This past week, Heluna Health celebrated the launch of our first children’s book, Poquita’s Garden, written and illustrated by award-winning artist Lalo Alcaraz. In collaboration with PHFE WIC, families were invited to a special story time with Lalo himself!
“The idea for this book came about in partnership with our Little by Little school readiness program, and Lalo and his partners [who] had a wonderful idea about crafting a story about food access in urban communities,” said Heluna Health CEO, Blayne Cutler. “Our WIC program through Heluna Health serves nearly 200,000 families throughout Southern California every month, and those families don’t always have access or awareness about healthy eating.”
Poquita’s Garden tells the inspiring story of Amaya, a young girl who moves from California’s Central Valley to Los Angeles, and finds Poquita, a small, scraggly tree struggling to grow in an empty lot. Amaya uses her knowledge of farming to not only nurse Poquita back to health, but to transform the neglected lot into a thriving community garden. The book shines a light on the critical issue of food insecurity in Los Angeles and across California, and aims to foster awareness about food access and nutrition.
In addition to story time, Growing Hope Gardens joined the launch day festivities, leading the children in making their own delicious salad full of fresh produce harvested just that morning! Each child left the event with their own copy of Poquita’s Garden and some fresh greens, along with other literacy and nutrition resources.
“What we’re doing essentially is fostering a whole generation of youngsters who are so ready for TK and K and to not just succeed in being healthy, but in being smart and literate,” said Kiran Saluja, Executive Director of PHFE WIC.
Heluna Health will be distributing 10,000 copies of the book to families served by the PHFE WIC Program and the Little by Little school readiness program, along with school districts, hospitals, and community centers throughout Los Angeles County and other regions.
This project was made possible, in part, by a generous grant from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
