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Now Cooking: “Bite Size: The Movie”

By: NWHF Staff | Posted on: January 28th, 2011 | Share:
Categories: Education • Policies & Laws • Food & Nutrition • Public Health • Transportation

I can’t remember a post-lunch afternoon meeting where I’ve felt as much energy as I did the other day, when I met with two young men who are in early stages of producing and directing a film about childhood obesity, called “Bite Sized.”

First and foremost, I want to send props to these two guys: Andrew Galdi, producer, and Corbin Billings, director. They came into the Northwest Health Foundation office and met with me, and with Chris Kabel, NWHF’s senior program officer who works extensively in promoting opportunities for healthy eating and active living.

One thing I was most impressed with was their ability to listen and learn. I really did get the sense that during the course of their research, meeting with anti-obesity advocates and nonprofits, their thinking was being enhanced, and even transformed, into more clearly recognizing that obesity is largely an issue of the environment in which we live. They met with representatives from Janus Youth Programs, who are developing gardens, and even a healthy corner store in North Portland, where these resources barely exist. They met with Upstream Public Health, who work to develop policies that encourage health. They also met with Multnomah County Public Health, a nationally-recognized government agency, among others.

All of these entities have been funded by Northwest Health Foundation in one way or another, and we appreciated that they came in to talk with us as well.

Kudos also need to go out to our fabulous community of Oregon-based organizations – some philanthropic, some nonprofit, and some government-run – who are all working to address the root causes of obesity.

There’s a reason that Andrew and Corbin travelled all the way up to Portland to meet with all of us. And based on my time with them, I got the real sense that our community is distinguishing itself by working in concert, focusing on the important causes of obesity, and raising awareness of the disproportionate impact of obesity on communities of color.

It’s called collaborative leadership, and it seems to be working.

Chris Palmedo
Editor, Community Health Priorities
Director of Public Affairs, NWHF