San Rafael Selected For ‘Healthy Babies’ Grant Funds

SAN RAFAEL, CA — San Rafael will get a little bit of cash and some expert advice to help improve the lives of the city’s babies.

San Rafael was among five cities selected from a pool ranging in population from 32,000 to 250,000 as winners of the 2021 Healthy Babies Initiative. Eastpointe and Grand Rapids, Michigan, Madison, Wisconsin, and Pine Bluff, Arkansas were the other cities selected.

The five cities will each receive $10,000 in grant funding along with technical assistance to help improve children’s health and reduce health disparities by scaling programs that decrease regular exposures to chemicals that harm babies’ brain development.

The cities will also have an opportunity to present at a future Mayors Innovation Project meeting.

Grant recipients will focus on reducing lead exposure and air toxics; engaging communities in increasing access to local, organic produce; and integrating neurotoxic exposure reduction into energy efficiency programs.

A world traveler who spent a year in lockdown in a remote tropical island has a story to tell, and Nick Zoa will describe the experience

Monday at a Mill Valley virtual event.

San Rafael will scale production of a Production Farm operated by Community Action Marin, providing a resource for fresh, nutritious and organic produce to families of low income while running daily preschool classes and serving as a space for children and families to play as they learn about gardening and nutrition.

"Cities nationwide are struggling with issues around food insecurity, lead hazards, and poor air quality,” MIP Co-Managing Director Katya Spear said in a statement.

“The pandemic has only exacerbated these issues, as well as the racial and economic inequity that accompany them. We hope these projects, and the peer learning they will inspire, will serve as a model for cities around the country.”