Plans to improve childhood health in the Port Towns received a boost with the awarding on Saturday of a $400,000 grant, money that could go toward efforts such as educational campaigns, community gardens and healthier school menus.

The money provided by not-for-profit health organization Kaiser Permanente and United Way of the National Capital Area will help implement a plan being outlined by residents, officials and nonprofits in the Port Towns, consisting of Bladensburg, Colmar Manor, Cottage City and Edmonston. The grant money won't be available until the plan is complete this October.

The plan will address ways to improve access to healthier foods and physical activities. Although the plan is not yet complete, planting of spring crops already began Saturday in the Port Towns' first community garden.

The Cottage City Community Garden was a project initiated by that town so residents can plant crops on raised beds. The garden could lead to selling produce in a farmer's market, said Jacqueline Burrell of the Port Towns Community Health Partnership.

"We've had tremendous interest in community gardens from the Port Towns, as well as from some of the schools," Burrell said, adding that schools such as Bladensburg High School could be involved.

Members of the Port Towns Youth Council, a leadership program for children and youth run by the nonprofit faith-based organization End Time Harvest Ministries Inc., have two beds in the garden and are helping put together the community action plan.

The Rev. Gail Addison, who runs the council, said three years ago the group planned an obesity and diabetes prevention campaign because they saw how poor health was affecting their community.

"They saw so many of their family members and friends suffering from the obesity and all of the things that come out of obesity," Addison said. "They began to say, ‘Wait a minute, because this is happening to our friends now, what can we do to lead other young people to health and wellness?'"

The plan will also focus on creating more recreational activities, increasing access to fresh and healthy foods in schools and providing youth with public health summer jobs, Burrell said.

The Port Towns Community Health Partnership, which will administer the money, is one of Kaiser Permanente's Community Health Initiatives, a program the organization has implemented in different localities nationwide.

Maritha Gay, senior director of external affairs for Kaiser Permanente, said she hopes the Port Towns wellness initiative, a five-to-seven year program, will be a model for other areas in Prince George's County, where approximately 50 percent of children are obese, according to 2008 statistics from the Prince George's County Health Department.

Gay said the program will be about more than just improving access to healthier foods; it will also include educational components and making streets safer for children to walk and ride bikes.

"It's not just one lever you pull," Gay said. "There are several that have to pulled and be aligned."

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.