Hair Salon and Barber Shop Program - A health report reviews a  success story  

  Kitchens of Faith
This 8 week pilot program is designed to work with faith-based institutions that operate feeding ministries to improve nutrition by making healthier food choices and modifying recipes for church sponsored events. Feeding ministries are defined as, but not limited to church soup kitchens, food pantries, community kitchens, and regular congregant feeding. The goals of the project are to work with volunteers from feeding ministries to 1) assist them with making healthier choices in their eating habits 2) show them how to develop and prepare a nutritious eating plan for the participants in the feeding ministry and 3) assist them in using the information received to transform their environments with positive health messages.

Read more about the   The Kitchens of Faith program  created at Cornell University Cooperative Extension.

  Regional Trainings for Faith Based Leadership on Fruit & Vegetable Mini Market Implementation
This project will provide training and resources for churches and other faith-based organizations around the state to develop and implement self sustainable fruit and vegetable mini-markets in their communities.  Participants will receive a toolkit and other materials that will assist them in planning their mini-markets. In addition, attendees will be eligible for mini-grants to use as start-up funds for their markets.  Trainings will take place in Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Muskegon and will be directed toward faith-based organizations with the interest and capacity to develop, implement and sustain produce markets in their community.   If you are interested in attending one of these trainings please contact  Brandess Wallace at  bwallace@mphi.org  or call (517) 324-7338 .

1) Assess themselves on how well they are doing at supporting healthier lifestyles among their congregations;
2) Increase their awareness of the types of steps they can take to promote better health among their members;
3) Identify and further define actions they can take that will make a difference. 

The Promoting Healthy Congregation Assessment    (PHC) is an online questionnaire intended to provide a quick assessment of a faith-based organization with regard to promoting and supporting physical activity, healthy eating & healthy weight, smoke-free environments & tobacco-free lifestyles.

Michigan  Faith Based Health Association     
The Michigan Faith-Based Health Association (MFBHA) is a coalition of faith-based organizations, public health progessionals and others representing various fields of expertise. The Association was established to support the vision of supporting healthier lifestyles for citizens living in   Michigan and recognizes that faith-based organizations have historically served as a cornerstone for human services within the community and is an excellent place to work to improve health behaviors. MFBHA was founded in 2005 by Matt Parker, President of the   Detroit based Institute for Black Family Development, as a channel for faith venues statewide to share health resources, funding opportunities and expertise on cardiovascular health, nutrition and physical activity. MFBHA currently has 214 members, of those, 93% are faith-based organizations with 33% representing the city of  Detroit. The mission of MFBHA is to help faith-based organizations of all denominations build capacity, leadership and strategic networking relationships to meet the health needs of children and families.  

The MFBHA is open to anyone in the faith community with a commitment to improving the health of children and families in  Michigan. We encourage membership from diverse backgrounds such as health, business, education, social work, etc. This will be an asset for networking purposes and other opportunities for collaboration.  

More information about the Michigan Faith-Based Health Association   can be found by visiting the association website.

 Detroit Neighborhood Partnership 
Staff will be partnering with the Institute for Black Family Development to assist 24 churches, 12 non-African American and 12 African American, in the development and enhancement of church health teams. Using the Promoting Healthy Congregations Assessment as a guide, churches will establish action plans and proposals using an assessment specific technical assistance manual and staff support to create policy and environmental changes in their congregations.

Read more information about the  Detroit Partnership at their website .

 Healthy Food, Healthy Soul Leader Guide Trainings  
Through a partnership with MSU Extension, trainings will be provided to church health ministry leaders in Detroit and Lansing to encourage and promote healthier food preparation and eating behaviors by using the Healthy Food, Healthy Soul cookbook, a collection of traditional soul food recipes that have been adapted to healthier alternatives while still maintaining the essence of African American culture. The trainings are part of a larger Food Stamp Nutrition Education project funded by the United State Department of Agriculture focusing on providing relevant nutrition education to African Americans with chronic diseases.     Click on: Healthy Food, Healthy Soul to order your own copy of the cookbook.

  Body & Soul 
Body & Soul is a national health program developed for African American churches by the National Cancer Institute. The program encourages church members to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables every day for better health. Churches that embrace Body & Soul help their members take care of their bodies as well as their spirits. The church is one of the most powerful elements to African American culture, and clergy leaders are key influencers to their congregations.   You can find more information about  Body & Soul   here.