Residents of Susan’s Place Learn the Value of Healthy Living

March 15, 2018

On Monday, March 12, over 50 residents of Susan’s Place attended a Nutrition Carnival organized by Care for the Homeless (CFH). At the event, residents learned more about creating a healthier lifestyle by making better food choices. The event featured information and snack tables that actively engaged the residents via trivia and fun board games. In a post-event survey, many of the residents said they enjoyed the variety of information and activities that was offered during the event.

Residents try raw vegetables as a healthy snack option.

“The games and volunteers were very informative, the snacks were healthy also,” said one resident of Susan’s Place. Snack stations introduced various healthy options to the residents including fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits and raw vegetables.

Residents were also taught how to create healthier alternatives to juice, soda, and other high-sugar drinks. “I enjoyed learning how to make flavored water by using things like green tea, mint, and berries,” another resident said. Consuming high-sugar drinks leads to weight gain and increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and gout. Sharing infused water recipes helps the residents who are working hard to transition from addictive, sugar-sweetened beverages to flavorful, healthier water.

According a survey distributed to the residents, four in five residents said they were very interested in attending a similar event in the future. A majority also expressed interest in setting up a nutritional visit with a CFH primary care provider—exactly the outcome our team aims for! The Health Education team plans to use feedback from the survey to develop a more in-depth workshop in the future that will provide more complex nutritional information to the participants.

A student volunteer shares nutrition information with
two residents of Susan's Place.

A big shout-out of thanks to the energetic student volunteers from the University of Southern California, who dedicated their spring break to helping individuals experiencing homelessness in NYC and made this event a great success. We would also like to thank YOU for your continued support to make events such as the Nutrition Carnival possible. Your support insures that people who are experiencing homelessness continue to receive vital and positive health information from our dynamic Health Education team. Thank you!