Healthy Eating for Successful Living program funds mark first Harvard Pilgrim Foundation grant to support new focus on healthy aging
LAWRENCE – Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation today announced it has awarded $49,187 to Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and the Healthy Living Center of Excellence in Lawrence, Mass. This is the Foundation’s first grant awarded to support active living and healthy aging. The grant will support lay leader trainings and workshops throughout Massachusetts to train leaders to provide Healthy Eating Active Living workshops for seniors.
“Eating healthy food and staying active can enhance the quality of life for people of all ages, including those over 65,” said Karen Voci, president of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. “These workshops provide critical information that will promote independence and well-being, and empower seniors to make healthy choices and help them live a long and enriched life.”
Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and Hebrew SeniorLife, through their Healthy Living Center of Excellence, will grow the Healthy Eating for Successful Living program within Massachusetts, as well as exploring opportunities to partner and introduce the program in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine. Through regional trainings, more than 60 new leaders will be deployed to offer 70 workshops, reaching 1,000 program participants.
The first two-day training took place in Lawrence earlier this month. Participating in the program were trainees who intend to deliver the program in English, Spanish and Chinese.
“As a direct result of the support of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, nutrition education programs are now available in communities not previously served,” said Rosanne DiStefano, Executive Director of Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley. “These participants will develop the skills needed to improve their health and lives.”
To find a Healthy Eating for Successful Living program near you, visit the Healthy Living Center of Excellence’s Workshop Schedule: http://www.healthyliving4me.org/workshop-schedule/