Junior League of Denver introduced a new project for the 2008-2009 year – Healthy Habits at Joshua Station. Partnering with Joshua Station, a local transformational housing program, this committee developed a nutritional program for residents.
Joshua Station
Joshua Station offers affordable housing in a safe environment for families that are making the transition from homelessness to a healthy, stable living environment. The community is situated in a converted motel and has the capacity to serve 26 families at any one time. During their time as residents, families participate in a life-building program that is based on the goal of moving from Joshua Station into stable, independent housing. The program generally takes families 13 – 15 months to complete.
Residents at Joshua Station are all provided with a mini refrigerator, microwave and slow-cooker in their individual rooms. However, a newly remodeled shared kitchen is located in the common area of the community, which all residents may access at anytime. Larger shared refrigerators and cupboards are available for residents to store their food; utensils, dishes, pots and pans are all provided as well.
JLD Healthy Habits at Joshua Station
The goal of Healthy Habits is to assist Joshua Station in developing a nutritional program they can implement for the resident families. Involving both the parents and children, the program aims to help families make better nutritional decisions, while keeping in mind that most residents, if not all, are currently on food stamps.
The program curriculum covers topics that are both practical and beneficial for the families. General topics such as basic food preparation, food safety and hygiene will be covered, while integrating lessons on reading nutritional labels, shopping on a budget, meal planning, and smart dining out.
The more specialized children’s curriculum is centered around hands-on activities to help the children take responsibility and pride in their own nutrition. Focus is placed on healthy choices for school lunches, easy after-school snacks, fitness and health knowledge, and food pyramid education.
Upon conclusion of each Healthy Habits event, participants are provided with kitchen utensils and recipe(s) pertaining to the topics covered. This not only helps to build the residents’ own personal kitchen inventory, but also provides them with the tools needed to continue their new nutritional living upon graduation from Joshua Station.
The Healthy Habits program aims to make healthy nutrition habits enjoyable, interactive and easy for families who previously may not have had access to this information. We welcome you to check back for updates on our progress throughout the year. For questions or more information, please contact us at jldhealthyhabits@jld.org
