Health Craze

What you need to know about: PUFFA

by Sam Tremble

It's no secret that obesity is a major epidemic in the United States, and Philadelphia is not immune to this outbreak. In response, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has started the Food and Fitness Initiative, giving grants to nine U.S. communities to make plans for creating access to healthy local food and safe facilities for physical activity.

Last year, a coalition between the Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania (HPC), the Philadelphia Department of Health and White Dog Community Enterprises formed the Philadelphia Urban Food and Fitness Alliance (PUFFA) to accept this grant. By 2009, they hope to have a Community Action Plan to submit to Kellogg that could secure a 10-year grant for PUFFA. It does not intend to create new programs but rather change policies in ways that make it easier to live healthier and safer.

At their first community meeting on Oct. 9 at the Friends Center, PUFFA outlined the organization's goals, structure and strategies. The Fair Food Stand — a project of the White Dog Foundation that gives local farmers a spot in the Reading Terminal Market — provided the food.

PUFFA is divided into six "action teams": physical activity, nutrition, food systems, built environment, youth and sustainability. Each team brainstorms and researches ideas to be used in Philadelphia. Professionals, organizers and community members will form the teams and each team has two members who serve in the delegate assembly, which evaluates the ideas of the action teams and makes final decisions with regards to the community action plan.

The meeting broke into these groups for discussion. The Built Environment table had visions for Philadelphia that included gardens on every block, increased bike lanes and safer playgrounds. As things progressed, traffic calming became an issue, as did rapid transit down the middle of Broad rather than parking spots.

"A lot of this seems to overlap with Green Plan Philadelphia," said Claire Baker of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. "This committee needs to insinuate itself into this plan somehow."

PUFFA plans to work with existing organizations rather than compete against them — environmental, health and safety nonprofits (not to mention neighborhood organizations) saturate Philadelphia. In the coming weeks and months, PUFFA will hopefully show what it has to offer.

(s_tremble@citypaper.net)