A Place to Turn “Healthy Learners” initiative

A $5,000 grant to A Place to Turn from the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation will help improve the quantity and quality of the nonprofit’s food offerings to families in social and economic need who have school-age children.

The “Healthy Learners: Feed the Body, Feed the Mind” initiative introduced recently by A Place to Turn in Natick specifically targets those local families with school-age children served by the agency. It emphasizes food essential to a healthy diet, which in turn impacts the preparedness of students in school, according to Joanne Barry, executive director of A Place to Turn.

“Numerous studies link low income to poor nutrition and related performance issues in school,” Barry stated.

“The Charitable Foundation can appreciate the connection between a healthy diet and success in the schoolroom,” said Mark R. Haranas, president of Framingham Co-operative Bank. “We were pleased to offer our support for this particular program.”

HEALTHY CHECK – Joanne Barry (center), executive director of A Place to Turn, accepts a ceremonial check representing a $5,000 donation to the organization’s Healthy Learners program from the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation. With Barry are Rachel Stewart, administrative director of the Foundation, and Steven Sousa, senior vice president of the Bank and Foundation board member.

A Place to Turn assisted over 6,000 people in fiscal 2008, and that number has increased by 15% for the current fiscal year. The organization currently serves 800 families with school-aged children. Because WIC, the federally funded nutritional supplement program, ends for families when children turn five, many families receive fewer resources and nutritional support when their children begin schooling. The “Healthy Learners: Feed the Body, Feed the Mind” initiative specifically focuses on those families, providing children with nutrition-rich foods that can lead to improved school attendance, academic performance, and  the overall health of the children.