FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2018
For Information, contact:
Jody Kass, Executive Director, 704-412-4506 x101, JKass@PlantPureCommunities.org
RELEASE OF NATIONAL OPEN INVITATION FOR 2018 OASIS JUMPSTART PROGRAM
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF
Communities Encouraged to Participate
The nonprofit organization, PlantPure Communities, released an Open Invitation today, inviting community groups across the country to participate in the 2018 round of the Oasis Jumpstart Program. Organizations that want to lead a community-wide initiative are encouraged to apply.
Through the PlantPure Communities (PPC) Oasis Jumpstart Program, healthy meals and nutrition education are being made available in low-income, food-desert, and other underserved neighborhoods at affordable and subsidized prices. The Oasis Program brings the 10-day Jumpstart (as seen in the 2015 documentary PlantPure Nation—now available for free on YouTube), to people who otherwise would not have access and/or could not afford it. Oasis empowers participants with knowledge and tools to take control of their health through nutrition, by enabling them to experience the benefits of a plant-based diet first-hand. The 10-day Jumpstart serves as the foundation and starting point of a 13-week support program, and longer term community support initiative. Approximately ten Oasis Jumpstart Pilots will be carried out in 2018.
PPC is providing significant staff support, reduced pricing, and other assistance to Pilot communities. Oasis participants will have their biomarker data taken at the beginning and end of the 10-day Jumpstart period. Each person will receive healthy plant-based meals, nutrition education, and other local support. To date, several Oasis Jumpstarts have been completed in Pilot communities across the US (see Success Stories). Oasis participants have seen dramatic health changes in a short amount of time and have been inspired to make the lifestyle changes permanent.
Despite spending more money on healthcare than any other country in the world, the U.S. has failed to stem the rising tide of chronic disease. Its primary weapons, a plethora of pharmaceuticals, mostly focus on symptoms and do not address root causes. Nearly half of all Americans are on some form of prescribed medication. Studies show that children from lower income households are twice as likely to be obese as children from higher income households. Exacerbating the problem, 11.5 million Americans live in food deserts. (The federal government defines food deserts as areas “in the U.S. with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such an area composed of predominantly lower income neighborhoods and communities.”) “Our goal is to make sure everyone has access to healthy food and nutrition education, regardless of their background, location, or socioeconomic status,” said Nelson Campbell, who founded PlantPure Communities.
“The Oasis program is important not only because it brings these health benefits to low-income communities sorely in need, but it will also continue to increase the growing body of evidence that shows the powerful ability of diet to reverse serious diseases, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other diseases. Nelson’s group is literally ‘jump-starting’ the application of what my 30+ years of research plainly documented: a whole-food, plant based diet can prevent and reverse the diseases that kill most Americans,” said T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
“Most people who grew up eating the standard American diet (aka SAD) are confused about what constitutes a healthy diet. People know they need to eat healthier, but they don’t know where to turn,” said PPC Executive Director, Jody Kass. “The Oasis Jumpstart program offers a validated path for people who have tried over and over again to eat healthier, but find they don’t have the knowledge, time, or resources to make lasting change.”
There is no cost to apply, applications are due May 21, 2018, and the online application can be found at: http://plantpurecommunities.org/national-open-invitation
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