The food we eat today and the products we use in our home were made, in part, by farmworkers who travel across the country doing difficult, risky work so we have what we need. As we celebrate National Farmworker Awareness Week from March 25-March 31, we encourage you to think about those who are working hard for us and how we, in turn, can support them.

Weight stigma and bias are so common in our society that we often don’t know when we’re exposed to it. Yet, weight stigma can actually perpetuate and worsen health conditions for the children and adults we know and work with in our community. Here’s what you need to know in order to promote a healthier, supportive community.

In 2012, our community put a stake in the ground, united around ensuring children in our community can read by the end of third grade. The rallying cry centered on eliminating barriers to learning for young students and bringing to light the real struggle that some kids face when it comes to literacy. From our work, here are lessons of what it takes to build the village of support for each child, while still staying true to the mission of “why."               

In this podcast, HealthConnect Fellow Aubrey Alvarez shares her personal journey to becoming Eat Greater Des Moines' executive director and how the food system can be improved so everyone in central Iowa can access quality food.

Working in journalism and nonprofit communications, I’ve spent my career asking individuals to share their personal stories. While I’ve tried to approach these conversations with respect and care, I’ve only recently begun to appreciate the relationship building that’s required to honor their voice.

The 2020 legislative session will be my eighth legislative session as a child advocate. The eighth year I will go to the state capitol and work to ensure that children are a top priority for Iowa policymakers. This year is the first year that my advocacy efforts have transitioned from ideological to personal.