THE MAGIC OF
FRESH FOOD
Clockwise from top: Johnson at The Beth Greenhouse with Community Wellness Coordinator Lorraine Gibbons; visiting the Beth Fitness Center; making a new friend; with Darrell K. Terry, Sr., President and CEO of NBI, Barbara Mintz, MS, RD, Senior Vice President, Healthy Living and Community Engagement, RWJBarnabas Health and members of the SodexoMAGIC and RWJBH Wellness teams.
FORMER NBA SUPERSTAR SHARES NEWARK BETH ISRAEL’S MISSION TO PROMOTE NUTRITIOUS FOOD AND HEALTHY HABITS.
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asketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson recently visited Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBI) to shine a spotlight on NBI’s efforts to promote healthy eating in the community. The former Los Angeles Lakers star is the Chairman and CEO of food management company SodexoMAGIC, a joint venture with Sodexo, one of the nation’s largest food service companies. The company uses fresh vegetables and greens from The Beth Greenhouse to provide healthy entr es and more in the employee cafeteria. On his visit, Johnson toured The Beth Greenhouse, which grows vegetables in nutrient-rich water instead of soil and distributes about 100 pounds of produce each week to local food pantries and to the Farmers Market held at NBI every Thursday. “I’ve been to a lot of hospitals, but I’ve never seen fresh produce that’s grown and that people can pick up right here,” he said. “That’s been amazing to see.” Johnson shares NBI’s mission to bring healthy eating to urban areas known as “food deserts,” where fresh produce isn’t readily available. NBI provides healthy living education at the Rev. Dr. Ronald B. Christian Community Health and Wellness Center, and sponsors The Beth Challenge, a wellness program, for NBI employees and various community groups.
To learn more about Healthy Living classes at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s Rev. Dr. Ronald B. Christian Community Health and Wellness Center at 208 Lyons Avenue, call 973.926.7371 or visit www.rwjbh.org/events.
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