By Kyle Smith,

Although this is only Daisy Carusillo’s second year implementing the Food Bank’s CookShop Classroom curriculum at PS 24 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, she handles the job like an old pro.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing Daisy in action as she instructed a roomful of new CookShop teachers at a training session one evening this fall.  After a full day in their own classrooms, the teachers had arrived looking a little weary. But as Daisy led a mock Chef Lesson (a cooking activity in which students help prepare nutritious, kid-friendly recipes) it was clear that these lessons are her favorite part of the curriculum – and it was impossible for the tired teachers to resist Daisy’s infectious energy and humorous anecdotes! Plus, it didn’t hurt that the tangy batch of Peachy Orange Salsa they were preparing smelled so great.  

“This is where nutrition education takes on a whole new life,” Daisy said. “The actual handling of the produce, the chopping, the dicing, mixing, the smells…does so much for the building of community.” 

CookShop Chef Lessons give elementary-school children an opportunity to try healthy food, such as fruits and vegetables, in a learning environment, Daisy said, while the Explorer and Discovery Lessons reinforce other academic areas such as reading, math and science skills.

"One of my favorite [Chef Lesson] memories is when a student was so proud of her dish – it looked so colorful, and it was so flavorful – she wanted to take some to the principal so she could taste it,” Daisy said.

But like all learning experiences, some can be a little jarring at first. When Daisy’s students were told carrots comprised the root of a plant, “they were so shocked, they weren’t sure if they wanted to continue eating [the Carrot Raisin Salad].”

Daisy said the students were more willing to taste the Three-Bean Salad and Apple Dipper recipes, but, she said, all CookShop lessons help serve a child’s personal development.

“Children who develop adequate cooking skills and nutritional knowledge are more likely to make healthier food choices later in life,” Daisy said.

And it’s that kind of insight – rather than the number of years’ experience -- that makes Daisy Carusillo an expert CookShop teacher.
 

By Margarette Purvis,

I love the holiday season. For me, it always means longer time spent with my mom and more quiet time to reflect on the New Year. This year because of my recent move to the city I was excited to return to the South and find new things to add to my “to-do” list. I decided to hit up places that I’ve missed over the last three months. So I went to my favorite walking trail to take in the beautiful trees and etched mountain. You would think of all places, here is where I would find holiday enlightenment. Not so, I found it where you’d least expect. 

But before anyone tries to outfit me in bedazzled Birkenstocks...I should probably be clear. I only went to the trail ONCE. It’s the South and what you’ve heard is true: The food is ridiculously yummy! It should come as no surprise that much of my holiday “to-do” list was about what “to eat.” I received great joy from a tour of my favorite FOOD JOINTS. Because the Food Bank is a proud provider of healthful nutrition education services to a citywide network of charities and schools, I’ll spare you the details of my indulgences. Just know, that I went, I saw, I ATE.

It was at one of my final stops that my life was forever affected. This particular place not only has my favorite French fries, the owner is someone who I truly respect and he provides some of the best customer service around. It’s also a hot spot for youth from the community. While sitting there, three teen boys walked in. I noticed them because they arrived carrying empty cups (from the restaurant and the nearby Target) and parked themselves next to me and the soda fountain. When I saw them I smirked a little. My mind went back to being a teen at a local donut shop in Nashville. I remembered hanging with kids named Jeff and Stuart, who didn’t look too different from these boys, and the mischief we would get into after school.

Anyone looking at these boys probably thought they saw characters from an Abercrombie or J. Crew ad. They were scraggly haired, green- and brown-eyed All American teenagers. They were no different than any group you may find at any burger joint...except for one thing. I noticed that these boys never bought any food. They walked in with empty cups and proceeded to eat the free peanuts. They were missing the bravado of the boys I knew as a kid. They seemed too nervous to get the “free refills” as my childhood friend Peter named it. They ate so many peanuts that they kept my attention. Watching them made me think of my eleven-year-old godson, who as a growing athlete can put away so much food it boggles the mind. My godson is about three years younger than these boys, and he would NEVER be satisfied at 1pm with a bowl of peanuts. As I looked back at them, I heard one ask, “so what did you have for Christmas?” His friend, who looked no older than 13, said, “nothing…she didn’t have it.” I looked away from my BlackBerry and thought "Why haven’t they ordered something?"

As one of the boys caught me looking at them…they all decided to get up to leave. I watched as one placed his never filled cup in the garbage and almost looked away as the second boy joined him. And THAT’s WHEN I SAW IT: The second teen pretended to throw his cup away and instead reached in and GRABBED FOOD OUT OF the GARBAGE. I wasn’t the only person to see it. Across the room, another woman looked…stunned. I watched her grab her chest as we both stared at each other, blinking for a second. When I looked outside there were two of the boys, looking inside of the “rescued” bag and shoving the contents into their mouths as they hurriedly walked away.

I ran outside to get their attention and they nervously ran (without coats) between the cars as if they’d done something wrong. They had not, but I wasn’t sure if I had. Holiday haze or not, I know a simple fact: Millions of families rely on school meals to supplement their food needs and this was a REALLY LONG BREAK for families with little to no food. Hunger does not take a holiday and it does not discriminate. The needs of “growing boys” are the same in every household regardless of whether mom and dad can afford to meet them.

As I reflect on the New Year and the ideas and programming that I soon hope to share with our supporters and partners, I keep coming back to the notion of a “communal gift.” Whether you celebrated Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa there are lights involved. There was the light from the North Star, lights from the menorah and lights for Kwanzaa symbolizing direction for community actions. During my holiday break, I didn’t see a major light but I found ENLIGHTENMENT from three boys. Three hungry boys in a room filled with adults demonstrated how people can struggle in plain view. Three boys showed the leader of a Food Bank what the stigma around being an impoverished adult looks like in their children. These three boys did not “reveal” to me that hunger exists. I already know that. But these boys gave me a REMINDER of the URGENT NEED to help as many of us give the best gift to the neediest among us and that is our ATTENTION. Families are struggling all over this country. We can never say that we’re willing to ACT if we have not first trained ourselves to truly SEE. In 2012, I’m looking forward to launching new, dynamic programs to help as many New Yorkers SEE hunger for what it is and then CHANGE how many of our neighbors and friends experience it. We’ll keep the light on and hope you’ll keep an eye out and choose to join us!
 

By Justin Crum,

With the New Year just a few days away, you have probably already spent some time, or told yourself you’re going to spend some time, thinking about your resolutions for 2012. One of the Food Bank’s central goals is to help build a healthier city through nutrition education — and within the CookShop team, we are resolving to inspire more New Yorkers to Change One Thing and build a healthier lifestyle. 

A campaign that encourages New Yorkers to improve their health by making small changes to their diet, Change One Thing can be a great model for your own resolutions. Rather than resolving to hit the gym four days a week or to kick fried foods once and for all — c’mon, who are you kidding? — why don’t you drink water instead of that daily soda, or pick up some fruit instead of that bag of chips at lunch?

To help give more ideas, we asked some of our CookShop students and members of the Food Bank network to tell us what they would change in the New Year….

	George, CookShop Classroom Student, PS180M "Instead of eating meat, I would eat carrots. Instead of drinking milk with fat in it, I would drink soy milk. Instead of drinking juice, I would drink water."
	Laura Smith, CookShop Classroom Parent Coordinator, PS 47X “I’d like to exchange my dinner roll with a new vegetable every night.”
	Russell, EATWISE peer educator, New Dorp High School “I’d like to drink water throughout the day and eat vegetables three times a day.”
	Marcia, Guest, Food Bank Community Kitchen & Food Pantry “In the new year I hope to get less meat and more vegetables. I want my whole family to participate. My husband is diabetic and I want to prevent my children from being diabetic too.”
	Margarette Purvis, President and CEO, Food Bank For New York City “Locally grown food is so important. So, in 2012 I'm going to take a stab at gardening. I think I'll start with herbs and tomatoes!”

 So how about YOU? What’s your Change One Thing resolution for the new year?

By David McCoy,

You hear that one word: cancer, and all of sudden everything has changed. Priorities shift, commitments alter and life seems much more precious. When most think of cancer it’s of the hospitals, the radiation, the surgery, the chemotherapy, but rarely does food enter the imagination. In reality, while battling cancer nutrition is extremely important and often very difficult to maintain. You are tired, you are sick, you are in and out of hospitals and, even in the best cases, shopping and cooking are the last things on your mind. Fortunately, there are people thinking about food as it relates to cancer and working to help provide support. 

"I don't work because I can't. I’ve been battling kidney cancer for years and I’ll be honest, it doesn’t look good." Read Darryl's story.

The Center for Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is just such an organization, recognizing how people's lives are affected by cancer. They have seen that good nutrition helps patients maintain their body weight, retain strength and fight infection, while often decreasing recovery times and reducing complications. What they found was that many of their clients, particularly immigrants, are simultaneously battling cancer and food insecurity. The latter stems from the usual sources of economic instability but is also a result of the cancer itself.

Through a partnership with the Center for Immigrant Health, the Food Bank has been able to link hospitals with local food pantries to ensure that people fighting for their lives have the necessary food to help win the battle. On a regular basis, staff members from the Center for Immigrant Health travel to a local pantry and pick up food for their clients. These supplies are brought back to the hospital and the patients leave their appointments with food to help support their health.

While this initiative is in its infancy — working in four hospitals in New York City so far — a dramatic expansion of this service is planned in order to provide more New Yorkers with a much needed hand during a time that is riddled with turmoil, uncertainty and fear.

Just before Thanksgiving, you heard from Cassandra Agredo, Director of Food Bank network member Xavier Mission, on Bank on It about the whirlwind of activity leading up to Thanksgiving day.

The Food Bank invited Cassandra back to let us know how the big day went. We hope you will join us in thanking Cassandra and Xavier Mission for the amazing work they do on the front lines of hunger relief — leave a note in the comments!
—Daniel Buckley

Thanksgiving at Xavier Mission is my favorite time of the year. It’s when the best of humanity is revealed, when the boundaries that divide us seem to disappear for awhile.

A new Yorker enjoys a warm meal at a Food Bank network soup kitchen

What humbles me the most about the holiday is the gratitude I experience from so many people. It begins when our food pantry guests arrive to pick up their Thanksgiving food baskets. Many of them hug me, clasp my hands and bless me and my family. Some are so overwhelmed by the food they are receiving and the ability to provide their families with a home-cooked holiday meal that they become tearful in their thanks.

One amazing moment happened when an elderly guest greeted one of my volunteers with effusions of gratitude and kept telling the volunteer how much she wished she could do something for him. All she had with her was a piece of gum and she pressed it into his hand, eager to show her thanks and return the kindness.

The gratitude continued to flow on Thanksgiving day, when a gentleman joining us for dinner at our community meal program slipped a napkin into my pocket. “Oh this rainbow coalition would fit into any exhibit of New York!” the napkin exclaimed. “Thanksgiving [at Xavier] was truly lovely and the greatest of performances!”

Gratitude emanated from our volunteers as well. One 78-year-old woman had been signed up to receive a homebound meal. She called several days before the holiday to decline the delivery and requested instead that she be allowed to volunteer. She sat at the door and welcomed each guest into the hall with a smile, then thanked me over and over at the end of the day for allowing her to be a part of the festivities.

After being awash in the thanks and gratitude of so many this Thanksgiving, I find myself to be the most grateful of all. I’m grateful for the many blessings in my life, for the opportunity to work in a fulfilling job, and for the amazing people I meet every day — guests, volunteers, colleagues, advocates — who teach me so much about life, about justice and about love. 

On behalf of the Food Bank For New York City's network of food assistance programs and the 1.5 million New Yorkers who rely on them to eat — Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to your support, the Food Bank was able to distribute over 10,000 turkeys and chicken roasters as well as thousands of pounds of potatoes, carrots, onions and apples, helping our network provide the meals that can mean a happy Thanksgivings to New Yorkers in need.

Below is the staff from just one of our network's food assistance programs, picking up turkeys and onions at our Bronx warehouse. This Thanksgiving, remember that New Yorkers in need across the five boroughs are thankful for a warm, nutritious meal with friends and family. Please take a moment to spread the word of thanks — post a link to Facebook and tweet your support!

Photo by Karen Smul; courtesy of Professional Women Photographers "PWP"

This week in New York City, the Food Bank For New York City released a poll revealing that one-fourth of households with a military veteran in our city are struggling to put food on the table while Congress deliberated over whether to pass legislation to help veterans find employment. Despite higher numbers of job openings, job competition remains fierce for veterans and non-veterans alike. While Mayor Bloomberg sent his recommendations to the deficit-cutting Super-committee in Congress, reports of partisan divisions among the members raise questions about whether they will be able to reach a deal.

Poll: Veterans Looking for Food Help, The Wall Street Journal, 11/10
About one in four New York City households with military veterans has trouble putting food on the table, according to the Food Bank For New York City's latest research report. Veterans in such households are eating less frequently and choosing to pay other living expenses — rent, utilities, medical care and transportation — over food, which they get more frequently from food pantries and via government assistance, according to the poll by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

Senate Acts on 2 Pieces of Proposal on Hiring, The New York Times, 11/7
The Senate on Monday cleared the way for a measure that would repeal a tax withholding program on government contractors and provide tax incentives for companies that hire veterans, making them the first pieces of President Obama’s jobs plan to gain some momentum in Congress. The Senate voted 94 to 1 to take up the bill to end a new tax withholding program on government contractors after the House easily passed the measure last month.

Job openings rose to three-year high in September, but competition for each job remains fierce, Associated Press, 11/8
Employers advertised more jobs in September than at any other point in the past three years. The increase suggests hiring could pick up in the next few months. Competition for jobs is fierce. And many employers aren’t rushing to fill some because they are worried about the strength of the economy. Still, most economists say the increase in openings is a reassuring sign. Nearly 3.4 million jobs were posted in September, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That’s the most since August 2008, one month before the financial crisis intensified.

Mayor Bloomberg Outlines Plan To Balance United States Budget, Associated Press, 11/8
Congress' deficit-fighting "supercommittee" must take bold action to balance the budget, and both parties must be willing to compromise to get it done, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday. "For too long, Washington has operated on the 'something for nothing' principle," Bloomberg said in speech in Washington. "Both parties have promised their constituents the world — and given them debt and a sluggish economy and anemic job growth." Bloomberg, a billionaire entrepreneur, said U.S. business leaders won't invest or hire workers until they know how Washington intends to grapple with the deficit.

Supercommittee members: panel shy of deficit compromise, Associated Press, 11/14
Despite prodding from President Barack Obama, members of Congress’ supercommittee concede no deal is in sight to meet their goal of $1.2 trillion or more in deficit savings over the next decade. Instead, with only 10 days remaining until a Nov. 23 deadline, the panel is divided along partisan lines and Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. said Sunday the six committee members of his own party “have not coalesced around a plan.” Despite the difficulties, Clyburn and Republicans on the deficit panel all said they haven’t given up hope of a deal by the deadline.

By Astrid Spota,

With President Obama pledging to bring troops home from Iraq in time for the holidays, many New Yorkers are excited to welcome back their sons, daughters, neighbors and friends.

However, as the Food Bank’s latest report shows, after their tours have ended, many of our soldiers will have to face a new enemy: food poverty. Released today, From the Front Lines to the Bread Lines has found that 1 out of every 4 veteran households are struggling to afford food.

download the full report

Veterans are making a range of sacrifices to stay afloat: they are forgoing food to pay for rent, medical care or other necessary expenses. They are reducing the quality of food they buy, leaving out protein and other nutritional essentials, to keep food on the table for themselves and their families.

We know from reports conducted by organizations serving military veterans that unemployment rates are disproportionately high among veterans. Lack of work may land many of our returning soldiers on line at a soup kitchen or food pantry. Our report indicates that more than 1 out of 3 veteran households would not be able to afford needed food within three months of losing their household income.

This is a difficult message to hear on Veterans Day, but we hope that our veterans are able to take some comfort in knowing the Food Bank and our network of food assistance programs are there for them. In addition to providing needed food, our network can connect veterans to important services such as food stamps and tax assistance that can help them get back on their feet.

Sharing this information with family and friends is an effective way to show appreciation for our veterans — you can post a link to Facebook, tweet this article or email a link using our “share” button below.

Over the coming months, the Food Bank will work with legislators and organizations serving veterans to find ways to apply what we have learned and better serve our returning soldiers. We hope you will continue to follow this story as the Food Bank covers our progress in the coming months.

Thank you for supporting our veterans and the Food Bank.

By Matthew Gustafson, 

One of my greatest pleasures in visiting the schools that run our CookShop Classroom program is observing how creative teachers can be when connecting our program's nutrition education messages to the other subjects they’re teaching.

Of course, CookShop’s curriculum is built to facilitate these kinds of connections.

From top: Photo by Miriam Araya; Photo by Ritamarie Pepe

I’ve seen teachers relate CookShop to math — measuring ingredients is a handy lesson in fractions, addition and multiplication. Other teachers highlight geography through discussions of farming and geographical landscapes. And I’ve seen CookShop help develop reading and writing skills, as teachers ask their students to use descriptive words to articulate and write about the way foods look, feel, smell, sound and taste.

I’m always impressed by teachers’ imagination in bringing their lessons to life, so I was especially excited to see CookShop take on a whole new educational aspect at P.S. 112 in Brooklyn!

Fourth grade photography students, inspired by the foods a younger class had used in a CookShop lesson, grabbed their cameras and set up a fresh veggie photo shoot. I’ve seen a lot of CookShop creativity, but I never expected this transformation of food into art!

“We used our imagination to create a new world with vegetables,” wrote student Susan He in a letter explaining her photos.

Whoever said you shouldn’t play with your food?!
 

This week, Food Bank CEO Margarette Purvis talked about our city's childhood obesity problem in the Huffington Post, census data showed a record high percentage of Americans are now living in poverty, and President Obama continues to strategize passing his jobs proposals — all while the deficit “supercommittee” in Washington attempts to resolve our nation’s budget deficit. Under the threat of federal funding cuts, local organizations like Food Bank network member Project Hospitality in Staten Island are already struggling to keep pantry shelves full for neighbors in need. One bright spot, however: nutrition education programs like the Food Bank’s CookShop are empowering low-income children and families in New York City to make healthy food choices.

Beyond the Grocery Store...Teaching Children Where Their Food Comes From, The Huffington Post, 11/1
It's no secret that New York City has a major problem with childhood obesity. On the national stage, Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative, Rachael Ray's Yum-o! and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation are all shining a light on the nation's alarmingly high rates of childhood obesity while advocating for nutrition education as a way to empowering kids to make healthier choices. And right here in New York City, nutrition education programs like the Food Bank's CookShop and Hunger Solutions New York are taking the fight locally.

Poorest poor in US hits new record: 1 in 15 people, Associated Press, 11/3
The ranks of America's poorest poor have climbed to a record high — 1 in 15 people — spread widely across metropolitan areas as the housing bust pushed many inner-city poor into suburbs and other outlying places and shriveled jobs and income. New census data paint a stark portrait of the nation's haves and have-nots at a time when unemployment remains persistently high.

Deficit Committee Could Seek More Time, a Top Democrat Says, The New York Times, 11/2
A top House Democrat said Wednesday that a bipartisan committee seeking ways to slash the budget deficit could seek an extension if it was unable to meet its deadline, just three weeks away.
With no visible signs of progress, 6 of the 12 committee members have begun meeting privately in hopes of overcoming what appears to be the biggest obstacle to agreement: a deadlock over whether tax increases should be part of a deficit-reduction deal.

Obama, Top Democrats Meet to Plot Jobs Strategy, Reuters, 11/1
President Barack Obama will meet top Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday to plot strategy on how to advance his jobs proposals that are stalled in Congress amid Republican resistance. The White House talks follow a series of unilateral steps by Obama over the past week aimed at seizing the initiative from his Republican foes and showing voters he is serious about tackling high unemployment and a sluggish economy.

The cupboard is bare at Staten Island's food pantries, Staten Island Live, 11/4
Indeed, there is a crisis at the Project Hospitality Food Pantry, at its main location on Bay Street and the 21 mobile food pantries in churches and other sites the not-for-profit serves in every part of the borough: Donations from food drives and private individuals that usually pour in at this time of year have virtually dried up. Add in cuts in the federal, state and city food assistance programs serving the hungry and the result is chilling insecurity for the borough's thousands of hungry families.