Collaborative Action
Several NPAT members hosted RYD events to reach adult and youth community members throughout Mono County. Mammoth Unified School District (MUSD) hosted events at their elementary and middle school, CSS hosted events at food distribution sites, and other members provided educational materials to their participants.
Sustaining Success
The NPAT Coalition aims to broaden water access and appeal efforts across the community by installing new water filling stations by the end of next fiscal year. To that end, Mammoth Disposal has secured grant funding to complete water filling stations for public use. The coalition will continue to complement these efforts with RYD education efforts to help promote healthy beverage consumption throughout the community. CSS has nutrition education planned in health clinics and schools, and will offer healthy retail interventions.
Building on Strengths
Mammoth Unified School District hosted two RYD events at their elementary and middle schools in support of both the School Wellness Policy efforts and NPAT goals. The district's Health Coordinator emailed educational videos promoting water consumption to teachers beforehand to complement the taste tests and take-home materials students would receive, and Mono County Public Health provided infused waters and helped educate students at the events. Students got to taste test different flavored waters, view educational posters about sugar content of flavored beverages, post their pledge cards, and take home various materials promoting water consumption. The partners created a "build your own" water taste test buffet for middle schoolers, and some students got to take home water bottles. Between the two RYD events, approximately 750 staff and students participated.
Community Service Solutions (CSS) hosted four RYD events at food distribution sites in Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, Bridgeport, and Lee Vining, reaching approximately 100 adult participants. The Nutrition Educator provided recipe cards, materials such as “Every Sip Counts” and “How Much Sugar,” hands-on activities and flavored "Spa Waters" such as cucumber-lemon water and basil-strawberry water. During the RYD activities, participants were amazed with how much sugar was in their favorite beverages.
Other coalition members such as Mono County WIC and Mammoth Disposal provided RYD outreach materials to participants in support of the coalition’s goal to increase water appeal.
Success Stories
Rethink Your Drink (RYD) Across Mono County with Local CNAP Partnerships
The Mono County Nutrition and Physical Activity Taskforce (NPAT) mutually agreed upon several health priorities for 2023. With the county's adult obesity reaching 29% in 2022, the coalition agreed to prioritize healthy beverage consumption education for adults and youth, including hosting a minimum of five Rethink Your Drink (RYD) events per year.