By Mary Jo Greene

Fresh fruits and vegetables can seem out of reach for local families trying to lower their grocery bills in difficult times. But it’s getting easier to put healthy produce on the table, as Blue Zones Project expands its Double Up Food Bucks efforts for anyone eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Fort Worth-area student groups were put to the test as they vied to earn four $5,000 Blue Zones Project Wellness Innovation Grant awards and make their campus a healthier place of learning. Six schools pitched their ideas via video presentation to a panel of judges for a variety of creative projects designed to help classmates reduce stress, enhance activity, and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

When office life came to a screeching halt last March, working from home, Zoom meetings, and virtual programs looked to be a temporary situation. Here we are, almost a year later, and that’s what life continues to look like for many in the workplace. In fact, in a recent survey conducted with employers at Blue Zones Project Approved® worksites in Fort Worth, more than 65% of respondents said they were either still working exclusively from home or on a hybrid schedule. Only 34% reported having gone back to the office exclusively. Fortunately, the virtual programs and tools Blue Zones Project developed following the shutdown have enabled us to continue to provide worksites and their employees with the resources needed to promote and practice better well-being – no matter where they are. Throughout 2021, we’ll continue to offer a variety of workshops, content, and materials that can be utilized at home, in the office, or anywhere in between.

In a time when students can’t physically be together in large groups, it’s more important than ever to find ways for them to connect and practice physical fitness. The 2020 Blue Zones Project Virtual Summit offered opportunities to do just that.  

The partnership between Blue Zones Project and Fort Worth Bike Sharing will continue to roll throughout 2021, providing free BCycle rides on the first Friday of every month throughout the year. Called “Free First Fri-Yay,” it offers area residents a free full-day Bike Sharing Day Pass once a month. Riders can access the free pass by using promotion code 92020 at any Bike Sharing kiosk or promo code 92020APP on the Bike Sharing app.

It’s now even easier for some local shoppers to “SNAP” up fresh fruits and vegetables to feed their families. A successful Double Up Food Bucks program piloted at Elrod’s Cost Plus Supermarket in north Fort Worth in October has expanded to a second grocery store, Foodland Market, 1212 S. Ayers Ave., Fort Worth. Double Up Food Bucks enables Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to save on eligible fresh produce. Using a Lone Star Card, SNAP shoppers can receive 50% off, or up to $10 in savings per day, per customer. 

The gauntlet is thrown and area students are invited to take up the challenge and develop creative ways to improve well-being on their school’s campus. The second annual Blue Zones Project Wellness Innovation Grant competition is accepting applications to fund student-led campus health and well-being initiatives inspired by Blue Zones Project principles. Tarrant County schools with the most creative and potentially successful ideas are eligible for up to $5,000 in funding to launch their projects.

Have a Lone Star Card? If so, you can now save big on fresh fruits and vegetables at Elrod’s Cost Plus Supermarket, thanks to the new Double Up Food Bucks program. Area residents who are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can simply swipe their Lone Star Card at Elrod’s north Fort Worth location (1524 NW 25^th Street) and get 50% off SNAP-eligible fresh produce, up to $10 in savings per day, per customer.

Like every organization, Blue Zones Project has had to pivot and search out new ways to connect with individuals and organizations during this time of social distancing and working and learning remotely. Because of the physical and mental impact of COVID-19, practicing the primary tenets of a Blue Zones lifestyle – healthier eating, increased activity, and stronger social connections – has become even more important to our well-being. Fortunately, many Blue Zones engagement programs have proven to work well in online formats and allowed Blue Zones Project to increase the content and frequency of virtual offerings for partner businesses and the community.