HSI Monthly Momentum - May
The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative’s programs and events strive to create awareness and provide solutions to improve the physical, social and mental well-being of Iowans. Every month through Monthly Momentum, we’ll share what our team did through our four main programs Make It OK, Double Up Food Bucks, Produce Rx, and 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! the month prior to realize that mission! There are tons of ways to get involved whether your passion is mental, social, or physical health, so join us in ensuring every Iowan can live their healthiest life, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media so you never miss a thing!
Make It OK
May has been a busy and eventful month for Make It OK! From chalking the town green, hosting 4 Make It OK presentations and having May formally proclaimed as Mental Health Awareness Month by Governor Reynolds, we are so thrilled to have put awareness into action throughout the state of Iowa. Thank you to workplaces, organizations, Ambassadors, schools, and YOU for partaking in our May events and reminders that it’s OK to not be OK. We ended the month with over 700 Mental Health Awareness Month toolkit downloads and over 100 digital pledge cards signed. Finally, Make It OK was a sponsor of The Awakened Brain: Spirituality in the 21st Century event in Cedar Rapids at the beginning of May. Community members gathered to listen to Iowa native, Dr. Lisa Miller, discuss spirituality and how it correlates with a healthy brain.
Our series of University of Iowa Athlete Make It OK stories launched in May! The story of Payton Sandfort, Iowa Men’s Basketball Forward, is available now, and more are coming soon!
Double Up Food Bucks
In May, HSI was thrilled to announce that the Double Up Food Bucks program was expanding to every Fareway Store in Iowa! The addition of 76 Fareway stores brings the total number of participating locations across Iowa to 169! Learn more here.
Healthy Incentives Director, Jazzmine Brooks, spoke at the GusNIP NTAE’s Nutrition Incentive Hub 2025 National Convening in Minneapolis, which drew over 300 attendees from Hawai'i to Puerto Rico. As a Plenary panelist, she shared the impactful work of Double Up Food Bucks Iowa alongside representatives from Feeding Florida and Lagniappe Farm in New Orleans. Together, they discussed program resilience, barriers, and successes! Jazzmine also presented in a breakout session, “SMART Marketing & Community Outreach on a Budget: Finding what Works,” sharing tips and real-life success stories of stretching marketing dollars while achieving measurable results for nutrition incentive programs.
Produce Prescription Program
Healthy Incentives Coordinator, Catie Dysert, presented at the National Health Outreach & Engagement Conference in Omaha, NE along with partners from Iowa State Extension, on the Iowa Produce Prescription Program and partnerships for enhancing healthy food access.
5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count
Executive Director, Jami Haberl, and Marketing and Communications Strategist, Chase Langos, took a trip to IKM-Manning Middle and Highschool to celebrate their win in the 2024 School Mascot Challenge as part of the Healthiest State Annual Walk! The $1,000 prize will be used for a project or activity to encourage healthy habits in the school. We can’t wait to share how they spend the money!
On the way back, Jami and Chase went for a hike at the Whiterock Conservancy to get their steps in for the day and bring attention to one of the beautiful places Iowan’s can visit to get active and enjoy the outdoors!
