WE GOT THE BEET – Free for Adults & Children

We Got the Beet, a collaborative effort between the City of Lynchburg, Central Virginia Health District of Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Cooperative Extension, builds on the previous successes of the award-winning Lynchburg is for Locavores campaign that raised awareness about eating locally produced fresh and healthy foods.

The We Got the Beet campaign activities will occur every Wednesday and Saturday, 10-12pm from June to August. Educational programming will be offered to both children and adults (scroll down for more information) to include cooking demonstrations with tastings, recipes, and meal-starter kits. 

Kids Programs

Join the Beet as we move, shake, and EVEN BAKE our way to wellness! Youth programming will include movement, craft activities, and cooking demonstrations in order to engage a variety of learners. After each cooking demonstration, kids who have attended for three consecutive programs will be given a “Beet Box” that contains produce and recipes from that day’s lesson. Attend weekly to build your knowledge of a healthy lifestyle and celebrate your success at Graduation.

At every program, participants are invited to take the “Two Bite Challenge” by tasting fresh fruits & vegetables not once, but twice! Record your reaction in your “Beet Book” and turn it in to receive items like spatulas, measuring cups, and apple cutters that will help stock their kitchen with necessary cooking supplies.

Kickoff Bash – Saturday, June 10 from 10am-1pm

Kid’s Programs * 10am-12pm
*Programs will begin every half hour and last roughly 20 minutes. Attend one day per week to qualify for a free monthly Beet Box Chef Starter Kit.

Two chances to attend each week!
WEDNESDAY              SATURDAY
June 14                          June 17             Dancing with the Beet
June 21                          June 24             Gardening with the Beet
June 28                         July 1                  Cooking with the Beet
            Have you danced, gardened, and cooked? You have earned your BEET Box!
July 5                              July 8                  Training with the Beet
July 12                           July 15               Shopping with the Beet
July 19                           July 22               Cooking with the Beet
            Have you trained, shopped, and cooked? You have earned your BEET Box!
July 26                           July 29               Posing with the Beet
August 2                        August 5            Snacking with the Beet
August 9                        August 12         Cooking with the Beet
            Have you posed, snacked, and cooked? You have earned your BEET Box!
BACK TO SCHOOL   August 19         Hitting with the Beet

Graduation Celebration – Saturday, August 26 from 10am-1pm

Register by Saturday, June 3 to receive a WRISTBAND at Kickoff! Space is limited; register today.

 

We Got The Beet by Jiggy M.

Official song of the We Got The Beet Summer Program Series releases Thursday, June 1, 2017!

Download it on iTunes and learn the dance on YouTube.

Adult Programs

Just Say Yes

Just Say Yes (JSY) is one of New York State’s premiere nutrition education services designed for low-income families. JSY was initially designed to prevent overweight/obesity and reduce risk of long-term chronic disease, through the promotion of increased fruit and vegetable consumption. The curriculum includes lessons covering recommended fruit and vegetable consumption, how to shop at a farmers market, storing and preserving fruits and vegetables, food safety, MyPlate, and meal planning. Other topics include portion control, the importance of and sources of fiber, the nutrition facts label, sources of lean protein, replacing sugary beverages, and the importance of water consumption.  Each weekly lesson will be complimented by a cooking demonstration, tasting, and recipes to take home and replicate. 

Attend weekly to build your knowledge of a healthy lifestyle and collect items like thermometers, measuring cups, and jar grippers that will help stock their kitchen with necessary cooking supplies.

Wednesdays * 10am-12pm
*Programs will begin every half hour and last roughly 20 minutes. Attend one day per week to qualify for a free monthly Beet Box Chef Starter Kit.
June 7          MyPlate at the Farmers Market
June 14       Fruits & Vegetables at the Farmers Market
June 21       Stretching Food Dollars at the Farmers Market
June 28       Storing & Preserving your Farmers Market Foods
            Have you attended 3 of the last 4 sessions? You have earned your BEET Box!
July 5            Food Safety
July 12         Meals Planning at the Farmers Market
July 19         Healthy Portions at the Farmers Market
            Have you attended the last 3 sessions? You have earned your BEET Box!
July 26         Fiber Rich Foods at the Farmers Market
August 2      Nutrition Facts Labels
August 9     Protein at the Farmers Market
            Have you attended the last 3 sessions? You have earned your BEET Box!
August 16  Storing & Preserving your Farmers Market Foods
August 23  Apple Extravaganza!

Cooking Demonstrations with Local Chefs
Starting in May, our  Lynchburg is for Locavores Cooking Series will continue to feature a local chef every Saturday morning, who will be preparing a variety of recipes using our spotlighted produce item of the week. These demonstrations will continue throughout the year and will start around 10 am inside the market. So be sure to stop by and learn from some of Lynchburgs best chefs! 
 
 

Volunteers Needed!

This dynamic program would not be possible without volunteers! Volunteers will be used in a variety of ways each week. From checking kids in, handing out yummy fruit or vegetable samples, helping with a craft or movement activity, to setup and clean up. Volunteers will be interacting with area youth ranging in age from 6-12.

 

 

Just Can't BEET Them!

The We Got the Beet campaign was developed in collaboration between the Virginia Department of Health, Lynchburg Community Market, and VirginiaCooperative Extension to limit the impact of obesity and chronic disease by improving the availability of mechanisms for purchasing food from farms. The goals of this campaign are to increase on-site SNAP patronage, produce consumption, and health knowledge among the underserved.  The campaign will accomplish this through delivering health education alongside cooking demonstrations with take-home recipes and meal-starter kits.

This program builds on the previous successes of the Lynchburg is for Locavores campaign. This award-winning campaign was grant-funded in 2015 to provide weekly food demonstrations and raise awareness about eating local.  As a result of this campaign, SNAP transactions at LCM increased and local food sales grew by 19%.

The Beet would like to thank:
  • Mayor Joan Foster and Lynchburg City Council
  • Bonnie Svrcek, City Manager, City of Lynchburg
  • Dr. Brabrand, Superintendant, Lynchburg City Schools
  • Ron J. Clark, MPP...a.k.a. Richmond Ron, Preventive Health and Health Services Coordinator, Virginia Department of Health
  • The inspired team of program creators – Lindsey Cawood, Jeanell Smith, Jennifer Kennedy, Susan Brown, and Jen D’Orio
  • Our fantastic lyricist, Jiggy M
  • The amazing dancers at the Diamond Hill, Daniels Hill, and Yoder Neighborhood Centers
  • Leadership Lynchburg Class 43
  • All of the volunteers who have lent a hand to make these programs possible!

Meet S Vendors

Come Meet All Of Our Vendors

#LynchburgIsForLocavores

Hashtag your images on Instagram next time you are taking photo’s of our fresh fruits and vegetables from the Market!