The Smile Drive Begins February 1!
Where Will You Hold Your Drive?
Our annual Smile Drive takes place through the month of February when we have youth and student groups collect tools for teeth (tooothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash) and distribute their donations to at-risk groups in the community. Your group can hold a Smile Drive in a school, pharmacy, Walmart Store, or other location.
If you'd like to receive a collections box and Smile Drive Kit, you'll need to register your group here and your participating Walmart Store here . If you'd rather hold your Smile Drive at another location you can still register your group and use your own box to collect donations. We appreciate all of your support! Help us meet our goals this year!
Are You Buying Junk Food?
People Buy More Junk Food for the Holidays, But What Do They Do After the Holidays?
It's no surprise that we buy more junk food during the holidays. Around Thanksgiving, food spending increases, but it's not focused on healthy foods. Spending continues to increase through Christmas, but after the holidays end and the New Year begins, we continue to buy junk food.
It's crucial to pay close attention to what we feed our families. Junk food specifically harms oral health by increasing tooth decay. Junk foods might be more convenient and satisfy our cravings, but the negative health effects can not be ignored.
Those of us with New Years Resolutions to be healthier (it should be all of us!) should start by putting careful consideration into everything we eat and prepare for our kids. Childhood is the best time to form healthy habits, but it's up to you to show your kids the way.
Looking for healthy snack alternatives? When kids ask for something sweet, try a piece of fruit or a fruit smoothie. Kids asking for ice cream? Try yogurt instead. Carrot and celery sticks are also great when dipped in peanut butter. Need something crunchy? Try a granola bar that's low in sugar and fat.
Thanks to All the Boys and Girls Clubs Who Applied to Receive a Bottle Filling Station:
Stay tuned as we announce the winner next week!
We asked all of our Boys and Girls Clubs how a Bottle Filling Station would improve their club members' oral health. There wasn't any wrong answer, but there were some things we were looking for. You might know that tap water in most communities is fluoridated. Fluoride is a mineral that is naturally present in food and water but can also be added to water. It prevents tooth decay by protecting the mouth from plaque and sugar.
Drinking more tap water encourages overall healthy living, but it has the added benefit of being fluoridated. If your club members are drinking water, it means they are probably staying away from bottled water (which is less environmentally friendly) and sugary juices and sports drinks.
Even if your group didn't win the Bottle Filling Station, you can still encourage your members to make a healthy choice everyday by filling their reusable water bottle with tap water. Did you know we're also giving away water bottles? Keep up with our newsletters to see how your youth group can win materials that promote healthy living.
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