CHICAGO, IL, April 19, 2008 -- FNS Midwest Regional Office joined “Girls on the Run” (GOTR) at the “Dia del Niño,” a family health and fitness festival sponsored by the Mexican National Museum of Art and the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children. (GOTR is a national nonprofit after-school program that encourages healthy behaviors in preteen girls through running.) The booth featured kids’ relay races with a “MyPyramid” theme. The Midwest Region distributed bilingual MyPyramid flyers, “Loving your Family” food stamp nutrition education materials, food stamp brochures and summer meals flyers. 

(1) University of Illinois at Chicago dietitian Alicia Martinez explains the rules to the little racers at the starting line. Martinez provides nutrition education in the Chicago Public Schools through the University’s Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion, a USDA Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program.

(2) Participating at the event are, from left, Sandhya Krishnan, GOTR Program Manager; Maged Hanafi, Midwest Region SNP specialist; Alicia Martinez, University of Illinois dietitian and GOTR volunteer; Crystal Geris, GOTR Community Outreach Coordinator; and Lisa Kirner, GOTR board member.

(3)  University of Illinois dietitian Alicia Martinez (standing) and GOTR Community Outreach Intern Margret O’Reilly help the young racers match their food cards with the right food group envelope at the finish line. The booth drew close to 1,000 parents and children.