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Healthy Lifestyles

Action Teams

Access-Ability logo

Food Assistance

Visit the Access-Ability web site to learn more about local food assistance programs.

Healthy Tools

Overview

The Healthy Lifestyles Action Team works to increase the appropriate utilization of professional health care services through self-care education and support, especially related to healthy choices regarding nutrition and physical activity. Much of the team's work is focused on making changes to the environment to make it easier to move naturally throughout the day and to eat more nutritious food.

  • 5-2-1-ALMOST NONE INITIATIVE: This is a program that promotes healthy eating and physical activity by helping parents, teachers and kids remember the recommendations. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Limit leisure screen time (television, phone, computers, tablets, etc.) to 2 hours or less each day. Get 1 hour or more of physical activity each day. Drink almost no sugar-sweetened beverages each day.
  • 5-2-1-0 Flyer
  • 5-2-1-0 Parent Toolkit
    • COMMUNITY WELLNESS CHALLENGE: This is a month-long wellness challenge designed to help you develop and maintain healthy habits and overall well-being.  The emphasis is on purpose, nutrition, activity and mindfulness.  The toolkit was created so employers, churches, organizations, groups and anyone looking to inspire a healthier lifestyle can run the challenge on their own. If you use it, let us know. We love capturing stories of the successes.
  • Wellness Challenge Toolkit
  • LOCAL FOOD STUDY for Bartholomew & Jackson Counties: Using proceeds donated by the Cummins Marathon in 2013, Ken Meter, a consultant with Crossroads Resource Center in Minneapolis, completed a local food study of Bartholomew and Jackson Counties including a study of the state of Indiana’s food economy. His research indicates that if the region’s residents purchase $5 worth of food every week directly from the growers in Bartholomew and Jackson Counties, about $31 million of new farm income would be generated for our area. “A food system should build health, wealth, connection and capacity in a community,” Meter says. Ken Meter updated the study for the 2016 Local Food Summit.
  • PDF of the Local Food Study
  • FOOD INSECURITY COALITION: As an active member of the Bartholomew County Food Insecurity Coalition we have distributed thousands of food assistance brochures throughout in Spanish and English. The most up-to-date version of the brochures can be found here: https://www.access-ability-nonprofit.com/food-assistance. The Coalition works with the local hot meal site coordinators to help with menu planning, food safety, nutrition education, and use of local foods.  They also assist with the dissemination of SNAP benefits at the Columbus Downtown Farmers Market.  This includes the double bucks program, which enables SNAP beneficiaries to obtain two dollars worth of food for every one dollar spent in SNAP benefits. 
  • Columbus Hometown Food Guide 
  • Purdue Extension Food Link 
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Selecting Fruits & Veggies

Purdue Extension Foodlink helps you select fresh fruits and vegetables
Learn More

Documents

The Walking Maps of Bartholomew County booklet contains 30 walking routes throughout Bartholomew County.
Download Walking
Maps

Are you ordering food for people and looking for the healthy options in Columbus? Take a look!
Download Catering
Guide