Grant to allow YMCA of Austin to offer free nutrition classes in underserved communities

A $38,000 grant from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will assist the YMCA of Austin to promote healthy eating habits in more than 300 individuals in Bastrop, Hays and Travis counties.

YMCA of Austin has been offering The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre program, six-week cooking and nutrition education program from the Austin-based Sustainable Food Center for two years but has only served about 90 people. The program focuses on selecting and preparing nutritional food. Participants meet once a week for 1.5 hours and leave with recipes and groceries to practice new skills.

Ron Perry, associate executive director of the Northwest Family YMCA branch, 5807 McNeil Drive, said the grant will help them reach more residents.

"The grant allow the YMCA to further its collaboration with the Sustainable Food Center and offer [the program] to more members of the community and help prevent chronic diseases that plague our community," Perry said.

The YMCA of Austin is licensed to teach the program, and each branch in the system will offer two sessions of the program. Because the North Austin YMCA, located at 1000 W. Rundberg Lane, serves more of the target audience of the program, Perry said it will have four sessions.

The first six-week session at the North Austin YMCA starts June 21 from 9 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Immediately following the first class, the YMCA will host a grant presentation with speeches from Walmart and YMCA of Austin President and CEO James Finck. Attendees will be able to try samples of food from The Happy Kitchen cookbook and tour the community garden.

For more information or to register for The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre program, visit www.austinymca.org and search for healthy living.