Summer program aims to get kids to eat their fruits and vegetables

TAMPA, Fla. - A summer program called "Food Is Health" is hammering home a common message sent to kids, "eat your fruits and vegetables". The program is a partnership between AdventHealth, the University of Florida and Dube’s Mobile Market.

"The hope is that as we educate the children, they go home and then educate their families, and as a community, the eating habits change to healthier eating habits," said UF Nutrition Director Melanie Callahan. 

For six weeks, Callahan visits children at three Pinellas County Boys & Girls Clubs and three elementary schools to give lessons and more importantly give taste tests. 

"When they're in a group setting, it's a little less scary because their friend might taste it and like it, so they're influenced to try and taste something really good," Nicole Dube said.

Dube owns Dube’s Mobile Market. She’s been providing produce for "Food Is Health" since the program’s inception. Kids take home a bag of fresh produce once a week. This summer, kids will take home 400 produce bundles a week, which she says equals 19,000 pounds and 50,000 servings. 

"Exposure and excitement around fresh food is definitely an integral part to getting kids to develop healthy eating habits," Dube said. 

AdventHealth has been sponsoring "Food Is Health" since 2019. In the beginning, the program targeted seniors living in food deserts. 

"Part of the mission is really making people feel whole. In order for them to start that, that's got to start somewhere, and so for them to start young, even better, because it means that they're going to continue that routine in that process as they get older," said AdventHealth North Pinellas President Ryan Quattlebaum. 

Dube and her daughter deliver the produce each week and help with the taste testings. 

"When you bring produce and the kids are excited about it, that just feels so good," she said. "You definitely feel like there's a passion and a purpose aligned with this kind of work, and it gives you that energy to just keep going, to continue to make the impact, because it's definitely needed in our community."

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