This past February, the Food Bank began a partnership with CUNY Prep — a New York City transitional high school that offers out-of-school youth an opportunity for full-time study for the purposes of re-entering high school or qualifying for admission to college by obtaining a GED. At the school, Science Teacher & Assistant to the Director for Green Education & Initiatives Edwin Alexander spends much of his time running an internship program, the purpose of which is to help CUNY Prep students enter the work force. This is where the Food Bank comes in.
Bianca Rodriguez, Student, CUNY Prep
“I’m doing a volunteer internship at the Community Kitchen. Serving food here, I’ve learned to be more grateful for everything I have. It’s my first work experience too!”
By placing CUNY Prep interns at our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem, students are able to experience an environment where they can learn skills and habits that they will be able to take out into the working world. Securing a good career is part of the CUNY Prep mission, the internship program is a step in that direction.
To learn more about this great school and internship program, here is a short interview with Edwin Alexander:
What do you hope your interns will learn through their experiences at the Community Kitchen?
Our interns will learn to develop a positive work ethic and adhere to the principals which are present and ever so important to possess in the work place.
This is the second time you have had interns placed at the Community Kitchen. What were some of the reasons you chose to maintain your relationship with us?
The professionalism of the entire staff, the wonderful experiences in which my students have shared with me about the Food Bank For New York City and the constant conversations Ms. Keeler and I shared in regards to my interns’ work ethics, time sheets and professional opportunities.
What have your interns communicated to you about their Community Kitchen experiences that you believe they may not have gained had they not been interning?
My interns have communicated to me that they gained a better sense of self and appreciation for what they possess. Furthermore, they expressed how great it feels to work in the pantry and kitchen.
Part of your wish for your interns is that they learn to value and respect employment, with all of the risks and rewards inherent to having a job. Do you believe that they are learning to value employment and become responsible employees? Yes, I do. I do also believe that they need more training and workshops on my end, which would stress the importance of a healthy work environment and positive work ethics. Furthermore, I believe that students need to continue to develop and work on being better employees.
Recently, I’ve met a number of college students who are relying on food stamps in order to make ends meet and I've put a lot of thought into the connection between being able to eat and being able to learn. Many students qualify for participation in the Food Stamp Program (now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP). When I think of food assistance, my first thought is not college students, but the truth is, if you are hungry, you can’t learn.
I recently learned more about college students relying on food stamps when I met Carlotta — a NYC student living in Brooklyn who has graciously allowed us into her experience as a food stamp recipient. Here is a short interview:
How did you come to apply for food stamps?
I was working as a massage therapist and going back to school. My schedule varied tremendously and sometimes I would have zero massages, which meant I earned no money. My friends and roommates told me about the program. After I heard more about a friend going through the process, I decided to contact the Food Bank for some help, and they took me through the pre-screening process.
I was surprised that I qualified for food stamps as a student, but hearing it was an easy process convinced me to apply. Having the extra help each month relieved my anxiety about affording food.
How long does your allotment last during the month, and what do you do when it runs out?
From the beginning, I tried stretching my allotment through the first three weeks. Then I’d have enough money to pay for food when it ran out. I was living pretty poorly before so I was already used to being careful with my money.
Do you know of other students who would qualify for food stamps who are not taking advantage of the program? Yes, many of us in my program are making less than $1,100 a month. I’m sure many of them qualify and aren’t in the program.
If you struggle to afford food, food stamps may be just the thing to make ends meet. Our food stamp information call center (212.894.8060) is available throughout the work week, providing regular access to food stamp specialists who can conduct pre-screenings and answer questions. Call us today! For more information about in-person assistance and food stamp FAQs, visit our Get Food Stamps Now page.
Last year, more than 700 New York City public school classrooms participated in CookShop Classroom. the Food Bank’s federally funded nutrition education program for elementary-school students. Recently, one CookShop classroom in Brooklyn was featured in a report by a major international news network!
The report by Al Jazeera English shows how CookShop uses hands-on activities to get young children excited about eating nutritious foods, especially in low-income neighborhoods where access to healthy food is scarce. CookShop gives students the nutrition information and food-preparation skills to make healthy food choices on their own, and also offers complementary programming for parents and caregivers.
All of the training, materials, food and support needed to implement CookShop are provided to eligible public elementary schools free of charge. In a survey last year, 92 percent of participating New York City public school teachers said their students were making healthier food choices because of CookShop.
The Food Bank thanks PS 133K, the William Butler Academy, for being an outstanding CookShop school. Interested in bringing CookShop to your school? Learn more about the program and download an application!
Check out this video to see what makes CookShop so exciting:
Last week my nephew completed kindergarten, and began his summer vacation along with all the other children in the New York City public school system. It was an exciting week for sure, but also the week that hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren lost access to free and low-cost school breakfast and lunch. Instead of wondering which camp or summer activities their children should partake in, many of these families will have to worry about having enough food to eat during the summer.
As an aunt, I am very involved in my nephew’s life. Playing an integral role in a child’s development underscores the importance of alleviating harsh realities like child hunger. This reality makes my role as the Food Bank’s Community Outreach Manager so important: I advocate for better access to federal Child Nutrition Programs like the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP, or Summer Meals).
Recognizing that more children rely on emergency food during the summer, we work with the NYC Department of Education to recruit members of our citywide network of soup kitchens and food pantries to help provide summer meals at their sites. The Food Bank will support these sites by assisting with community outreach, developing activities to promote participation and providing additional program support. Our goal is to ensure that as many children as possible receive free summer meals, which are also available at schools, parks, libraries, pools and other sites across the city.
My hope is that, with support from the Food Bank and SFSP, New York City children will only have to think about where they want to play this summer, and not where their next meal may come from.
As today is the last day of public school in New York City, it is a perfect time to reflect on an exciting year of CookShop, the Food Bank’s nutrition education program. Our workshops for children, teens and adults reached more than 15,000 people in all five boroughs, including students in more than 700 public elementary school classrooms.
Last year, in a survey of participating teachers, more than 97 percent reported their students more likely to try a new healthy food because of CookShop, while 96 percent reported their students want to eat healthier and 92 percent said their students are making healthier food choices because of CookShop.
This year, participating principals sent letters describing their CookShop success stories, and we were thrilled to hear their rave reviews. We’re especially excited that so many people involved with CookShop will continue cooking and eating fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains at home. Here are a few of their stories:
“CookShop became a catch phrase in our building, and the amount of enthusiasm it built among our teachers and students was amazing. The children in grades pre-K to second and in our special needs class learn to make healthy, nutritious recipes that they eagerly share with their parents at home. CookShop’s lessons have students readily eating vegetables in our cafeteria that my nutritionist and our parents have told me they were not eating before. It provides a bonding experience, a motivational tool and a new way of talking about food and nutrition for our teachers, our parents and our students.
“CookShop is an essential weapon in our healthy-living, healthy-eating fight to change the obesity rates in our school and in our neighborhood.” —Harold Anderson, Principal, C.S. 21 – Crisups Attucks Elementary School
“Our cook tastes the recipes and is going to start serving [CookShop] dishes at lunch time. This program has not only taught our community about healthy eating, but it has brought our community together.…Parents are volunteering in the classroom and cooking with the staff.” —Carin Ellis, Principal, P.S. 212 Queens – School of CyberScience and Literacy
“The teachers and students love the program. I just walked into a bilingual classroom and it was the first time they have seen cauliflower and collard greens. They were amazed with the texture.” —Melissa Acevedo-Lamarca, Assistant Principal, P.S. 19 Queens
“This is the first year my school is participating in the program and we LOVE IT!!! My little kindergarten, first and second grade students enjoy Fridays when their teachers do the CookShop lessons. I often have a little visitor coming to give me a small sample of what they made in class. My kids are always eager to explain what they made and how they did it.” —Vanessa Christenses, Assistant Principal, P.S. 48 Queens – The William Wordsworth School
“This Thanksgiving my family had a potluck and we all had to bring something. My sister, who teaches second grade at a school in the Bronx, surprised us with the three-bean salsa, which she too learned to make in CookShop at her school. This was full circle for me…CookShop is touching the lives of so many near and far. It makes me smile every time I think of my sister serving a CookShop dish at Thanksgiving because she knows we all need to eat healthier.” —Dora Danner, Assistant Principal, P.S. 17 – The Henry David Thoreau School
As improving child nutrition becomes a national priority, the Food Bank is proud of CookShop’s success in moving children and families toward a healthier lifestyle — and is working to bring the program to more communities in need.
Katherine Mancera is the Food Bank's Public Education Associate. For more information on our CookShop program go to www.foodbanknyc.or/go/CookShop, or watch our CookShop video below:
It is very important to the Food Bank For New York City that all of the food we receive makes it to a New Yorker who needs it. While this is a bit of a no-brainer, making sure it happens can be more difficult than you might expect.
At times, food assistance programs can be wary of ordering certain products that they are not sure how to cook with, or if the ethnic community they serve won’t be familiar or know what to do with it.
Knowing this, our Community Nutritionist works to build awareness in our network for the benefits and potential use of different products. For just one example, here is a piece our nutritionist wrote about peanut butter for one of our Agency E-Newsletters:
While most people think of peanut butter as an American food mostly eaten by children, the origin and use of peanuts in cooking can be traced back to countries around the world and dates back as early as prehistoric times. Currently, the United States produces about 7 percent of world's peanuts, with China, India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sudan, Senegal, Argentina and Vietnam also making significant contributions.
Peanuts are a highly nutritious source of plant protein, with each tablespoon serving acting as a replacement for one ounce of protein recommended in the diet. While peanuts are high in fat, they contain unsaturated fats, which provide benefits for heart health. Peanuts have also been found to be a good source of antioxidants and reservatrol, which is known for its cancer-fighting, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties.
While peanuts are commonly eaten in whole form as snacks, peanut butter has become a popular ingredient in various types of Asian cooking as well as being used in soups, sauces, casseroles and baking.
And, to further help things along, we provided a list of healthy Peanut Butter Recipes — enjoy!
It’s clear that something must be done about the state of child nutrition in our country. New York State’s Department of Health notes that many diseases that were previously associated only with adulthood (type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, to name a few) are now being seen in overweight and obese children. The United States military recently said that child nutrition is even a matter of national security: a new report shows that more than quarter of all Americans ages 17 to 24 are too overweight to join its ranks.
But things are looking up in Miss P.’s lively classroom. Students were so excited during their Lettuce Explorer lesson, you’d have thought I’d promised them puppies for trying the crunchy greens. It’s funny that literally getting their hands on three types of the vitamin-packed leaves created such anticipation to scarf it down — and in large quantities. I’m thinking parents need to revisit their rules on “playing with food” if they want their kids to eat more veggies. How’s that for nutrition policy?
But in the meantime, I was hoping all the enthusiasm from the Lettuce Explorer lesson would translate into the corresponding cooking class. When I arrive in the classroom, I first play sous chef by slicing carrots and apples so students can easily cut them into smaller pieces for the salad they’re about to make. Miss P will supervise the students that dice the carrots and apples, while I help the kids who are ripping lettuce leaves into our massive salad bowl. I’ve got three types of lettuce again — iceberg, red leaf and romaine — so I hand out a few leaves to each of the students at a time, taking a few moments to explain that bite-size pieces will be easier to chew.
“I want to eat some soo badly!” a boy says. (Parents, take note: Let the kids help you cook and they’ll literally beg you to eat veggies!) After I remind them that it’s not polite to eat until everyone has a completed dish, I turn to my left and see a girl chewing and looking a bit guilty.
When it’s time to make the dressing, the class circles around a table and Miss P. lets me take over. I’m eager to see how they’ll like this salad because we’re going to splash a very grown-up dressing onto it — one that happens to be my favorite at home. Each student lends a hand to squeeze a few lemons and measure 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, ½ cup olive oil and 1 tsp. oregano and garlic powder into the bowl. Garlic powder—I’d have thought it was too pungent for the kids, but I’m excited to have them try it. (At home I mince 1 or 2 cloves of fresh garlic, depending on whether I have to talk to people afterward.)
A few children get a turn tossing the salad before the class is sent to their seats for mealtime. I scoop the salad into more than two dozen bowls while one girl passes out sporks and napkins and Miss P. pours apple juice. Once everyone had a dish, it was time for the countdown: “One … two … three … TASTE!”
I can hear the kids considering before a hum of mmms sound throughout the room. Most of them like it! The slightly spicy garlic powder balanced the sweetness of the apples and carrots.
While a few students politely put down their fork, most of them gobbled it up — and several came up for seconds. One boy grinned as he held out his bowl: “Please give me more apples! They’re my favorite!”
I was a little wary about this week’s explorer lesson in lettuce. Even though I believe salads are anything but boring — I fulfilled a craving for an Asian chicken salad in the middle of writing this post — I wasn’t sure how enthralled the students would be by a single leaf of lettuce. But, as I’m learning, kids surprise you.
When I first got to class, Miss P. introduced the ingredient by reading a letter from a New York farmer who grows lettuce on her land. Ms. P. also reminded the students that lettuce was a mealtime fave of the classroom’s two guinea pigs, Oreo and Furball. As if CookShop arranged for this to happen, the two moppy-haired pets started rattling around their cages on cue, which delighted the children and set an energetic tone for the rest of the lesson.
“What kind of toppings do you put on your lettuce at home?” asked Miss P. More than a dozen hands shot into the air. A lot of the kids repeated tomatoes and carrots, but one boy talked about croutons and ranch dressing (yum) while another one even suggested cheese and dried cranberries (how sophisticated!).
Then Miss P. split up the students in two groups, and I sat down with mine to explore three different heads of lettuce: iceberg, red leaf and romaine. First I asked them to name each type (they had just learned them in the reading session) and describe each one as I tore off leaves to hand out. Iceberg lettuce felt “smooth,” “yellow like an egg inside” and “cold like a penguin.” Red leaf was “curly” and “purple.” Romaine was “long” and … “it smells like a watermelon!” I paused to take a whiff and have to admit the kid had cred: It actually smelled like watermelon.
At this point, they were getting antsy and begging to bite into the leaves. Some had folded them into long lettuce pouches they dubbed “burritos.” Finally, we ran out of words to describe how the green stuff looked, smelled, felt and sounded, and the only thing left to do was countdown. “One … two … three … TASTE!” They were gobbling up the raw lettuce leaves like rabbits and requesting thirds and fourths. I could barely tear off the leaves at the rate they were asking for more.
By the time we were finished, there were lettuce shreds everywhere — on their chairs, on the floor, even on their heads! I glanced at Miss P’s table, where her group was peacefully munching with the platter of lettuce heads still neatly intact. Well, I may not have the authority of a teacher, but I do have tricks up my sleeve: To get the kids to clean up, I told them to gather all the littered lettuce shreds to feed to the guinea pigs.
On my first day as a CookShop volunteer, I’m glad to see kindergarten rooms haven't changed too much since '89. The walls are still bedecked with construction paper and alphabet posters. Still, I'm a bit intimidated by the 25 curious children peering up at me.
“One, two three, all eyes on me!” says the teacher, Miss P., to get the students’ attention. “1-2, all eyes on you!” the students chime back. I file that technique away for future use.
I'm there to assist Miss P. with a Carrot Chef lesson. The previous week, during the Carrot Explorer lesson, the kids learned how carrots grow and about their nutritional value. This week, the kids will learn to cook healthy Glazed Carrots from scratch.
I start slicing bundles of fresh carrots into narrow sticks that will be easier for the students to chop with their plastic knives. Half the students join Miss P. around the cooking table to dice the carrot sticks and toss the pieces into a silver bowl.
Meanwhile, the other group shows me the kidney bean plants they had planted the week before in small plastic cups. The students eyed each other’s cups with pride or envy, noting which cups had big bright green, six-inch stalks, already producing a bean or two, and whose were eking out an inch-high stem. We talk about the roots that are wrapping their way around the bottom of the cup. I ask the children to describe what made their plants grow, and their answers are spot on: Sun! Water! Fresh air! I went to my family’s garden in Bangladesh! I saw plants in Nashville! (Wait, what?)
“One, two three, all eyes on me!” Miss P. rotates the groups, and I scramble to pass out the rest of the plastic cups of carrot slices.
Now a group of students is helping Miss P. pour water, orange juice, honey, balsamic vinegar and a bit of salt into the big bowl. A few students are charged with mixing it all so the carrots are coated evenly. Then the children return to their seats as Ms. P. and I make the final preparations. The balsamic vinegar sends off a pungent odor, but the students don’t seem put off. They’re eager to taste what they just made…and it’s just about ready.
Students come up five at a time for a scoop of the carrots, but no one digs in yet: it’s a CookShop Classroom tradition that no one tastes until everyone has a share. Finally, everyone has a bowl in front of them. Then it’s “one…two…three…TASTE!”
Approving mmm’s echo across the room. Even Miss P. and I nod favorably to one another — the carrots are good! They balance the right amount of sweet with a slight kick from the balsamic vinegar. Soon all of the students are coming up for seconds, and one girl is chided for sneaking in for thirds. Miss P. tells the students that their parents can find the recipe online. One happy boy shouts, “Good, I was going to ask you about that!”
[Food Bank For New York City is very excited to introduce Bank on It readers to our new guest blogger, Deanna Michalopolous. A freelance writer focusing on health and nutrition, Deanna is currently a volunteer with our CookShop Classroom program, helping to educate children in a Brooklyn kindergarten class about, and helping them enjoy and appreciate, healthy food and diets. Deanna will be contributing a post for every week of her tenure as a teacher's assistant for CookShop Classroom — so enjoy her first post, below, and stay tuned for more!]
One morning a few years ago, I was distracted on a crowded subway by the sight of a six-year-old boy eating his breakfast — a bag of Cheetos and a 20-oz of Pepsi.
The sight was upsetting, reminding me that ours is a city where nearly half of elementary schoolchildren are at unhealthy weights, and where three million residents live in neighborhoods with limited food access and high rates of both poverty and diet-related disease. So when I heard about CookShop, a Food Bank program that uses hands-on exploration and cooking activities in over 700 public school classrooms citywide to encourage children and adults to eat and enjoy healthy, affordable foods, I signed up to volunteer immediately.
The CookShop Classroom component for elementary school students offers a 19-week curriculum that explores a variety of fresh ingredients, including apples, wheat, beans, collard greens, carrots, lettuce and broccoli and cauliflower. Led by public school teachers who have received special training from the Food Bank, students are first introduced to the ingredient by seeing, touching, smelling, hearing and tasting it raw. Then they put on their chef hats (figuratively, of course, though that would be adorable) and help prepare a tasty dish using the ingredient. All volunteers are trained in food safety and preparing techniques, and assist the teachers in running the lessons.
For volunteers, CookShop is a chance to step off the soapbox and join a tangible effort to expose kids to good-for-you grub. And lest you think my soap box was too high from the start, let me share my humble dietary beginnings.
Growing up, I sucked down Little Debbie snack packs and McDonald’s Big Mac meals. I was very tall and sporty, so the daily, two-hour basketball practices turned extra weight into muscle — a perk that quit as soon as I was no longer a three-sport athlete. Years later, when I started working for a health magazine, I started paying attention to what I shoveled in my mouth and how it made me feel afterward. Sticking to fresh meals with protein and veggies helped boost my energy, but it took a mental mallet to break some of my unhealthy habits. Better late than never, but it’s much easier later when you start eating better earlier.
That’s why CookShop is a good initiative: It gives kids a chance to connect tasty, healthy foods with fun times, rather than making eating well a dreary chore.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing dispatches from the classroom where I volunteered this year. I hope you’ll keep up with my CookShop adventures!
Ms. P. also reminded the students that lettuce was a mealtime fave of the classroom’s two guinea pigs, Oreo and Furball. As if 
The 
