Of the many great benefits of writing this column and being a part of My Edmonds News, my ability to continually learn about Edmonds and all of the resources in the city and nearby was probably the most unexpected. Being able to share them with you feels like an exercise in paying-it-forward to all who have helped and continue to help me navigate parenting with recommendations of providers, where to get the sporting equipment cheap, or parks with the best monkey bars. This week, I am going to tell you all the Verdant Health Commission has to offer at the Verdant Community Wellness Center, 4710 196th Street Southwest.

Now that sounds formal and in this election time, like an ad for a ballot proposition that is intentionally confusing. In reality, it is more along the lines of “Hey, have you heard about all the great classes at that building next to Applebee’s on 196th with the electronic reader board sign?”

While Verdant is a public agency that you may have never heard of, they used to manage Stevens Hospital. Now that Swedish is doing that, the goal is to focus on keeping the community out of the hospital with prevention. You likely know of a program they are involved in. Since their inception in 2011, they have funded the Move 60 program, which is now available and free in all the elementary schools in the Edmonds School District, and they also foot the bill to supply the FREE swim lessons for district third graders.

I spoke with Jennifer Piplic of Verdant, which serves 200,000 people in the communities of Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway and portions of Bothell and unincorporated Snohomish County, to get the lowdown on all they have to offer for babies to seniors. Before talking about all the of nutrition education, classes in their demo kitchen and hands-on family classes, the large majority of which are free, I first asked her about a “Safe Place” sign I saw on the building as I drove by one of the many times in a week I do.

“Safe Place” is a national youth outreach and prevention program for young people in need of immediate help and safety.” As Piplic explained, teens who feel unsafe or don’t know where to turn can walk right into Verdant and they will be connected with help and support. This is also true for adults and families in need as Verdant has a Community Resource Advocate on site working through the VOA 211 program. This advocate can help connect those in need with resources if they are facing eviction, can’t pay their water bill, or are in need or know someone in need of mental health assistance.

Oh! One more before we get to the classes. Verdant partners with Kindering to offer early intervention and private therapy services. Having needed several of these services for my children and knowing how expensive and time consuming it is to find the resource and then the time and money to get the services, I really wanted to share this info.

OK — let’s get to the classes. Verdant offers so many different classes that it’s hard to know where to start. Piplic explained the classes held in their demo kitchen are very popular; anyone who has watched any cooking show can understand why. Not only do they do demos or hands-on classes, like this Saturday’s Feeding Hungry Football Fans class (details below), or a class on cooking lower-sodium holiday foods, they have articles and resources on many health topics. Piplic explained that mental health is a focus of theirs, which is clear after clicking “Stress Less” on their website. You can find mental health screening tools, six ways to help an anxious child, and tips for coping with highly stressful events.

Navigate around their website VerdantHealth.org and check out info on their Play and Learn Group for kids up to 5; their Fitness Kick-Start class which is for beginners or the classes featured below. You can also call them at 425-582-8600, or I was assured you are always welcome to just walk into the Community Wellness Center, 4710 196th St. S.W.

Meanwhile here are some upcoming free classes at the Wellness Center:

For teens: “Feeding Hungry Football Fans”

Come to a football-themed hands-on cooking class Saturday, Nov. 5 from noon-2 p.m. making and sampling Ham & Cheese Potato Skins, Cajun Oven Fried Chicken Tenders, Mini Pizzas, and Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs. Be ready for the next big game with these tailgating winners! This “hands-on” cooking class is specifically for teens in middle and high school. Join Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Amy Reuter to explore cooking tips, techniques and recipes to add to your skills in the kitchen. Register here.

For parents: “Building Appropriate Self-Esteem in Children Ages 2-12”

Children with healthy self-esteem have a greater chance to develop into positive, confident adults. Join Lois Ralph, Kindering Parent Educator with more than 25 years’ experience teaching in parenting programs, for this free class that focuses on strategies for parents of children ages 2-12 years. The free class takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Register here.

— By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, an Edmonds Mom of two young boys, is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time. You can find her on Twitter trying to make sense of begging kids to ” just eat the mac n cheese” @jen_marx.