Playbox – Open the Box, Unleash the Fun! In the summer of 2018 we installed and filled our first Playbox in Rotary Park beside the Spray Park. The Playbox is full of fun toys and activities for kids (and adults!) to get everyone out and moving around. Thank you to the City of Kimberley and the Lion’s Club for your support. The access code for the box is… you guessed it! 5 -2-1-0 ! We have been thrilled with the feedback and the amount of use the box has been getting. If you use the box, please remember to put the toys back when you are done and close the lid!
Physical Literacy for Communities Healthy Kimberley is embarking on a two year project to promote physical literacy in Kimberley. Led by kinesiologist Shenoa Runge and supported by the Ministry of Health Sport for Life Society (S4LS), this initiative educates and activates local decision makers, then builds capacity by training leaders and developing physical literacy in multiple settings and sectors.
Food Recovery Depot The Food Recovery Depot has been going strong since opening in November 2018. As of September 2021 we have recovered over 302,063 lbs of whole foods that would otherwise have ended up in the landfill. This food that is "fit to eat but not fit for sale" has been diverted to vulnerable community members, making healthy food (produce, dairy, grains and meat) more accessible. The Food Recovery Depot is located on the lower level of the Kimberley Health Center and is open to the public from 12:00pm. -1:00pm every Friday. Since April 2020, over 22,000 servings of frozen meals have been made by contracted chefs using primarily recovered food & distributed via our agency partners. Thank you to the City of Kimberley and Kimberley Health Centre Society, along with our funders & local donors in Kimberley for their support of this project as well as our community partners and most importantly, our enthusiastic volunteers! If you're interested in volunteering or are involved with a non profit who would like to receive recovered foods or frozen meals, please call or e-mail our Food Recovery Coordinator, Shannon, at 250-427-7981 or frdcoordinator@healthykimberley.com.
Taking Care of Business With support from the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice, Healthy Kimberley is working with businesses in the community, offering free business health assessments to help businesses create a healthier environment for their employees and customers. We are offering "micro grants" to businesses who have great ideas for making their businesses healthier but just need a little start-up funding.
Selkirk Secondary School Multi-sport Court We have now completed fundraising ($35,000) and are nearing completion of construction of a new outdoor basketball/ multi-sport court at the local high school. Previously there was no outdoor court and the students asked us to help. Now kids and community members can play basketball, pickle ball or floor hockey whenever they want!
Swan Ave Park Healthy Kimberley was approached by a neighbourhood group from Swan Sub who recognized the need for a play space in their area and has worked hard with neighbours, donors, playground designers and policy makers to produce a plan for a low tech, natural play space to encourage active, unstructured exploratory play for children of all ages. We have assisted them with submission of a proposal for initial funding and will continue to work with them to see this fantastic initiative come to life.
LIVE 5210 Education We continue our work to promote the evidence-based Live 5210 message (eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables every day, watching no more than 2 hours of screens, getting one hour of physical activity and drinking zero sugary drinks) around the community at events and with community groups. We were one of the first pilot communities for the BC Children’s Hospital’s SCOPE BC (Sustainable Childhood Obesity Prevention through Community Engagement). The Kimberley Public Library, School District #6, Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy, the team at the Blarchmont Early Learning Centre and many others have been valuable partners in helping us to spread the message.
Walk With Your Doc – Every May! We believe that regular activity like walking is one of the most important things we can all do for our health. In cooperation with the Doctors of BC, the Kimberley Medical Clinic and Creekside Physio, every year we organize a chance for you to get out for a walk with your local doctors and physios actually “walking the talk”.
Be Active Every Day – Every October! Every year, one our local doctors goes into the schools to talk to kids about being active and the key to good health, “Live 5210”: eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables every day, watching no more than 2 hours of screens, getting one hour of physical activity and drinking zero sugary drinks. For a whole month, kids are challenged to get active and get healthy, supported byt the great teachers at McKim School.
Bike to Work and School Week – Every May Every year we help organize Bike to Work and School Week to encourage people to discover the joy of active transport. This year, with the help of Go By Bike BC, Kootenay Mountain Works and WIldsight, the event will be even bigger and better so get on your bike and join us!