Urban Nutrition Initiative: Helping UCPA Students and Neighbors to Eat Healthy!

21 March 11 by Abul Jubaid (STEM)

Urban Nutrition Initiative or UNI. This is a program that teaches students about how to raise and prepare food while earning money. UNI helps students to learn how to grow food and also how to cook and can food so that it has the greatest nutritional value. UNI operates throughout the area but they have a very spe-cial project close to home for UC students: behind our building is a UNI ¼ acre garden maintained by us!
UNI has two kinds of activity for students. One of them helps students learn how to grow food in the garden. Students will soon prepare the garden for spring planting and are responsible for growing a variety of seasonal vegetables. In addition, students learn how to operate a business when they bring the produce they raise to the Clark Park Farmers‟ Market each Saturday. Proceeds from these sales go to pay students for their time.
Working in UNI gives students a chance to meet with lots of students from U PENN and as well as students from West Philadel-phia High school and Sayre High school. This is a program that „s just getting underway! They will start in April 2011 for this spring. If any you are interested in working on this project talk to our Student Success Center.