THE COMMUNITY The South Bronx is well known as the poorest urban congressional district in the United States. Its residents are primarily African Americans, Caribbean Americans and Latinos from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Central America. Many recent immigrants have come from West Africa, Roughly 40%live below the federal poverty line, and more than half rely on some form of public assistance Levels of educational attainment are also low. Health statistics are typical of a poor urban community, with high rates of asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and infant mortality Between 2003 and 2005, nearly one-third of the children in New York City (NYC Head Start programs were obese; one-quarter of the children in public elementary schools were