This Fourth of July weekend was great mostly because I got to go to baseball at Clark Park for the first time since it started this year! For those of you who don’t already know this about me, I am a baseball junkie (GO TIGERS, #PICKRICK FOR THE ALL STAR GAME. YOU HAVE UNTIL 4 TOMORROW, JUST SO YOU KNOW!) and I play on the adult softball league at Clark Park. I got into it because my niece and nephew played last and this year on the children’s softball team, and I was so happy to see the kids and Coach Morris again and some new faces over the holiday. However, my post is not actually about baseball, although I could talk about it all day, but about how awesome the programs are at the park and to talk about the free lunches they offer the kids after softball.
So at the park, all of the kids are given and strongly encouraged to eat the free lunches provided at the park. It was like that last year, and it is such a good things for the kids. The lunches aren’t only free, but they’re very nutritious and tasty. There is 2% milk, whole wheat sandwiches, veggies, fresh fruit, snacks, and the containers are sealed and recyclable. I believe these meals are from Gleaner’s Food Bank and they really impact the children. Being offered this healthy food during the day after playing sports and in the sun for hours on end is great for the kids. This early on introduction to healthy food instills good eating habits with children, and teaches them lessons that they carry on into adulthood.
Health and food is important, and it is hard to access this kind of food when you are living in a more urban environment. So props to Clark Park, for not only being the coolest park in Detroit (I may be biased… or they may be just the coolest) but probably the healthiest, too.
Some girls from softball eating at the park!
This is a link to the Gleaner’s Food Bank Annual Report. In it, you see the kids at Clark Park from the baseball program and a super cute little girl eating a sandwich and drinking milk on page 21. Even if you don’t read the entire thing, just be sure to look at page 21. She’s cute.
Thanks for sharing! I love reading/looking at posts dealing with youth. At my placement, we don’t get to work directly with children even though we focus on them. I would have loved to experience this day in the park!