May 23, 2014 — Harvest for Healthy Kids began as a partnership led by Izumi between PSU and Mt. Hood Community College’s Head Start program to expose young children to healthy foods. The Helen Gordon Child Development Center provided a handy place to test the new curriculum and fit in with the center’s focus on healthy foods.
"The HGCDC nutrition program strives to cultivate an appreciation for food and where it comes from while providing opportunities for children to become engaged with cooking and food,” said Ellie Justice HGCDC’s Director. “We are delighted to begin a new partnership that aligns so well with these goals."
The salmon unit tested at Helen Gordon Center culminated with a sockeye salmon lunch prepared by the school’s cook Deb Sesnsenbach who brought the salmon from the fridge to show the students in the classroom.
The salmon, in addition to some of the educational props, came from Iliamna Fish Company, a Portland-based community-supported fishery that fishes for salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay every summer.
Iliamna isn’t the only Alaska connection. Izumi, who’s done research in the 49th state, developed the salmon unit in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for Alaska Native Health Research as part of a program called Fish to Schools.
Read the full story from Portland State University