The 17th annual Nebraska Kids Fitness and Nutrition Day (NKFND) was held in McCook on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the McCook Community College Peter and Dolores Graff Event Center with around 250 fourth grade students. The event was also hosted at Perkins County Schools in Grant on Sept. 20 with approximately 160 fourth grade students attending the Mountain Time Zone event. Students came from across the nine counties in Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD) to participate in this fitness and nutrition event.
“The kids love this event, and it is a great learning experience for the students. Volunteers teach them about fitness and nutrition and have a lot of fun while working with the students,” says Sarah Minnick, NKFND Coordinator at SWNPHD.
NKFND was developed and funded in part by the Nebraska Beef Council and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. SWNPHD, McCook Public Schools and Perkins County Schools co-chair the event with the partnership and support of McCook Community College, McCook Lettering and the Nebraska Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
This one-day event includes six nutrition stations and fifteen fitness stations. Nutrition stations include information about how to read food labels, portion sizes, and how to build good eating habits. Fitness stations show the students how to practice balance and dexterity, coordination, and the benefits of exercise for heart health and chronic disease prevention.
Elementary schools participating at the McCook event included: Arapahoe, Cambridge, Hayes Center, Hitchcock, Maywood, McCook Central Elementary, St. Patrick, Medicine Valley, Southern Valley, and Southwest. The event in Grant hosted elementary schools from Chase County, Dundy County-Stratton, Perkins County, Paxton, Prairie View, Wauneta/Palisade and Perkins County Christian School.
“The Kids Fitness and Nutrition Day would not be possible without the sponsors and the volunteers,” states Minnick. Over 50 volunteers were teaching and assisting at the fitness and nutrition stations at both events. “Our thanks go to both the volunteers and sponsors for helping give these students a boost toward a healthier future.”
Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department serves Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Keith, Perkins and Red Willow counties. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, You Tube and TikTok or view the website at www.swhealth.ne.gov for many resources.  Call 308-345-4223; one number three locations, McCook, Imperial and Ogallala.