Berkshire County is ranked in the bottom third at Massachusetts counties in
social
economic and health factors with a higher rate of obesity smoking
expected driving motor vehicle crashes in teen births
mass in motion is a statewide initiative that promotes healthy eating and
active living and their aiming to address and prevent the obesity epidemic
in Clarksburg North Adams and Adams mass Amanda tilson is project cordinator
for math in motion in northern Berkshire thank you so much for coming
on Port Saint talking to me Amanda about the different plans that you buy
happen action let's start with the first one with helping kids in a rule
area walk to school almost seems like it would be at odds with each other
how do you think make that work absolutely will thank you very much for
having a really appreciate it I'd love any opportunity to talk about you know
what the what they were doing in North Berkshire and nothing much in itself has
the initiative is
an amazing opportunity to help with health on my list may be satanic thats
across the state and nation specifically say first to school
and one piece that we were told as we start mass the motion was to really
geared towards a community you know what is your wake me needs and
what is your surrounding environment you have to work with so being a rural area
for Clarksburg for instance
I'm very you know it's back roads so on
one thing that we're looking to do is they've created some trail systems
behind the school
on in the wilderness in the woods and so 1
you know a few years down the road when they're actually a complete the
possibility of having children walk to school in a group together yes walking
school bus that would come through
the trails leading up to the school but they're actually the first at those
three communities to
on jump right into biking to school and these will be well leading to anything
goes by and a roll community an exact details in the middle of nowhere
exactly would be safe yeah I mean what would happen is when they walk to school
it would
would both be during the day you know so we would have to say we're about the
leading
that to start you know I'm definitely getting used more and more so in that
becomes a kingdom and then maybe we'll look into it but
a man they want to score the pair on tears as a really neat program it's a
walking school bus through Safe Routes to School
and um they have parents or seventh eighth graders that kinda believe that
walking school must see you have a mix of people walking in and being a larger
group
promotes at healthier overall look at you walking more often and being healthy
or not is in your eating habits but also by
getting more exercise which surprisingly is harder in a more rural
area to really embrace that why is absolutely I think the tough part is
that the resources
you know that are available and I think the
the concern as well you know really having that be in the forefront so
walking and biking necessarily you know are in the forefront for
in a North perks were moving in that direction but we were lacking some the
infrastructure some other bike link the sign edge
and just the No love the drivers you know I think that because
that used to be the way and then there was a culture shift and driving became
the number one with a transportation we're trying to bring the walking and
biking back
and so really its also its shift in the culture
back to that so it's helping people's minds at their behaviors think I've
this anymore bikers and walkers on the road you know some more traffic calming
devices that are
on affective and low and low cost as well
are still some things we need to think about I'm in the rural areas pressure
so you're not even just talking about the outside your now bringing the focus
to nutrition and exercise
inside with a big proponent being be nutrition
and having local foods how's that going are you getting a lot of different
companies
on board or farms that are being able to provide that
fresh fill it in prudhoe thus produce and organic
I'm fruit and Asha both yeah absolutely so it definitely affects I think again
working on a rural area we have a limited amount of arms
you know we have to think about me to think about transportation as sum up the
food is coming to the schools is already being driven from
I you know a far-out place and also thinking about the budget to the school
had to work with and being a smaller school
the budget they have to work with is also a little bit smaller on so again
its
its accessing the resources that are available so we do have some farm so
what we're working with first is really small steps how can we bring just some
local food and whether it be an Apple once a week whether I B
some local foods twice a month so our schools actually joined
partnership with Massachusetts farm to school on its call harvest
other month campaign and so what they agreed to do list serve to local foods
per month
and each month the highlight up some produce so I think for the night
November
Apple's so twice throughout this month they serve local ask
on apples from yes these orchards Watson is an Adams mass
and they work 11 with the farmer so that they work about you know the payment
plans that procurement plans and
you know d transportation whether the orchard delivers a directly whether
the distribution services that are using you know swing by and pick them up
absolutely I feel like a lot more look loopholes the kinder gentler when you
know in the rural communities for sure
now the kids are they at on board with that people
be honest kids if she had an attorney any Barnett Apple probably are going to
choose the
Apple how I kids reaction to kinda this new way of thinking
absolute if the flame exxon in talking to some you know some other schools and
throughout North Adams Adams the Clarksburg they've seen actually the
school
on lunches decrease that much on actual by the school lunches
you know because they had to kinda be work in the regulations and bring him
into legitimately there's no kind of simple transition with the kids to begin
to experiment and try those for that was like okay we're jumpin in
whole grain this whole week that dark green you know all that kind of thing in
a lot about you have acquired taste like specialty haven't had them and in a long
time
forever so on the were to you know kinda take that's a blabber no doing it but
what we found
really helps is to have a farmer come in is to really connect the kids with the
farmer whether they go to the farm in the fun comes to them
I mean have some have experience and deceptive project that and sample the
food then
then we've what we did is we serve the same foods that same day at lunch
and the kids were static because now they know the farmer they've seen the
food maybe they've even got to the farm and they just are so amazed that
it's right here in their hometown and a day to try to tackle a PC among children
which is overall
having healthier children in general what are some goals that you have in
some ways you're gonna go about accomplishing
sure so specifically through a massive much with a few other plans that you
know we're hoping to
work that way with one of them is I'm working with some of our convenience
stores
as I many people are population you like the communists as their main source of
shopping or even stopping in for a quick snap a quick snack can be
3 400 500 calories on and then the drink because with that snack
so what are the one other things are looking to in this is really in the
initial stages
on this plan specifically as work with healthier options
where people working what they have and helping to create incentives for people
to
encourage them to really want to buy that because I think sometimes when its
new
having that external incentive to say hey if i buy so many of these I get up
get certificate or whatever
all sites to ours bring on that internal and sent about
describe them I'm sorry feel good I'm eating healthier just this feels really
good
um so you know working with that commuters also working their farmers
markets as well as another huge piece
I'm really make making the food available to farmers market accessible
an equitable to all so we have a snap times to program on that we accept
benefits such as wake
on other coupons and our at the farmers market as well
so to be easier for me somebody who doesn't have the means to be able to get
affordable fresh fruit a national now lastly tells about Clarksburg school
they yeah recently got an awards dinner slowly
I know I know near where Greater China on fantastically so
we yesterday we celebrated on the pier arleigh healthy can use the word and
it's it's a statewide award are given to healthy communities whether be a school
organizations there's there's six diversity at Cox
Clarksburg Sep recipients carts for being one of them and they originally
got the
war for the whole biking to school Africa that was started by
eighth-graders
and they did you know the work with the help of myself the superintendent
and the principal at the school and so they spent a year going to meetings
preparing presentations
job-creating criteria with the kids need to do creating I'm working with
different partners to have some bike safety
opportunities for the kids to take before they wrote and then getting
public safety in different people on board
for the actual in May 2013 we had our first bike to school then
20 or so years the course packet data right and so from that
I mean wasn't just biking to school it was just creating healthy Chinese paying
a partnership with the town that's now an amazing person that establish
on it that trail system behind the school and bring answer partners to help
that happen they have what's called the guy about it
I'm at the school which provides an amazing opportunity for physical
activity
they have been a big I push in the local foods
you bring them into Clarksburg you know in and the food service directors like
others do what I can
you know i'll make the budget work to make that happen except just bring it
all to northern Berkshire thank you how much you mean to tell them thank you