MetLife Healthy Families Program at The New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden, with support from MetLife Foundation, has developed The MetLife Healthy Families Program to expand nutrition education and opportunities for exercise at the Botanical Garden.

Each Wednesday at the Greenmarket, Heart Smart activities focus on helping visitors improve their cardiovascular health. Visitors can enjoy cooking demonstrations using produce sold at the Greenmarket, self-guided walking tours, and free weekly cell phone recordings with "What's in Season" at the Greenmarket. On the third Wednesday of each month, visitors may receive free health-related screenings offered by staff from Montefiore Medical Cente. Participation in each of these activities is free to the public.

Another important component of this new initiative involves outreach to local schools that allows for sharing the ground-breaking programming of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden's established lesson plans for teaching through gardening. This hands-on approach helps combat childhood obesity by inspiring an appreciation for fruits and vegetables in children at a young age. The MetLife Healthy Families Program at The New York Botanical Garden helps provide the basis for a healthy future for thousands of children and their families and serves to promote the lifelong benefits of active gardening.

The MetLife Healthy Families Program is made
possible through the generous support of