare culturally appropriate, nutritious recipes that incorporate fresh, locally grown produce. The intent of the program is to increase produce consumption among low-income families across Rhode Island by working with existing government nutrition assistance programs. Veggin’ Out has operated for the past eight years as a partnership between J&W, the Rhode Island Department of Health’s WIC program, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Each Veggin’ Out session includes easy to prepare, produce-based recipes, opportunities for audience participation, culinary and nutrition information, free samples, take home bi-lingual recipe books, and information on other nutrition assistance programs. In 2004, with the success of the Veggin’ Out program, the Feinstein Center staff launched a new initiative called the Community Culinary Nutrition Demonstration Program (CCND). This curriculum was designed to bring the message of health and nutrition to community groups and audiences that are nutritionally at risk, such as seniors, low-income families, and children, providing much needed information about healthy food choices, the importance of physical activity, and basic cooking skills year-round. Demonstrations take place in many public forums including senior centers, schools, and libraries, throughout Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. Johnson & Wales University, founded in 1914, is a nonprofit, private institution. A recognized leader in career education, we offer accredited degrees in business, hospitality, culinary arts, technology and education. With a diverse student body of more than 16,000 graduate and undergraduate students, representing all 50 states and 89 countries, JWU prepares students for personal and professional success by integrating rigorous academics and professional skills, community leadership opportunities and our unique career education model. The university is committed to urban revitalization and thoughtful historic renovation. Through active civic participation and by offering unique learning opportunities, JWU improves the quality of life in its campus communities in Providence, R.I., North Miami, Fla., Denver, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C. For more information visit www.jwu.edu.
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