On January 26, the Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency’s Hanna & Herbert Bauer Memorial Community Garden was honored as one of 23 innovation challenge finalists at the statewide Let’s Get Healthy California Innovation Challenge Conference held in Sacramento.

The Let’s Get Healthy California task force began in 2012 with the goal of making California the healthiest state in the nation.  The Let’s Get Healthy Initiative includes six goal areas, each of which was highlighted at the conference.  Yolo County’s garden project, entitled “Growing Healthy Habits”, showcased the innovative ways that a community garden can improve food access to low income residents, provide nutrition and gardening resources for the community and be a place for youth to learn about the food system. Yolo County’s garden project coordinator served with four others as conference panelists to discuss community initiatives focused on the goal area of living well.

The Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency’s Winters Service Center, located at 111 E. Grant Avenue, provides services to approximately 300 walk-in residents monthly, and manages a caseload of 400 public assistance customers.  The center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Programs and service provided by Yolo County at the Winters Service Center include:

The Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency’s Friday Night Live (FNL) Program has been awarded a $5,000 grant to support youth leaders in implementing campaigns meant to directly combat underage drinking in their communities.

The grant is provided through the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP), with funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to give youth opportunities to lead local projects that will be developed by youth and may include school activities, outreach to parents and social norms campaigns to decrease underage drinking among youth peers.  They will actively engage their peers, family members and community members in reducing underage drinking and the plethora of issues that result from the behavior.