GAVA Resident Leader and Advisory Council Member Evita Cruz speaking about food access issues in her neighborhood.
KVUE - March 3, 2016
City Council approves plan to improve food access
"When we talk about food access, is there a grocery store close to you? How far away is it? What are the barriers to you getting those fresh fruits and vegetables," explained GAVA Executive Director Carmen Llanes Puldio.
Evita Cruz [GAVA resident leader] knows the dilemma all too well.
"In my corner stores, I cannot find anything to put in my fruit bowl," Cruz said, pointing to an empty fruit bowl on her dining room table.
Cruz lives in Dove Springs, an area with known food deserts and high rates of childhood obesity.
"Our children, they are going to eat what they see. As soon as they walk in the convenience store what do we see? We see alcohol, we see chips," she said.
(click to watch video & read full article)
Lourdes J. Rodríguez, Director of the Center for Place-Based Initiatives, and Community Strategy Team member Carmen Llanes Pulido participate in GO Austin/VAMOS Austin’s event in Dove Springs to encourage physical activity and better nutrition.
Dell Med ReThink - November 11, 2016
Wanted: Big Ideas for Improving Health
...The idea is to match those ideas to data that suggests pressure points in a population’s health, in hopes of addressing those issues that drag on the health of communities. It’s an egalitarian process — everyone who submits an idea gets feedback, regardless of whether a proposal is selected for additional support.
Carmen Llanes Pulido, community director for GO Austin/VAMOS Austin in the city’s Dove Springs neighborhood and a member of the Community Strategy Team, emphasizes the vital role that individuals play in helping to make their communities healthier...
The Texas Standard - August 23, 2016
Healthier Food Could Come to a Corner Store Near You
Marla Torrado and Felipa Puente are taking a tour of a Texaco station in the Dove Springs community of Austin. The predominantly low-income neighborhood is a far cry from downtown’s flagship Whole Foods Market and the city’s most Instagrammed restaurants. Dove Springs is situated in the southeast part of the city. To social scientists it’s a well-known food desert. There are few restaurants – mostly fast food – and just one large grocery store on the neighborhood’s edge, that’s difficult to reach without a car...
Dando acceso a comida saludable a los residentes de Dove Springs
En el sur y sureste de Austin, hay vecindarios que carecen de un supermercado cercano.
Muchos residentes de Dove Springs tienen que viajar al menos media hora para realizar sus compras.
Es por eso que la organización GO! Austin / ¡VAMOS! Austin o GAVA está trabajando para que las pequeñas tiendas y hasta las gasolineras ofrezcan frutas y verduras, para facilitar el acceso a comida fresca y saludable...
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Students line up outside a 7-Eleven to promote healthy eating.
Austin Chronicle - December 23, 2016
Healthy Choices, Healthy Foods. Local nonprofits plant seeds in South Austin.
...Go! Austin/¡Vamos! Austin focuses its efforts on both the area around Cunningham Elementary – located on Manchaca Road, between Stassney Lane and William Cannon – and neighboring Dove Springs, a predominantly lower-income, Latino neighborhood in Southeast Austin. Nearly 65% of the students at Cunningham are considered economically disadvantaged and receive free or reduced-price school lunches (about average for AISD schools). In 2015, according to the city’s Office of Sustainability, roughly 1 in 4 Dove Springs residents were considered food insecure because they lacked access to enough food for all household members...
Telemundo Austin - November 15, 2016
Una idea simple, una solución brillante
Hace un par de años, al caer el sol no se escuchaba la alegría de los niños en el parque de la Primaria Houston en el sureste de Austin.
“Había mucho crimen, las personas tenían miedo de venir al parque”, dijo la oficial Paula Aguilar del Departamento de la Policía de Austin.
Al caer la noche en las inmediaciones del plantel, la oscuridad se convertía en la cómplice del vicio y la delincuencia.
“Jeringas las llegamos a encontrar, otras cosas muy feas ahí las llegamos a encontrar aquí, habían muchos..."
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GAVA Austin Collaborative Meeting
In November, the GAVA Austin Health Food Store Initiative held a meeting at the Pleasant Hill Library with collaborators from GAMA, the City of Austin Health and Human Services Department, and Austin City Council staff. The goal was to review... (click for full article)
National Parks and Recreation Magazine -March 1, 2016
Communities Rallying for Health
Austin, Texas is widely recognized as one of America’s healthiest cities. Fifty percent of residents live within walking distance of a park and the city has almost three times the national average of green space acreage per 1,000 residents. However, some Austin communities face a real health crisis, struggling with high rates of obesity and diabetes...
(click for full article)
The Statesman - September 4, 2014
Una Comunidad, Varias Raices
Evita Cruz, al centro, participa en una clase de zumba en Franklin Park en el vecindario de Dove Springs. Cruz lidera el grupo G.A.V.A (GO! Austin / VAMOS! Austin) y esta involucrada en su comunidad al ser perte de Austin Interfaith, Sustainable Food Center, Marathon Kids, y los equipos de Franklin y Dove Sprints Park...
Community Impact - July 2013
Health-focused group in 78745 submits action plan for approval
A local community organization is finalizing its plan to boost local health, improve access to nutritious foods and target obesity in the 78745 ZIP code.
Go! Austin/Vamos! Austin, or GAVA, held its last planning meeting July 25 before submitting...