Nutrition isn’t something that comes to mind when one thinks of the Charlotte Housing Authority. But for more than a year, the agency has been working with residents of public housing to encourage healthier eating habits.

The goal is to help residents become self-sufficient, Tomico Evans, the housing authority’s family support manager, said in explaining the program.

“It’s our belief that if people are healthy and they feel good about themselves and they can keep their weight under control and they have healthier lifestyle habits, then they are more prone to want to keep on the track to becoming self-sufficient and being able to go out and obtain employment and maintain employment,” she said.

CHA so far has graduated about 72 people from the “Every Heartbeat is Life” program. The most recent class graduated Wednesday, surrounded by family, friends and supporters.

Patty Clark, one of the 12 new graduates, said the program has altered her grocery-buying habits.

“Coming to the class has brought awareness,” she said. “My trips to the grocery story... I’m not just getting what’s on the list. I’m paying attention to labels and getting away from pre-fab foods, which have a lot of sodium. I’m buying more fruits and more vegetables, fresh as opposed to packaged.”
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On Wednesday, 12 residents in public housing graduated from an 11-week Charlotte Housing Authority program that stresses the value of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. (Photo: Qcitymetro.com)
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Because a majority of CHA residents are black, instructors -- all of them course graduates and public housing residents -- teach using an African American curriculum developed by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Curricula in other cities may be tailored for Latinos, native Americans and other ethnic minorities.

In addition to a certificate, residents who complete the 11-week program with perfect attendance receive $100.

Evans said she has seen residents change their lifestyles as a result of the program. In a CHA class that graduated last summer, she said, about seven of the 14 students saw “significant weigh loss” – 10 pounds or more – by reducing fried foods and eating healthier snacks.

At Wednesday’s graduation ceremony, each table was adorned with a centerpiece of fresh grapes and strawberries.

The program, Evans said, does not focus on nutrition alone. It also encourages residents to avoid lifestyle factors that can lead to strokes and cardio vascular disease – factors such as smoking and obesity.

Clark, the recent graduate, said she was so inspired by what she learned that she encouraged an adult daughter to hire a personal trainer to help address a weigh issue.

“I can’t say enough about the class,” she said. “It’s about taking care of your body.”

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