A previous study led by Hopkins geriatric researcher Erwin Tan, PhD, published in 2006, showed that older black women who volunteer in classrooms with young children get plenty of exercise (no surprise to anyone who spends time with young children). For previously sedentary women, 15 hours of volunteer work at a grade school nearly doubled their overall activity. Very few programs have ever been able to boast that kind of improvement. The latest follow-up, three years later, shows that volunteers remain more active.

The research team collected health information about 71 black women over the age of 65 who participate in the Experience Corps Baltimore, a program sponsored by Johns Hopkins that places elderly volunteers in kindergarten through third grade classrooms, where they serve as mentors and tutors. The scientists then compared the volunteers to 150 black women in the same area who are not part of the program.

The original findings showed that school volunteers burned twice as many calories a day as women in the control group. The follow-up data confirms that, even three years later, the volunteers are still getting about double the activity, measured in calorie expenditure. Moreover, findings show that the volunteers improved their walking speed and grip strength, two important measures of function in older age. They also improved their memory and attention.

“Anything that increases a level of activity for a long period of time is a huge plus,” said Dr. Tan. “But the real news here is that this particular kind of volunteer work benefits children and the educational system as well as the volunteers, demonstrating the potential benefits for what many are calling an intergenerational social contract.”

Of course the benefits go way beyond physical activity. Just listen to one of the volunteers, Delores Bell, describe her experience on the Experience Corps Baltimore website: “During my short time with Experience Corps I’ve felt like my life has meaning. I have a reason for getting up in the morning, knowing that I am going to help a child. When they say, “Miss Bell I need some help,” or “Miss Bell, will you help me,” it gives me a feeling that I am needed. You cannot imagine the joy that it brings me. I now have a purpose to get up in the morning, knowing that there are children waiting for me.”

You don’t need a scientific experiment to prove those benefits are incalculable.

© 2009 PDQhealth

The federal government has officially put an end to hunger in America.

The word, anyway.

The new official term, adopted several years ago by the US Department of Agriculture, is “food insecurity.”

By any name, it still means struggling to put food on the table, skipping meals, and sometimes going to bed hungry because there’s nothing in the pantry and very little money to stock it.

The USDA has just released the latest statistics on just how many Americans suffer the pangs of “food insecurity.” The findings are a national disgrace.

·         More than 36 million Americans struggled to put enough food on the table at least some time during 2007.

·         An estimated 691,000 children didn’t get enough to eat to be active and healthy—a number 50 percent higher than it was in 2006.

·         Almost 12 million adults and children suffered “very low food security.”

·         The biggest increases in “food insecurity” over the past nine years were tallied in Iowa and Alaska.

·         States with the greatest number of people going hunger were Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, and Arkansas.

As bad as those numbers are, the reality on the ground today is likely to be worse, since the USDA’s report is for 2007 and doesn’t take into account the consequences of this year’s economic turmoil. One gauge of increasing hardship is the number of households enrolled in the food stamp program (which has now changed its name to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP). That tally climbed from 12,432,801 households in January to 13,220,998 in August, the most recent month for which data is available.

With more lay-offs looming, the situation in coming months is likely to get even more desperate.

An adequate and varied diet is the cornerstone of good health, from infancy to old age. The latest numbers show that for far too many Americans, a nutritious meal is a luxury they can’t afford.

Emergency food aid programs, which include food banks, food pantries, and meal programs, are the country’s last defense against hunger. But many of these programs are struggling as food prices climb and the lines outside their doors grow longer. Some report having to turn applicants away. Others have cut back on the food they offer.

There’s plenty all of us can do to help end hunger, from volunteering at local food banks to donating money or food. A good place to start is Feeding America, which represents food banks around the country and works on many fronts to fight hunger. The site allows you to donate directly or find a local food bank where you can volunteer to help.

Good ideas don’t get any simpler than this: “We plant food on unused land and give it to hungry people,” says Taja Sevelle, founder and executive director of Urban Farming.

Sevelle, a recording artist with Atlantic Records, happened to be in Detroit on business several years ago when she saw residential areas scarred with abandoned homes and vacant weed-filled lots. “I thought to myself, why not use some of that land to plant food?” she remembers.

Three years later, the organization she founded has planted dozens of community gardens throughout Detroit and dozens more in cities around the country, from Newark, New Jersey to Los Angeles. Many of the plots are located near schools and enlist the help of local kids to plant and raise fruits and vegetables. The food goes to local families and emergency food organizations such as food banks.

“During World War II, victory gardens much like these grew about 40 percent of the food for the nation,” says Sevelle. “If we could do it then, we can do it now to end hunger in our generation.”

The group’s latest initiative, called the Food Chain, employs vertical gardens mounted on city walls. The first installations are up and growing at four locations in Los Angeles, including the skid row area of Central City East, using a wall garden technology developed by Green Living Technologies. Local volunteers tend the gardens, use the food they need, and donate what’s left over. Along with producing fresh produce in neighborhoods where it’s often hard to find, Urban Farming’s gardens create green spaces in the city and an opportunity for community residents to work together to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

Wow. Feeding the hungry, beautifying blighted inner cities, giving kids a patch of their own to tend, and making healthy produce available to more families. That’s an initiative worth nurturing. To donate a few dollars or lend a helping hand, check out Urban Farming. Watch the video on the organizations home page and you can’t help but be moved.