The St. Louis Job Corps participated as a partner in the St. Louis City Department of Health First Annual STL Urban Harvest Festival on November 21, 2011.     The STL Urban Harvest Festival will celebrated the accomplishments made by individuals, as well as groups, working to form a healthier community in the St. Louis area.

 This was a collaboration of partners from the St. Louis City Department of Health and Health Institute focusing on “how to have a healthy holiday with fresh ingredients” at the Annual Urban Harvest Festival. Healthy minds and healthy bodies are key to any community and the success our nation’s future. The Garden harvest festival promotes healthy food choices through gardening. Area St. Louis Public School students will speak candidly and informed about fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs grown in their community gardens across St. Louis City neighborhoods. As a special feature SLPS-students from Mark Twain Community Resource Centers Hip-Hop Garden were awarded “Urban Farmers of 2011” by the National Magazine Minority Landowners. In 2009, Mark Twain’s community garden and its students were recognized by the First Lady Michelle Obama White House Garden. Since returning from the White House students have adopted healthier lifestyles and developed, Project: Let’s Move LOTS of F.O.O.D. (Fix Our Own Dinner), which they restore vacant lots into community gardens. The STL Urban Harvest Festival worked with a variety of partner programs including Saint Louis University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Home Depot, New Roots, The International Institute Global Garden, Saint Louis Job Corp, Lincoln University Extension, Yours Market, Build-A-Body Fitness, and many more to share information, success stories, and their unique efforts to improving the health of City residents.  The fair included a chance for people to jump on a new year of healthy resolutions the Health Institute and its partners offered a cornucopia of other health services including free flu shots from Walgreen’s and People’s Health Clinic. Health screenings including Body Mass Index (BMI) and cardiovascular risk assessment will provide participants the opportunity to begin making lifestyle changes as we move towards 2012. The STL Urban Harvest Festival hopes to inspire the community to set wellness goals before the holidays by providing tools for a healthy lifestyle commitment – healthy recipes, exercise plans, stress management techniques, and other wellness information.