Click on the name of any organization to visit its website...

FOOD & GARDENING

Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska - Buy Fresh, Buy Local Nebraska is an outreach and marketing initiative to promote and support local foods. The initiative began in 2006 after much research by a group of consumers, farmers, non-profits and small local businesses that wanted to create something of benefit for all Nebraska communities. With on-going grass roots support, it is a collaborative effort of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, and Great Plains RC&D.

City Sprouts - Since 1995, City Sprouts has maintained community and family gardens in our half-acre demonstration plot at 40th and Franklin Streets in the Orchard Hill Neighborhood of North Omaha. We work with inner-city residents and volunteers from around Omaha to grow vegetables, flowers, and herbs using environmentally responsible and sustainable gardening techniques. Our mission is to sustain communities through gardening. We help Omaha neighborhoods, civic groups, schools, youth groups, and residents develop lasting, productive green spaces. Our larger vision is to work with Omahans to build local food systems, improve community health, empower neighborhoods, and strengthen economic viability and sustainability.

Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition - The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition is an independent research institution providing scientific expertise, partnership and resources to improve diet and physical activity behaviors among youth and their families to help grow a healthier next generation.

Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society - NSAS is a non-profit, grass-roots membership organization. Initiated over 30 years ago by farmer members, NSAS has grown into a dynamic organization with members from all across Nebraska. We welcome farmers and non-farmers alike...everyone eats! Our mission: To promote agriculture and food systems that build healthy land, people, communities and quality of life, for present and future generations.

Plant a Row for the Hungry: Catholic Charities Omaha - A public service program encouraging local gardeners and food producers to plant an extra row of produce each year and donate their surplus to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations to help feed America’s hungry. There are over 84 million households with a yard or garden in the U.S. If every gardener plants one extra row of vegetables and donates their surplus to local food agencies and soup kitchens, a significant impact can be made on reducing hunger. Link to Catholic Charities. Link to Plant a Row (national site).

Slow Food Nebraska - Slow Food Nebraska is the Lincoln, NE chapter of Slow Food USA. Slow Food USA seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat.

Slow Food Omaha - Local chapter of Slow Food USA. Slow Food USA seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat. Slow Food isn’t just a concept; its a way of life. Just sitting down to a shared, lovingly prepared meal made with the freshest, most local and chemical-free ingredients can change your world. After all, we are what we eat. Why not put consciousness back into that which sustains us. Slow Food Omaha intends to be a resource for the Omaha community: helping to educate, create awareness, and link you with the food you eat. There are lots of options in Omaha for the locavore looking to eat a meal prepared from food raised and grown locally. We will be adding information to this website on a regular basis to highlight these options. Look for upcoming events where you can participate in changing the foodscape of Omaha, and more importantly you can eat the wondrous food being produced right in our backyard! Join us as the revolution begins…..

Weston A. Price Foundation - The Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism. It supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and bio-dynamic farming, pasture-feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies. Specific goals include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk and a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.
Omaha Chapter Leader:
Dr. Lozier (Lozier Health Center, P.C.)
1243 S. 119th Street
Omaha, NE 68144
Click here for upcoming events!
(402) 502-6726
Lincoln Chapter:
Elanor Sodergren
(402) 328-8063,
esodergren@catholic.org

ACTIVE LIVING

Activate Omaha - At Activate Omaha, we believe active living approaches such as walking or bicycling for basic transportation or pleasure, playing in the park, taking the stairs and using recreation facilities will help people achieve the Surgeon General's recommendation of 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity on at least five days of each week. Our mission at Activate Omaha is to create awareness, advocacy and excitement about activity and the importance of designing our community for active lifestyles. The vision of Activate Omaha is to become a national leader in creating a model community where healthy living through active choices is a priority.

Omaha Frontrunners/ Walkers - The Omaha Front Runners/ Front Walkers is an inclusive organization of people interested in exercise, fresh air, social networking and friendship. Our membership is primarily composed of LGBT people of all ages, but we are welcoming to all.

Omaha Hiking Club - The Omaha Hiking Club is a group for adults of all ages to participate in non-competitive, trail based outdoor activities in the greater Omaha area. The Omaha Hiking Club is not affiliated with other local hiking/walking groups and we welcome everyone, from beginners to advanced trekkers, to come join us on our hikes, walks or other events. So whether you are looking for some exercise, new friends or just the opportunity to spend some time outdoors, the Omaha Hiking Club is for you! The Omaha Hiking Club is an independent informal non-profit organization with no membership fees.
The Omaha Hiking Club was started in the spring of 2002 as a forum for like-minded adults to arrange and participate in opportunities to meet others who share a common interest in hiking and other outdoor activities. Our Hike Leaders schedule and lead hikes on a volunteer basis. Our leaders pick the place and time when they schedule their hike. The average distance for one of our hikes is around 4 miles with an average pace of approximately 3 miles per hour. Sometimes the distance of our hikes is longer or shorter and sometimes the pace is faster but rarely slower. The distance and the pace of the hike depends on the Hike Leader, so expect some variance in our outings. Our activities are intended and structured for adult participants, so no children please. Since animals are prohibited at most of our hiking destinations, we request that you leave your animal companions at home.

Omaha Recreational Hikers (Meet-Up Group) -We are a group of hiking enthusiasts who enjoy the outdoors. We plan to offer many different types of hikes around the Omaha area.

Omaha Walking Club - The Omaha Walking Club was formed in 1919 for those who like to walk and those who like the outdoors. We are a non-profit organization with a Board of Directors and numerous committees to help facilitate our activiies. We invite you to look things over on our web site. You may join us upon any of our walks or visit us at our clubhouse on a Sunday afternoon.

YMCA - A great place for the whole family...there's something for everyone - fitness centers, swimming pools, youth sports & activities, child care, fun clubs, activities for seniors, fitness classes, early childhood education, summer camps, and teen groups! Financial assistance program available to those who qualify!

NATURAL HEALTH

Heartland Healing - Information about alternative medicine, natural healing, complementary therapies and the healing arts in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Heartland Healing maintains a database of practitioners in the Omaha/Council Bluffs/Lincoln area and provides this information to the public at no charge. This helps residents locate practitioners but is not a recommendation or referral.The website provides informational articles, a directory of practitioners in the Heartland and links to related sites. The public can find out about therapies here and locate a practitioner.

ICAN of Omaha - ICAN of Omaha Chapter's mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). ICAN of Omaha meetings typically consist of presenters with various topics that relate to the physical and emotional well being for parents and children. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ralston Public Library. Our environment is always mother/baby friendly.
ICAN of Omaha's local online group encourages supportive dialogue to provide support and resources to anyone who is interested in preparing for childbirth or recovering from a c-section. Childbirth choices, patient rights, VBACs, HBACs, and emotional support are frequent topics of discussion. It is recommended (although not required) that online group members formally subscribe to the ICAN of Omaha Chapter for additional benefits and resources. To subscribe, please contact Katie Meester or Amber Piller at icanofomaha@hotmail.com.

La Leche League of Nebraska - La Leche League is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support, and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed. Membership in La Leche League International is $40 for one year. Membership fees help to support your local Group and the international organization. The benefits of membership include a one-year subscription to NEW BEGINNINGS magazine. All breastfeeding mothers and mothers-to-be interested in breastfeeding are welcome to come to our meetings or call one of our Leaders for breastfeeding help or information. Babies are always welcome at our meetings. La Leche League Leaders are experienced mothers who have breastfed their own babies and who have been trained and accredited by La Leche League International to help mothers and mothers-to-be with all aspects of breastfeeding. They are available by phone whenever you have breastfeeding questions or concerns.

Live Well Omaha - The aim of this collaboration is to improve the health and quality of life of metropolitan Omaha residents through a communitywide effort involving health-related businesses and organizations.

Nebraska Doulas Association - The mission of the Nebraska Doulas Association is to offer doulas companionship, education, networking, and professional affiliation. In addition, we provide public education regarding the benefits of doula care. The NDA also seeks to provide information and support to empower birthing mothers while respecting the individual needs of childbearing families.

Nebraska Friends of Midwives - Nebraska Friends of Midwives came together in the fall of 2004 as a loosely organized, small group of women who were concerned about the lack of access to midwifery care in the state and alarmed by trends in women’s health such as skyrocketing c-section rates and increasingly interventive hospital care. These women wanted to spread the message about the Midwives Model of Care to families in Nebraska and to see that women had access to this type of care. While homebirth is certainly an important issue for this group, we would like to see that the Midwives Model of Care is available to any Nebraska woman in the setting of her choice, be it hospital, birth center (the only one which exists in our state is unable to open because its owner cannot find a doctor to sign on) or home. One of our primary missions is to educate women about this model of health care. Women who employ midwives enjoy personalized care from pregnancy through postpartum with less risk of interventions and unwanted outcomes such as instrument assisted delivery and c-section. Groups such as the American Public Health Association and the Maternity Center Association, support the principles of the Midwives Model of Care.

NATURAL LIFESTYLES

Attachment Parenting International of Lincoln, NE - "Our organization is geared for providing support to parents from the infant years to and through the teenage years. If you espouse responding sensitively to your child and using other parenting methods that create strong emotional bonds, also known as secure attachment, this group is for you! Are you still asking why you should attend? Here is a good answer: to refresh your soul, support others going through similar ages and stages, and to just have fun! Come join us!"

Green Omaha Coalition - Our Mission Promoting a healthy, sustainable community through partnerships, policy, and smart solutions. In order to accomplish the mission of the GOC the following goals were identified:
1.Education: Achieve broad and deep community understanding of the value, methods, and benefits of conservation and environmental sustainability.
2.Advocacy: Successfully foster the creation and adoption of policies and practices that enhance environmental sustainability throughout the community.
3.Leadership:Through program development lead the greater Omaha community to embrace integrated, sustainable practices and behaviors across the environmental, social-cultural, technological, economic, and public policy realms.
4.Healthy Communities: Ensure that greater Omaha is an exemplary “green,” livable community through the adoption and practice of smart and sustainable conservation practices. Primarily the GOC intends to accomplish its mission through leadership and coalition building with public and private sector entities and residents as a whole – fostering collaboration with key stakeholders in the community to accelerate the adoption of green practices, policies, and programs.
Partnering with the city government, educational facilities, public agencies, the private sector, and non-profit groups, the GOC will provide education, information, technical assistance and training.

Green Philanthropy for families- The goals for the organization are:
•to expand the meaning of "philanthropy" to include care for all life on Earth
•to feature simple no/low-cost gifts, projects, and actions in which people of all ages can become involved
•to provide a place where individuals, families, groups and organizations can share ideas for green philanthropy
•to present information about and links to resources that will support individuals, families, and groups as they develop and complete a green philanthropy service project locally, nationally, or globally

Keep Omaha Beautiful - We educate the business community and citizens about the advantages of litter reduction, recycling and solid waste management. Each year we work with over 7,000 volunteers.

Omaha Area Natural Parents -