Hello MIFFS viewers!
The WISEWOMAN Program stands for Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation. It provides free health screenings for low income women 40-64 years old and follow-up support from a health coach to help the women make and sustain a healthy lifestyle and better understand their risk for getting a chronic disease. Funded by the CDC, the Michigan program has a focus on empowering participants through programming such as gardening, financial and stress management as well as community advancement. Over the past 15 years, this program has supported nearly 22,000 women in effort to improve their health.
The WISEWOMAN program connects well with our blog on gardening from last week. The Entrepreneurial Gardening Program was started in 2008 with only three women being supported and now serves over 75 women in growing and selling produce from their garden to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in their homes as well as the food access in their own communities.
MIFFS partners with the WISEWOMAN program by pairing participants with women farmer mentors who live in their communities. The women farmers host workshops on their farms and visit the participants’ gardens to offer advice and support. With this support, the women are empowered to not only grow healthy food for themselves and their families, but to also earn additional income by selling their products.It is a real joy for MIFFS to partner with the WISEWOMAN program, and we’ve been fortunate to witness some beautiful relationships develop, confidence increase, and gardening skills expand!
Kathy Antaya talks about operations at the 365 Urban Farm at Leila Arboretum during the 2018 WISEWOMAN Conference in Battle Creek.
To learn more about the WISEWOMAN Program, visit https://www.cdc.gov/wisewoman/