In an effort to prioritize good health, the Capital Area Food Bank works with local farms, farmers markets and local food projects to get more fresh produce into the hands of our low-income neighbors.   Through Share the Harvest Gift Project, every dollar enables more families in this area to receive additional fresh produce and improve their health. 

When you purchase a gift in someone’s name, you’ve made it possible for us to partner with more local farms and purchase extra fresh produce for people in need.  It doesn’t stop there.  The Capital Area Food Bank offers a wide variety of nutrition education classes that help people make the most of the fresh produce they receive.  Additionally, youth are engaged through garden and cooking programs that weave the message of nutrition into tangible activities.   Your contribution helps us train leaders at social service organizations to be nutrition educators in their own communities. 

Please help us work for long-term solutions by sourcing locally grown produce and providing people with not only the healthiest food, but also the educational tools they need to improve their own health now and in the future.

To find out more about Share the Harvest please click here.

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church, one of the Capital Area Food Bank’s community partners, is going above and beyond the call to feed those in need by combining their regular food distributions with informative nutrition education classes.  On Wednesday, November 9^th, I attended one of these classes, which are held at the church’s social hall.  About 25 people of all ages turned out to learn from Reverend Carolyn Scales, who runs the hour-long sessions. 

Reverend Scales is a 2009 graduate of the food bank’s Nutrition Education Department’s pilot Health Ambassador Program, which helps partner organizations supplement food distribution with healthy learning.   Reverend Scales oversees a majority of the food distributions and has managed the church’s participation in the food bank’s From the Ground Up Fresh Produce Grant for the past two years.   

Reverend Scales educates class participants on key aspects of nutrition, such as limiting the consumption of fats, salts, sugars and increasing fiber intake and exercise level.  Seeing food distribution coupled with simple health education was inspiring and indicative of a step in the right direction for a healthy approach to hunger relief.  During the Thanksgiving holiday, Allen Chapel A.M.E.’s policy is that clients must attend at least three of Reverend Scales’ classes in order to receive a turkey from the food pantry.   

Classes begin with Reverend Scales asking clients if they are having a “good food week”—had they applied prior lessons to their daily eating habits.  The classes at Allen Chapel are open forum discussion and Reverend Scales serves as the moderator.  This allows community partners to share advice, support and suggestions.  Almost everyone in the class, for example, expressed struggling with removing sodas and sugary “from-concentrate” fruit juices from their diets.  Such discussions prove helpful especially to those participants that may feel defeated after a “bad food week.” 

Reverend Scales’ charisma and love for her clients made for a surprisingly emotional class! At Allen Chapel A.M.E., it’s hard not to be inspired when talking about nutrition—a subject which might otherwise not be so riveting.  One thing that really stood out for me in the class was Reverend Scales’ emphasis on the dignity of the individual when talking about eating right.  She encourages her clients to remember the old saying “you are what you eat” – reminding them that life is too precious to make food choices that could shorten it or diminish its quality. Knowledge is power and this sense of empowerment is something that truly has helped move the Allen Chapel community forward in their ministries to help those struggling with hunger.

For many busy nonprofits, getting involved in public policy through advocacy may seem overwhelming.  But it doesn’t have to be.  The 2011 Northern Virginia Hunger Summit is an opportunity for you to see how simple, yet powerful public policy can be.  The one-day summit will be held Friday, September 30, 2011 at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria.  You will learn the tools you need to reach out to decision makers and make a difference in your community. 

While this isn’t our first hunger summit, it is our first time doing an advocacy training at this level and we are very excited.  This year’s summit will not only be a great opportunity to learn about policy, but will also be an opportunity to meet special guests Ken Cuccinelli, Attorney General of Virginia; Frank Wolf, Virginia Congressman;  Gerry Connolly, Virginia Congressman; and a staff member for Mary Cheh, DC Councilmember.  Representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture and Bread for the World will also attend.

At the summit you will learn the importance of establishing relationships with legislators, how to deliver testimony, strategies for developing your policy plans and how to incorporate lobbying into your organizational mission.  Sessions at the summit will include “Planning your Public Policy Campaign,” “Developing a Passion for Public Policy,” “Lobbying is Not a Four-Letter Word” and “Food Co-ops for Sustainable Change.”

While the event is free, you must register to attend.  Please click here to register.   The event will begin at 8:30am.  We hope to see you at this one-of-a-kind event!

Took our tykes to a farm!

As part of being a site served by the Capital Area Food Bank (our kids receive a daily afterschool snack and, now that it’s summer, lunch) we get to participate in the Farm Youth Initiative, where our kids get to visit a local farm to learn all about healthy plants and how we grow ‘em.

One long and not entirely barf-free bus ride brought us to Clagett Farm, which partners with the food bank. We were ushered into a barn where I immediately met the beautiful, comforting sight of scads of fresh garlic hanging from the ceiling to dry (garlic that I’ve been getting to eat all week, garlic that is SPECTACULAR!)

I admired the attitude they tried to instill about nature in the kids; they pointed out that yes there were bugs everywhere on the farm, but were it not for the bees and the wasps doing their crucial pollinating, they would have no new plants. “Don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. You are a giant. They are scared of you.” And sure enough, everyone stayed calm and no one got stung.

We began with some games that reviewed good nutrition (the kids had already received an intro nutrition class back at our site).  The way they approached everything was simple and age-appropriate.  The basic take-home lessons were

1. The first ingredients should be something good for you
2. A short list is a good list
3. Don’t eat anything you can’t pronounce

In this activity, which involved buckets of water (many many points for farm people!), the kids ran relays to dump cups into buckets. Their cups had ingredients written on them (everything from “carrots” to “high fructose corn syrup”) and they had to pour them into the “healthy” or “unhealthy” bucket. They were into it!

Then we marched up to the small but beautifully maintained gardens.

Clagett farm is gigantic (it was originally a tobacco farm that was repurposed for organic fruits and veggies and various education programs), but this little section is specifically for the Farm Youth Initiative, the partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank that brought us here.

They very cleverly divided up the garden into the “pasta garden” (ingredients that you would put into pasta or a pasta salad like the one we’d eat later that day), and a “pizza garden” (ingredients for pizza).  A great way for kids to see fresh veggies not as (eurgh) actual fresh veggies but as ingredients in delicious foods with which they were comfortable and familiar.

And they got to pick them!

The instructors reviewed the techniques for properly picking tomatoes, hot peppers (hint: don’t touch them directly or they’ll burn you!), and carrots (which were tricky to get out of the ground! They stepped in giving them a little nudge with a spade. Apparently the trick to picking carrots when they’re ready is to wait until you can see the orange tops of the carrots sticking out).

The kids were all responsible for washing and weighing their produce (they were annoyed that they didn’t get to hold on to their individual tomatoes and carrots, because some were “better” than others. I swear to God, the things kids come up with to be competitive about are truly insane).

Anyway, they ended up with a pretty good lookin’ stash!

We played around the garden a little more: while one of the guides ran to another building to get supplies, I introduced the kids to “nature’s gum” (fresh mint).  They were super into it! When I was a kid and we’d go out to dinner, I always ate the mint garnish on fancy desserts (well I mean, actually I still do).

Then we got to play in the sprinkler (which is totally still just as fun when you’re an adult) and then paid a visit to some chickens!

The guides told the kids that the chickens liked eating juicy crickets, grasshoppers, and praying mantises, and the kids had WAY too much fun catching bugs and throwing them into the chickens. The chickens were actually eating straight out of kids’ hands by the end of it (which our guides said was really unusual).

Back to the barn we went, for a quick activity identifying the veggies we saw in the garden that went into the snack we were about to eat.

And then it was local food time! Whoo! I was very very obviously very very excited.

The table was beautifully laid out, with scrumptious looking whole-wheat pasta salad, that contained (this is clever, people with kids should do this) vegetables that were shredded so finely you were hard-pressed to tell what they were).

And bowls with a colorful selection of the veggies they themselves had picked (those yellow tomatoes are probably the most sweet, delicious of their kind I have ever been fortunate enough to taste) and, to keep the kiddos happy, some cheese.

In general, I was disappointed about how little the kids ate. A lot of them raved about the cucumbers (perhaps the texture of that is more familiar to them? Kids like crunch?), and some of them just kept on eating the yummy salad, but in general they were still kind of apprehensive about the whole thing. We also just have a bunch who never seem to eat anything…

Anyway, I sure did! And more and more and more. I could not stop. It was SO GOOD!

Hilarious: I point my camera at this, and Karen, one of our most sarcastic fifth graders (whom I adore), looks at me and says, “You would take a picture of your pasta salad, Ileana”.

Yes. I would.

Trip concluded with a visit to the porta potties. Mitigated by the beautiful flowers blooming near them!

I recently had the opportunity and honor to represent the Capital Area Food Bank at the second White House Community Leaders Briefing Series. This event is hosted by The White House Office of Public Engagement, and is an opportunity for the White House to share information with community leaders from across the country on the Small Business Administration, Energy and the Environment, Affordable Care Act, the Department of Education, the Economy, and more.

This is also an important time for community leaders to share ideas with the White House on how to improve existing federal programs, as well as share new and fresh ideas that can improve our community and country. This was not my first time attending an event at the White House, however, the series was rewarding both personally and professionally. 

After listening to the White House Staffers and networking with Carolyn, a Native American advocate from Seattle; Mary, a Civil Rights Attorney from New Orleans; and Adowa Ansah, from Connecticut, who founded Women of Praize - an organization that focuses on motivating women in Politics – I immediately knew I am not alone in my quest to educate and to give back to my neighbors, my community, my family and friends, and to any individual or family in need.

It was refreshing to step away from my caring colleagues at the CAFB and spend time with people from all over the country that are working just as hard to help people in their own communities.  I expressed the need to protect safety-net programs not only because people need the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, WIC, TEFAP, TANF and CACFP, but because these programs assist in boosting the economy and lowering the overall deficit.

Congress is currently debating the FY12 Budget and many of our repesenatives in the House and Senate want to cut funding for safety net programs or get rid of them all together.  This would be a terrible move that is sure to push more people towards poverty and hunger. Furthermore, if programs are cut and more people need help, the assistance will not be there for those in need.

I believe the White House understands this, however, I encourage everyone to contact the White House at 1-888-245-0215 in support of safety net programs.  Also call your Senator at 1-888-907-1481 in support of safety net programs.  Tell the White House and Senate that you support responsible long-term deficit reduction through a combination of revenue increases and spending cuts that do not harm the poor and vulnerable.

As community leaders, it is our responsibility to spread the news on what is needed to help people and to take action.  You don’t have to spend the day at the White House to be a leader and to make change, just simply stay involved in your community.  If you are unsure on how to get involved please email me at banksb@capitalareafoodbank.org.

“What can I do with this?” a young mom asks holding up a head of cabbage. 

This is a frequently asked question at a food pantry distribution; and one the Nutrition Education Department at the Capital Area Food Bank is tackling head on. Each year, the CAFB distributes nearly 30 million pounds of food – half of which is fresh produce. But without the knowledge of how to prepare the produce at home, the fear of the unknown may prove too great and residents choose to forego the fresh produce – most notably the vegetables.

To help combat this problem the Nutrition Education Department brought on Chef Mitch Greene, with grant funding, to launch a recipe database that will be accessible by all partner agencies on the “Partner Zone” online portal.  The goal of the recipe database is to feature ingredients and create demand for healthy ingredients at CAFB. The recipe database is in the development stage, but partner agencies can look forward to its launch and brainstorm ways to incorporate the recipes into their organizations.

The recipes will follow guidelines set forth by the Nutrition Education Department, with oversight by the department director, Jodi Balis RD.  Among other guidelines recipes will include at least 3 out of the 5 food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meat/beans) and cost no more than $1.50 per serving.  Most importantly, they will be tasty. Recipes will include information about what can be substituted, allowing for flexibility and creativity. Currently, most of the recipes are simple one-pot meals that require little preparation or preparation time. As the project continues to evolve, the recipe database will offer as many types, styles, and variety of recipes as possible.

Knowing how to prepare food bank ingredients in healthy and economical ways may seem challenging to both food bank member partners and clients alike.  But these recipes, coupled with cooking demonstrations will provide the food bank network with new experiences and expose them to new ways to use common ingredients in healthy, tasty ways.

—A look at a recipe for Southwest Turkey Soup

Serves 8                 

1        teaspoon olive oil, or canola
1        pound ground turkey
¼     teaspoon salt, or less to taste
black pepper, to taste
2        medium onions, chopped
1        large green bell pepper, chopped
1        tablespoon chili powder
          cayenne pepper, to taste
2        garlic cloves, crushed
8    cups water, or chicken stock, low/no sodium, fat free
1        15 oz. can  whole kernel corn, no salt added
1        15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1        15 oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt added
13  ounces spinach, frozen, thawed

Directions:

In a large sauce pan or stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. While the pan is heating up, season the turkey with the salt and pepper.  When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the turkey onions and peppers.  Cook until the turkey is browned completely, stir occasionally (stirring too often will increase the cooking time!).

 Just before the turkey is done to your liking, add the chili powder, cayenne pepper and garlic cloves.  Stir to distribute evenly and cook less than one minute.  Be careful NOT to brown the garlic (brown garlic is very bitter and unpleasant).

Add the water (or stock) all at once.  Stir to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (called ‘fond’–like foundation–in French kitchens).  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes.

 Add the corn, drained and rinsed beans and the spinach.  Return to a simmer (adjust the heat if necessary) and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until thoroughly hot.

Written by Adrienne Griggs in Nutrition Education Department

During the meetings, many representatives from the food bank interacted with the site leaders.  Our Nutrition Education Department gathered feedback on the types of programming they are most interested in and the progress of the Snack Box and Kids Cook! programs after one year.  Representatives from Public Policy & Community Outreach shared SNAP resources.  Harvest For Health distributed information about this summer’s Farm Youth Initiative program, and passed out applications to excited site leaders.

The Food For Kids team lead a session on best practices, during which selected site leaders from across the region shared ideas from their individual programs, giving all site leaders the unique opportunity to learn from one another.  Each Kids Cafe Coordinator had a breakout session with their sites, and discussed timely region-specific information.  The Weekend Bag Coordinator received information from sites during a special lunch session.

The forums are a wonderful opportunity to bring together site leaders from across the metro area to share ideas, learn from each other, and receive resources from the food bank.  When asked what they most liked about the Forums, many site leaders echoed the thoughts from one leader who stated, “Giving everyone a chance to talk about their experience.”  We are already looking forward to the next meetings this fall!

Today the food bank is holding its Annual Northern Virginia Hunger Summit, which provides interactive forums for individuals and organizations that offer feeding programs or other social services. 

The summit will feature the enlightening Bridges Out of Poverty series, a two-part series based on the book of the same name by Dr. Ruby K. Payne and her colleagues, offers time-tested, research-based steps to serving people in need in a way that empowers individuals and strengthens communities. 

Part one of the training, featured at the food bank’s 2009 Northern Virginia Hunger Summit and 2010 Metropolitan Area Hunger Conference, focused on the learned behaviors of people living in poverty and how it influences their daily decisions.   Poverty forces individuals to make minute-by-minute decisions in order to gain access to basic necessities, and that this essentially influences how a person in that situation views time. 

Part two of the session will be covered today and offers social service providers or any organizations dealing with hunger the skills needed to work with people in need, best practices and the best way to work with other agencies. 

If you work with hunger related issues or if you are interested in learning about the dynamics of poverty from an economic and social perspective, the 2010 NOVA Hunger Summit is for you.  The event is free and open to the public and lunch is provided. 

Through the FYI program, more than 150 children from Kids Cafe sites in D.C., Maryland and Virginia learned about the health benefits of incorporating eight servings of fruits and vegetables into their meals every day.  Each group of kids practiced making “packed snacks” by matching kid-friendly snack foods with fruits and vegetables they’re likely to encounter at school, home or their community center. 

So instead of eating plain salsa and chips, a “packed snack” adds peaches, black beans, corn and cheese to that store bought salsa and it is then served with whole wheat crackers.  Now that’s a snack that is good for you, tastes great (just ask the kids) and is very filling!

During field trips to Clagett Farm, the kids had the chance to harvest and taste-test veggies and herbs from the garden. And they worked together to create healthy snacks that included fruits and vegetables with other familiar ingredients.

All of these activities aim to increase children’s comfort level with eating fruits and vegetables.  By engaging kids with new tastes and textures, FYI hopes to increase the likelihood that they will gobble up at least eight servings of these essential foods on an everyday basis. This summer’s FYI participants had a lot of fun and we think they’ll head back to school ready to include fruits and vegetables with their meals whenever they have the chance.

So Nutrition Education and Agency Relations decided to pare down the intensive course into a 2 hour basic workshop geared towards food pantries, soup kitchens, Kids Cafe sites and others served by the food bank.

So how do you take 16 hours and smush it into 2 hours?  It starts with the KEYS to food safety (developed by the Nutrition Education Department) – Keep it Clean, Cook Food Fully and Store Food Safely. Then we take those KEYS, and turn them into skills.

The skill building part of the workshop is where participants learn how to calibrate a thermometer, make bleach water, practice proper hand washing techniques and match foods with the correct cooking temperatures.  Then participants map out where food travels through their own organization to identify where KEYS to food safety can be applied in their own daily operations; and which staff or volunteers would need to be trained in a specific skill area.

At the end of the workshop, participants came up to me to say how much they enjoyed learning in a fun and interactive way, which is the rewarding part!

As with all new trainings we have created, there continues to be tweaking.  But the goal remains the same – provide knowledge and skills to empower our partners to serve, store, and cook food safely!