Paso Robles preschoolers learn about fresh fruits and vegetables

It’s a race to the start of the line for a group of preschoolers in Paso Robles as they get ready to pick out some fresh fruit and vegetables.

This is more than just a fun activity for the children at the California State Pre-School and First Five. Here, they are learning to eat healthy.

For Claudia Vergara, this is a chance to teach her son Hector and his little sister about new foods.

“It’s really neat they teach them how to be healthy and it teaches them the value of money,” she says.

“We have a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that they get to buy with fake money or what we call food bank bunks,” says Heather Donovan.

She’s part of the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County and this is their first time at the school.

They say programs like this help provide low income families with access to these fresh foods.

“We found that not only does it change the eating habits for the child but it also changes eating habits for their entire family,” says Donovan.

Organizers say kids are able to fill up their blue bags with 15 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables.

They say Children’s Farmers Markets like this help to give out more than 200,000 pounds of fresh produce every year and benefit more than 1,000 children each month.

“A lot of people can’t afford it so it’s pretty good its a good program,” says Vergara.

Grants and help from the Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County help make events like these happen.