Abuela, Mamá, y Yo

Primavera 2023: Abuela, Mamá, y Yo

Actualizaciones de lo que hemos hecho en el invierno…

Abuela, Mamá, y Yo

En las sesiones de Abuela, Mamá y Yo al que cariñosamente le llamamos AMY. Les compartimos que durante las sesiones del invierno hemos tenido más de 50 participantes que residen en el estado de  Oregon. Durante nueve semanas conversamos sobre diferentes temas como la Epigenética, Los primeros mil días de un bebe, salud mental, entre otros. Durante estas sesiones que se realizan de manera virtual, aprendemos todas juntas sobre nuestras experiencias, creamos conexiones con nuestro grupo y con la comunidad.

En esta oportunidad Irma, quien es participante de AMY nos compartió una bebida que aprendió a realizar en una de las sesiones de Abuela, Mamá y Yo. Gracias Irma, por tu participación y colaboración. 

“Me llamo Irma, actualmente soy participante de Abuela, Mamá y Yo.  En las sesiones de AMY hemos aprendido cosas muy interesantes.  Por ejemplo, el aprender que la forma de las frutas, las legumbres, verduras y granos que se asemejan mucho a nuestros órganos y es como una guía visual para dejarnos saber para que sirven; como las nueces, tienen la forma de nuestro cerebro y sirven para nuestro cerebro, es algo que me impacto. La bebida que realizamos de agua de chia con aguacate, estaba increíblemente buena, nunca creí que el aguacate supiera así en una bebida.”

Irma, participante
Enlace para las sesiones de Abuela, Mamá, y Yo (AMY)

Caminando Con Gusto

Cuando escuchamos la palabra ejercicio, ¿qué es lo primero que nos viene a la mente? Ir al gimnasio, y tal vez  salir a correr.  Esas son algunas de las actividades entre otras que conllevan al pensar en hacer ejercicio.  Pero qué tal si cuando pensamos en realizar ejercicio físico no necesariamente tenemos que estar en el gym o salir a correr una, dos, tres o más millas.  Quiero contarles que  en las 18  sesiones que Caminando Con Gusto ofrece y se dan de manera virtual, desde la comodidad de su hogar.  En estas sesiones no solamente platicamos sobre qué hacer cuando tenemos dolor físico, dolor que puede ser causado por la Artritis, una enfermedad con la que 1 de cada 5 personas que residen en el país de Estados Unidos sufre y existen más de 100 tipos de artritis. 

Lamentablemente cuando sufrimos de dolor, muchas veces pensamos y creemos que no debemos ejercitarnos, en estas sesiones que se imparten de manera virtual, llegamos a comprender lo básico de la artritis y a realizar ejercicio de una manera segura y divertida, utilizando el calzado y ropa adecuadas.

Enlace para las sesiones de Caminando Con Gusto

Hogares Saludables, Familias Saludables

Los equipos de Acción Climática y Nutrición de Familias en Acción  se unieron para llevar a nuestra comunidad un taller de 2.5 para charlar de manera virtual sobre el pescado que consumimos, pero no cualquier pescado.  En esta ocasión hablamos sobre el pescado que muchas veces las personas pescan del río Willamette en la ciudad de Portland Or.  Dicho taller que consta de dos partes siendo la primera el consumo seguro del pescado hablamos sobre:

  • Los beneficios y riesgos que tenemos al consumir el pescado del río Willamette en Portland.
  • ¿Cuál es la diferencia con el pescado de restaurantes y tiendas?
  • Consejos para personas embarazadas, y niños pequeños.

En la segunda parte del taller, nos enfocamos en el aire de nuestro hogar incluyendo el plomo y moho:

  • Aprendemos acerca de la conexión entre la calidad del aire y la salud
  • Cómo reducir los contaminantes del aire interior
  • Aprender más acerca de las fuentes de plomo, moho y cómo afectan a la salud

Conozca sus derechos

El taller de Conozca sus derechos de tres días virtuales con duración de 1.5 cada día.  Hablamos sobre los diferentes tipos de recursos que existen en la comunidad y el estado de Oregon.  

Registrar Aquí

Actualizaciones de lo que vamos hacer en la primavera!

Durante la primavera tendremos varios talleres muy interesantes:

El primero es nuestro querido taller Abuela Mamá y Yo, (AMY) tendremos varias fechas y horarios pero todos comenzarán durante la segunda semana de abril, por favor ponte en contacto con nosotros para informarte de los días, nuestro equipo de facilitadoras estará encantado de conocerte.

Caminando con gusto también comienza en abril!  Este programa será dos veces a la semana, a partir del 10 de abril y hasta el 7 de junio, los días lunes y miércoles a las 10:00 am. Estas divertidas clases te harán sudar sin necesidad de tener mucho espacio en casa.

Durante mayo tendremos clases de cocina, que serán en las oficinas de Familias en Acción de forma presencial, ¡las primeras en tres años! aquí aprenderemos como preparar desayunos y comidas bien balanceadas, de forma rápida y fácil

Para los que no puedan acudir a la oficina también tendremos un taller de cocina virtual durante mayo, constará de cuatro sesiones en las cuales aprenderemos acerca de cómo alimentar a nuestra familia de forma sana y sin gastar mucho dinero. Nuestra instructora es nutrióloga  y nos dará muchos consejos para mantenernos sanos. 

Si te preocupa el cambio climático y te gustaría poner tu granito de arena también tendremos dos talleres bastante interesantes:

El de Reciclaje que será el martes 11 de abril de 12pm a 1pm 

El de Composta se llevará a cabo el martes 18 de abril también de 12pm a 1pm.

¿Maneras de cómo estar conectados al programa de Nutrición y Equidad Alimentaria?

Concilio Comunitario

El equipo de Nutrición y Equidad Alimentaria quiere continuar desarrollando estrategias y desarrollar abogacía para impactar políticas de salud equitativas en Oregón. Miembros que comparten conocimientos sobre la crianza de los hijos, el embarazo, el desarrollo de la primera infancia, el cuidado prenatal, la equidad alimentaria, las disparidades en la salud y los servicios sociales de la comunidad latina.

El concilio es un grupo de personas en las comunidades Latine/x que quieren participar en la abogacía de los alimentos y el acceso a los alimentos. Hemos hecho abogacía acerca de numerosas causas relacionadas con la nutrición y la equidad alimentaria en nombre de nuestras comunidades latinas en todo Oregón.

Durante nuestras reuniones mensuales del consejo, hemos platicado y discutido como disminuir los determinantes sociales de la salud y las barreras para el acceso a los alimentos. 

Una preocupación frecuente ha sido cómo combatir la desconfianza y el miedo que experimentan las personas, ya que se preguntan si solicitar dichos programas podría afectar su estatus legal. Los cambios recientes en las políticas de carga pública han exacerbado estos temores.

Por más información y/o para asistir, conectate con Alejandra, alejandra@familiasenaccion.org

Facilitador de AMY

¿Has participado en las clases de Abuela, Mamá y Yo, y te gustaría facilitar estas clases? ¡Anímate y conviértete en un facilitador de AMY! ¡Solicite asistir a nuestra capacitación Abuela, Mamá y Yo! Pronto tendremos fechas/horarios para el otoño de 2023, conéctese con Melissa: melissa@familiasenaccion.org

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Meet Gonzalo from Lomita Farms

Gonzalo was really passionate about getting into agriculture as a way to connect to his Indigenous heritage and to create some healing. His family is from a small rural town in Oaxaca, Mexico, where the majority of the people are Indigenous and grow a lot of the food they eat like Maiz. He describes it as a very humble and beautiful way of life, and it made him sad to not have access to it as a result of migration. These thoughts were always in the back of his head, but he never really knew how to move forward with them. Then in the fall of 2019, a friend shared an application with him for the Zenger Farm Apprenticeship Program, an 8-month intensive program focused on teaching folks all the aspects of running a small-scale farm. He applied and was successful in getting one of the 4 spots available. It was an incredible experience getting to witness an entire season of growing and stewarding the land. What made the experience even more unique was seeing the ways that Zenger Farm and community partners worked to make their food accessible to low-income and other marginalized folks. Gonzalo’s experience challenged and inspired him to envision what food justice could look like for his community. 

Towards the end of his farming apprenticeship at Zenger Farm in 2020, they got to tour and learn about the Headwaters Incubator Farm in Gresham, OR. This program is managed by the East Multnomah County Soil and Water Conservation District and makes land and other farm infrastructure accessible to beginning farmers. Being able to witness how much support there was for beginning farmers like him, empowered him to make the decision to apply for a spot in the farm incubator program, and he was accepted. Gonzalo wasn’t sure if he would be able to go through with it though, because he didn’t have the funds to buy supplies/tools and provide for himself during that first year. But he is resourceful and really wanted to make it happen, so he started a Gofundme and was able to raise some funds to cover everything he needed for the farm and to cover some living expenses.

@lomitafarmpdx

He would not have been able to pursue his farming dreams without the support of community members who believed in his farm aspirations. What especially motivated him to pursue this wild dream was my desire to see more farms owned by People of Color, especially Migrants and folks who have traditionally been exploited by large-scale agriculture. Like many other migrant families, his family struggled with living expenses when they first moved to the United States. To help make ends meet, his family relied heavily on food pantries. Though he is grateful for the support we received, he wants to recognize how these nonprofits sometimes fail families by providing mostly canned foods and foods that are not culturally significant.

@lomitafarmpdx

This experience really informed his vision for food justice and has guided the way his farm operates. He is trying to grow culturally significant vegetables for Latinx folks, things like maiz, epazote, calabazas, and more. Next year, he wants to find more creative ways to get all his food out to Latinx folks and to also share my experience and traditions through community events centered on Latinx folks. 

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Featured Recipe: Adriana Govea’s Vaquera Salad, Winter 2020

(Photo courtesy of Two Peas & their Pod) 

We want to share a little of Adriana Govea’s story with you. She’s from Mexico City and moved to the United States in 1994. She began participating at Familias en Acción in 2018, where most of her effort has been devoted to our Abuela, Mamaá, y Yo (AMY) program. Adriana has also taken part in Familias’ leadership training programs, including AMY training, and she has become an active advocate for improving the health of her family and  community. When asked about AMY, she said, “I love it. I grew up with my Grandma, and this program reminds me of her and her traditional dishes. For me, she is still alive and present; she made me what I am today. AMY takes you back and makes you think about your roots and where you came from. It’s easy to move somewhere and adapt to the culture, forgetting who you are. So AMY makes you reflect on who you are and think, ‘Why am I here, what am I doing? I came for a dream, to keep my family moving forward…” 

She believes AMY “promotes leadership and provides a model that doesn’t try to change people…It helps you recognize that you have a voice and makes you see a reflection of yourself.”

Adriana sees her community as strong and connected. “We treat everyone equally, we are united, and we strive even while living in a place with so much hate and with people reminding us that we’re not from here…yet we can still remain positive.” However, Adriana wants to see more “equity and more opportunities for everyone, especially more programs like AMY. AMY is a welcoming program where “You want to be here because of who you are, not who you represent.”

Here is one of Adriana’s favorite recipes that she would like to share with our communities:

Recipe: Vaquera salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup each of four types of beans:
    • black, pinto, kidney, peruvian
  • Bell peppers:
    • 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 red
  • 2 tomatoes
  • Cilantro
  • 2 cloves of Garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil
  • Juice of ½ large lime or 1 medium lime
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • ½ Sweet onion
  • Optional: chopped spicy peppers
  • Optional: avocado

Instructions:

Cook each type of beans until well-cooked. Chop the peppers, onion and tomatoes in cubes. Put the vegetables in a large bowl and add all the cooked beans. Peel and chop the garlic. In a small bowl, combine it with the oil, salt, pepper and lime juice to make the dressing. Add the dressing to a large bowl and mix well. Garnish with cilantro or avocados. Enjoy!

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Featured Recipe: Sautéed Multicolor Squash by María Segura, Fall 2019

As our Abuela, Mamá, y Yo (AMY) program has grown and expanded in the last few months, we would like to introduce a new series of featured recipes that will be shared by various people throughout the Latino + Latinx communities of Oregon who are involved in the AMY program.

Photo courtesy of: The Spruce Eats

Interview by Rebeca Márquez

María recognizes that times are hard. “Our mental state is not easy, what with racism, discrimination, and the need to be forever alert, wondering how we look to others, how our ethnicity goes over.” Her dream is for the Latino community to feel proud of who we are and also knowledgeable of how to take care of ourselves. She would like us to make exercise a part of our everyday lives and to modify traditional recipes to make them healthier. She has been delighted to form part of “Abuela, Mamá y Yo” and likes to imagine a future in which we are healthy and strong. She understands that to get there, we must take action now. 

I would like to tell you a little about María Segura. She is from Mexico and arrived in the U.S. eleven years ago. For the past five years, she has been actively involved in the programs that Familias en Acción offers. After taking leadership seminars and thorough training, she now facilitates several of our health education programs: Abuela, Mamá y Yo, “Tomando Control de su Salud”, “Manejo Personal de su Diabetes”, “Camine con Gusto”, “Siembra la Cena” and ”Empoderate”. What she likes best about our “Abuela, Mamá y Yo” nutrition and Food Equity program is that it’s focus on healthy eating, something not always easy to achieve. “It teaches you about serving moderate portions, modifying traditional recipes, and something even more important: breaking bread with family, friends, and your community.” She considers an openness to learning new things as an attribute of the Latino community. However, she adds that “…we need more educational programs that help us promote our health, prevent diseases, and set a good example for our kids.” She also mentions how important traditions are and how proud she is that they are passed down from one generation to the next. She is a model for her children and her community, as well as an inspiration due to her work with us. María would like to share one of her favorite recipes with you. Enjoy!

Multicolor Squash

Ingredients:

  • 3 yellow squash
  • 3 green squash
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 yellow or orange pepper
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 finely chopped onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • Garlic salt
  • Jalapeño, serrano, or habanero chile
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil

 Procedure:

Chop up onion and garlic. Cut vegetables in julienne strips. Stir fry onion and garlic, add squash and peppers, cook on low heat for seven minutes. Season to taste. Enjoy!

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Join Our Nutrition + Food Equity Team!

We are currently hiring a Program Manager!

Familias en Acción is looking for community-oriented and collaborative leader to join the Nutrition and Food Equity team as our new Program Manager. This position is a member of Familias’ leadership team and oversees a team committed to food justice and health equity for the Latino/x/e community in Oregon. The Program Manager will manage our programs, including our state-wide curriculum, Abuela, Mamá y Yo (AMY). This position will also develop program strategies and action plans; cultivate and manage key relationships and partnerships; and help facilitate and coordinate a state-wide Nutrition and Food Equity Program with emphasis on balancing our urban and rural strategies in Oregon.

The Manager will work in a hybrid environment of remote and in-person work and may reside in the Portland/Vancouver metro area or anywhere in the state of Oregon. This position reports to the Deputy Director.

Read Full Job Description

Why would someone want to work at Familias?

What is Abuela, Mamá y Yo (AMY)?

AMY is a statewide nutrition education program for Latinos that provides not only knowledge about nutrition and epigenetics but advocacy skills in order to understand the link between social determinants of health, food justice, health equity, and how it can affect families.

About AMY classes

“Quiero dar las gracias por el aprendizaje que me dieron y sobre todo cómo cuidar a mi familia y llevar una vida saludable juntos podemos hacer el cambio.”

“Muchas gracias por todo el contenido de las clases de nutrición que nos brindaron. Ahora estoy mejor informada para tomar mejores decisiones conforme a mi nutrición”

Learn More about AMY

What We Do:

Food Equity for healthy Latino families differs from traditional nutritional programs because it addresses the root causes of health inequities. Food is a source of nourishment and joy. It has a deep cultural value among Latino communities. A healthy diet based on strong cultural and family values leads to healthier families, especially healthier children who are raised by immigrant parents. Unfortunately, Latinas face many health barriers and disparities such as poverty and food insecurity which hinders a nutritious diet. Latinos are also more exposed to stress and trauma due to factors such as fear, employment difficulties, and immigration status. For these reasons, Latino children are less likely to get a strong start of life.

To address this issue, Familias en Acción has decided to create a culturally and linguistically specific community program and curriculum to provide knowledge and advocacy skills about food justice, social determinants of health, and family health while creating strong Latino communities.

Trainings + Community Classes
Community Council

The kind of person council community members are looking for…

“Una persona humilde”

“Una persona que respeta al ser humano por ser persona no por su condición física emocional y económica”

“Una persona con deseos de trabajar con la comunidad en equipo, rompiendo y eliminando los estereotipos”

Our Partners:

Learn more about our Nutrition + Food Equity program

How to Apply:

All interested candidates, please send a resume and cover letter to Patricia Patrón at patricia@familiasenaccion.org with subject line: Nutrition and Food Equity Program Manager Position. 

All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential. Applications will be considered as they are submitted so you are encouraged to apply early. Applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled.

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Abuela, Mamá y Yo

For information about registering to our AMY classes, visit here.

What is Abuela, Mamá  y Yo (AMY)?

Abuela, Mamá, y Yo is a state-wide Latina/x program that provides information on:

  • Healthy eating that helps create strong and healthy children
  • The impact of the food we eat on our bodies
  • Advocacy for better nutrition
  • The impact that climate change has on mental health
  • How healthy foods reduce the risk of diabetes and chronic diseases

Classes are for members of the Latina/x community who care for children ages 0-5, pregnant women, and anyone interested in gaining knowledge about nutrition and food equity. 

Why is this so important?

Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) research tells us that a baby’s health is impacted by three generations of their family. This genetic chain is also modified by environmental issues and social determinants of health (SDH), such as poverty, driving the increase of chronic diseases among our populations. Currently Latinos are experiencing an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the US today,, about  25% of US Latino children ages six to 11 years of age are obese, and over 33% of Latino children live in poverty. 

Our project responds to an urgent need to build Latino advocacy and knowledge between social inequalities and healthy families. Current public health education programs often focus on individual responsibility for having a healthy family. However, it is equally important to develop equitable public policies to improve the social, physical, and economic environments so that Latino families can build healthy lives. 

Listen to what class participant Luz Gaytan has to say about our AMY classes:

Food Equity for healthy Latino families differs from traditional nutritional programs because it addresses the root causes of health inequities. The curriculum enhances knowledge of the role of the community environment in the availability of appropriate nutrition and level of social stress experienced prior to and during pregnancy. Participants build their knowledge about the health impacts of poverty, racial discrimination, social disadvantages, and overall toxic stress on themselves and their children. Self advocacy skills in food justice will build self-sufficiency for participants.

PARTNERSHIP: In 2018, Familias en Acción started this project in collaboration with the OHSU Moore Institute for Nutrition and Wellness. Through Focus groups we gathered data and information about eating habits, food access and health education. With this information and research on epigenetics, nutrition and the developmental origins of Health and Disease we created our curriculum that is currently used today.

AMY NEWSLETTER: In our Abuela, Mamá y Yo Newsletter, we will share news about AMY trainings, public policies relevant to food and health equity, advocacy days, healthy recipes and more! Sign up now.

EVALUATION & FEEDBACK: Hear what our community has to say about our AMY program.

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