Bank on It: A Food Bank Blog - Education

Teens Teaching Teens Part 4: A Successful Project Indeed!

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:20:00 -0400

By Russell Gee

As you know if you have been reading this blog over the spring, the Food Bank’s EATWISE nutrition education interns completed a project to raise awareness for healthy breakfasts at our high schools this year – with in-class presentations, marketing materials, social media efforts and more. We wanted this project to make a real difference on our peers’ health and diets, but how would we define success and know that we were actually influencing our peers?

To me, if my peers could demonstrate that they learned something and thought the information was useful, then this would be a successful spring project. I realized the spring project made a difference when I talked to my friend Ryan. He was excited to try and make one of the healthful breakfast recipes we presented. My other friend, Kaitlin, even told me that she was eating breakfast more often and was careful to make healthier breakfast choices. To see my friends actually learn something and make changes to how they eat because of what we presented was very rewarding.

The presentation itself was also an interesting experience for me. It was different than just presenting a paper . Our EATWISE breakfast project included full-fledged presentations - with scripts, a slideshow, games and information used to educate others about breakfast. The experience itself was like viewing a kaleidoscope, as I was able to experience what it is like to be a teacher and having to expect that anything could occur.

For me, one of the most memorable parts of the presentation was when we informed a class that skipping breakfast could actually cause you to gain weight rather than lose weight. (That’s because …) Seeing the surprise and intrigue on their faces was priceless. Overall, being able to reach more than 900 of our peers, through in-class presentations, school announcements, marketing materials and social media content – all of which we created ourselves - gives me and my fellow interns a great sense of accomplishment. Our project showed how one can change their perspective so slightly and get something worthwhile in exchange.

Teens Teaching Teens Part 2: Getting the Message Right

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:18:00 -0400

By Russell Gee, Kamilah Newton, Elif Ajredini and Aditi Rai

As our friends in the deliverables group wrote a couple weeks ago, the Food Bank’s EATWISE nutrition education interns are running on a project to educate our peers on the importance of eating a balanced breakfast. Changing just one thing in your diet can make a big difference and is super simple. We’ve done it and they can do it too – and when our project reminds our peers that eating breakfast can have a real impact on their energy, productivity and overall focus, we’ll be working hard to make sure they listen up!

As the marketing group, we want to capture our peers’ attention and connect breakfast to situations that teens actually experience, like studying for a test. We’ve produced our own flyers, with fun fonts and great images, and even a marketing script for our peers to use when conducting classroom announcements to promote our Twitter and Tumblr pages. At the very end of our presentations our peers will make a pledge to Change One Thing in their diet, and we will create a pledge wall with all of their responses. This will definitely be exciting and we can’t wait until we can share it with all of you!

We want our peers to have fun learning! If they ask a lot of questions, then we’ll know they’re engaged, fully captivated and want to learn more! We want to convince them to Change One Thing and let them know that it’s not hard to make minor changes to their eating habits. No change is too small!

Personally, I’ve learned a lot about teamwork, and the power of consideration. Our group has open discussions and we all share our opinions. We’re not always on the same page, but we make compromises and our work looks great because we’re working together. It feels good knowing that everyone has contributed to the project and we are producing something that makes us proud!

Bringing Breakfast Back

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:16:00 -0400

By Rachael Cusick, Serena Rivera, Celin Conception and Nafisatou Cisse

Do you ever wonder what people really know or think about nutrition? So do we! As part of the Food Bank’s EATWISE internship , we kicked off this school year by designing a survey to find out exactly what our peers know, or want to know, about nutrition. After reviewing student feedback from the 9 EATWISE high schools our team members attend , we noticed that a high number of teens don’t know enough about what types of food to eat in the morning. Based on that information, it was clear to everyone in EATWISE that our Spring 2012 school outreach project should be to raise awareness about the benefits of eating a healthful breakfast, with a focus on the importance of portion sizes.

To conquer our goal, we divided into four groups: Social Media, Presentation, Marketing and – our group – Deliverables. Our group’s role is to put together nutrition materials that students at our high schools can take home with them. So far, we have developed a Breakfast in Your Pocket recipe book and a guide to fruit food map to provide our peers with an easy way to access healthful, quick, and super tasty recipes. Just a few of the exciting things the other groups are working on are writing and delivering morning announcements in our schools, building social networking pages and designing fun, interactive classroom activities like MyPlate relay races.. By the end of March, we will have put the final touches on our project and will get the chance to present it in our schools throughout New York City.

We're really excited to show off all of our hard work and promote our healthful breakfast campaign to other teens – and even teachers. To keep up with our progress, watch out for the blog entries we will be posting every other week!

Infectious Enthusiasm: A CookShop Teacher

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:06:00 -0400

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 CookShop Classroom 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 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.

CookShop Gets Cooking: Inside CookShop?s Annual Conference

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:38:00 -0400

By Leah Kohlenberg

Last week, the Food Bank kicked off the 18th year of our signature nutrition education program with a day-long conference, training teachers and educators to bring our CookShop program to students and parents in public schools throughout New York City.

A testament to the Food Bank’s continued commitment to nutrition education, CookShop will now be bringing the knowledge and tools to adopt a healthy diet on a limited budget to more than 135,000 low-income children, teens and adults through interactive workshops and peer-led social marketing.

This year, the Food Bank was proud to introduce important updates to CookShop. The CookShop Classroom for Elementary School curriculum, for example, now links nutrition education lessons directly to core subjects like math, language arts and science, and, importantly, to the school meals children have access to every day. CookShop for Families not only engages parents and guardians in workshops that complement the Classroom curriculum, it now also incorporates important skills like budgeting and meal planning.

This year’s keynote speakers – USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon and United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Mike Mulgrew – joined Food Bank President and CEO Margarette Purvis at the conference, showing their support and appreciation for the teachers, parent coordinators and school staff who make CookShop a reality.

“We live in challenging times, and teachers can play such a vital role, not only in ensuring that children won’t go hungry, but that they also eat healthy foods,” said Under Secretary Concannon.

Remembering the recipe prepared during his visit to a CookShop for Families workshop in the Bronx, Michael Mulgrew told us, “I don’t know what it’s called, but I still make it.” The UFT President further praised the hands-on CookShop curriculum for making learning accessible to all students, including those in special education.

Perhaps best of all, the conference gives us a great opportunity to hear from the CookShop teachers and educators directly about what they most value in the program.

”This is an excellent idea - to link [the lessons] to math, science and language arts,” said six-year CookShop veteran Millie Peguero, referring to recent updates to the curricula she will be implementing in her Manhattan kindergarten class. “We’ve already noticed that the apple lesson, for example, coincided with a science lesson on fruits of the season, so we use that as the science lesson that day.”

Friend, Role Model, Teacher: Learning & Cooking Together

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:26:00 -0400

By Ivette Paulino

There was the shy one that didn’t make any eye contact with me, a stranger. There was a class clown making funny faces to make everybody laugh, and a sophisticated one that had a fancy posture while sitting and eating.

It was my first day at the Chelsea Recreation Center, the day I first met the after-school kids I would be teaching last summer as part of my CookShop for Teens (EATWISE) internship. As I entered the classroom, I was immediately able to recognize some of the kids’ personalities.

The first lesson of the Food Bank’s CookShop Classroom for After-School nutrition education program is “Meet MyPyramid MyPlate and the Food Groups .” The kids were busy eating a snack, so to get their attention I asked a question: “What are some examples of fruits?” The kids stopped eating, and hands shot into the air.

One little boy surprised me, raising both of his hands high. “What’s your name?” I asked. “Luke!” I felt Luke’s energy and enthusiasm, so I had to choose him. He answered, “Banana!” He had confidence written on his face – and on both of his hands.

Seeing how excited the kids were to answer my question, I felt so proud of myself for overcoming my fear of talking in front of a crowd and suddenly couldn’t wait to keep on doing so for the next six weeks.

When I started CookShop, I expected to learn a lot about food and nutrition. But I never expect to learn how to express myself with confidence, so that my voice can be heard. From that day on I was able to step up and talk to the kids as a friend, a role model and a teacher. And I hope I helped the kids see how fun and easy it can be to lead healthy lives.

Ivette is a senior at the Community Health Academy of the Heights, participating in our EATWISE internship for teens. EATWISE gives young people the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about what they eat and drink, and trains them to become peer nutrition educators.

New CookShop Curriculum sets the table with MyPlate

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:03:00 -0400

by Zac Hall

For this school year, the Food Bank’s CookShop Classroom for Elementary School curriculum is getting a fresh new makeover!

We always strive to improve our hands-on CookShop nutrition education program so that the more than 30,000 participating New York City children, teens and adults get the best possible education about how to cook and eat healthfully.

Our new CookShop Classroom for Elementary School curriculum focuses on integrating nutrition and food exploration into everyday, routine activities for children – if kids talk and think about new foods and food choices on a daily basis, it gets easier to keep thinking about and making healthy choices.

First things first: Where does food come from? Our new curriculum starts at the farm, so that children know exactly where their food comes from before it lands in a supermarket aisle or their refrigerator. Students also discuss common food sources in New York City (like farmers markets, grocery stores and bodegas) so they can make healthful food choices anywhere they find food.

This year’s curriculum will also focus on school meals, using the foods that kids are already familiar with in the school setting as an extra learning tool. . Students will identify the healthy foods on their breakfast and lunch plates, discuss their farm roots and learn about their nutritional benefits, so that their everyday food experiences become learning experiences.

Speaking of plates: Our new curriculum stars the USDA’s new nutrition icon, MyPlate. MyPlate encourages people to think about building a healthy plate at meal times. Each educational unit of CookShop features one MyPlate food group: fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (and other plant proteins) and low-fat dairy products. The best part: after learning about these foods’ benefits, the kids prepare and taste delicious and nutritious recipes with them. Yum!

We are excited to start reaching a new wave of New Yorkers with our message of healthy cooking and eating! Check back throughout the year for first-hand stories from our students, teachers and Food Bank staff.

Reflections on a Year of Nutrition Education

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:04:00 -0400

by Justin Crum

Summer is always a bittersweet time of year for us on the CookShop team.

CookShop Classroom for Elementary School helps children gain the knowledge and skills needed to make and appreciate healthy choices.

After school lets out in June, our CookShop Classroom for Elementary School nutrition workshops go into hibernation until school starts up again in the fall. During the summer months we miss seeing and hearing about the learning adventures of our youngest students as they discover new healthy foods.

As blogger Matt Gustafson recently wrote, the final CookShop “celebration” lesson has been held, giving students a chance to review and celebrate all they learned in CookShop this year. From the parts of a plant to nutrients, kitchen skills and sensory vocabulary, our students have a lot to reflect on!

Though the school year has ended, it doesn’t mean our students stop learning and sharing. They have all been sent home with CookShop Certificates and nutrition newsletters so they can share their newfound knowledge with friends and families. And this summer, our students will likely be spending time in supermarkets, farmers markets and kitchens with their families, so they’ll have plenty of places to practice what they’ve learned. Maybe they’ll even get to help out in the kitchen!

Though CookShop Classroom for Elementary School is on summer break, stay tuned for news about our other CookShop components — including CookShop Classroom for After-School and CookShop for Teens (EATWISE) — that are running strong all summer!

Justin Crum is the Youth Development Manager for EATWISE, the Food Bank's CookShop for Teens program.

CookShop Graduation in an NYC Elementary School

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:11:00 -0400

by Matt Gustafson,

Just a couple weeks ago, in public elementary schools across New York City, approximately 28,000 students are celebrating their “graduation” from CookShop as the 2010-11 program came to a close.

The Food Bank’s hands-on nutrition education program, CookShop reaches low-income children, teens and families with skills and knowledge to help them eat healthy on a limited budget. At P.S. 76 in Queens, students marked the end of this year’s CookShop program with a special awards ceremony and celebration, which was a great time for the kids (and for me!).

Wearing homemade construction and tissue paper chef hats, all the students in CookShop Classroom for Elementary School filed into the auditorium. After a short introduction by teachers, the festivities began.

First, the performances. Three classes took the stage and sang “Parts of a Plant,” to the tune of “Wheels on the Bus.” A staple in the CookShop curriculum, the song helps students learn and remember — as the title hints — the parts of a plant. Next they belted out “Grow Your Plants,” set to the music of “Row Your Boat,” describing all the things plants need to grow. The performances rounded out with a play about the life cycle of plants, with students acting out the various components of plant growth: soil, sun and water. (Our curriculum also includes a very adorable dance to illustrate the plant life cycle.)

After each student received his or her certificate for completing CookShop, it was time for the grand finale: a game show in which students from each class showed off all their CookShop nutrition knowledge to their fellow classmates.

Principal Mary Schafenburg told me CookShop has had such a profound effect on the school that when it came time for P.S. 76 to become a magnet school this year, CookShop helped inspire their decision to focus on nutrition and wellness. The school’s theme, “From Seed to Plate,” educates students that food doesn’t come from the grocery store but from the earth (a lesson CookShop emphasizes, too).

As part of their new health focus, the school has a partnership with Brooklyn Grange, a rooftop garden students can visit and work in. The school is also in the process of building a greenhouse nearby. And most recently, they created a walking day in which all the students were given pedometers to chart how far they walk each day and promote activity and healthy exercise.

All in all, it was wonderful to see the kids at P.S. 76 have such a blast and take pride in their CookShop learning, their cooking skills and their excitement about their future pursuits in healthy living and eating.

Matt Gustafson, Site Monitor, ensures the proper evaluation and implementation of the various CookShop components throughout the five boroughs.

Mario Batali & Food Bank Cook Up New Nutrition Initiative

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:13:00 -0400

By Josh Wessler,

This week, in a joint venture with the Mario Batali Foundation, the Food Bank is launching an exciting new nutrition and health education program, Community CookShop, at food pantries and soup kitchens across the city.

The Community CookShop pilot program breaks new ground for the Food Bank. For the first time, our nutrition workshops will pair parents and caregivers with their children to learn and cook together. Also a first, the workshops will be available at several of our member programs — food pantries and soup kitchens — in all five boroughs. And finally, it is our first time partnering with the Mario Batali Foundation.

The Food Bank and the Mario Batali Foundation share a belief in the power of hands-on learning to equip families for a healthier future. Based on that belief, Community CookShop engages whole families in practicing strategies to get the most food at the best quality for the lowest cost. Community CookShop is modeled on the Food Bank’s successful CookShop program, the largest provider of nutrition education in New York City public schools. Like CookShop, the new Community program will use hands-on activities to enhance participants’ skills for maximizing their food budgets, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preparing tasty recipes.

All recipes for Community CookShop have been crafted by internationally-renowned chef, author and restaurateur, Mario Batali, who is also a dedicated member of Food Bank’s Board of Directors, the chair of our Culinary Council and an active proponent of child nutrition. All of Mario's CookShop recipes use nutritious, affordable ingredients that are available in local stores and food pantries throughout the city.

"Having been on the board and working with Food Bank for over 10 years, I feel honored and privileged to partner with them on this important step towards improving nutrition education,” said Mario Batali. “The Food Bank's strong ties in the community will undoubtedly make huge strides for many deserving families in NYC and hopefully help lead the way for the entire nation.”

Lucy Cabrera, President and CEO of the Food Bank, said, “We are thrilled to partner with the Mario Batali Foundation on this important nutrition initiative. Thanks to the Foundation’s generous support, we will now be reaching even more families, in their own communities, providing them with lifelong skills to create and sustain a healthier future.”

The Food Bank’s integrated services — food distribution, income support and nutrition education — help New York City families keep healthful food on the table through the toughest times.

Josh Wessler is CookShop Classroom Associate at the Food Bank. For more information about Community CookShop or to get involved, email cookshop@foodbanknyc.org.

CHEFs for Schools, Inc. Cooks Up Volunteers for CookShop

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:39:00 -0400

by Alexandra Talbot

As the founder of CHEFs for Schools, Inc. – a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that strives to alleviate food inequality in underserved communities by training and placing student volunteers in worthwhile service opportunities - I am proud to support CookShop, the core nutrition education program of the Food Bank For New York City.

Since CHEFs’ inception in the spring of 2007, we have made tremendous strides toward our goals of improving food security, alleviating childhood obesity, and achieving food justice by supporting equal access to affordable and nutritious groceries. Our partnership with the Food Bank has been a major factor in reaching these goals.

I learned about CookShop while working as an intern at the Food Bank in the fall of 2008. CookShop is a federally-funded nutrition education program that helps children, teens and adults develop nutrition knowledge and cooking skills through hands on workshops. The program currently reaches approximately 30,000 New Yorkers, including students in more than 1,300 public elementary school classes and after-school programs.

I quickly realized the benefits of placing volunteers in CookShop Classroom for Elementary School, the program’s component for students in pre-K through second grade. Volunteers enjoy building relationships with elementary school students in underserved neighborhoods, and seeing the impact of their work as the children develop new skills and learn to make healthy food choices. By assisting the teachers, volunteers make CookShop even easier to implement, helping to increase the number of participating classrooms.

CHEFs helps recruit CookShop volunteers through a unique cultivation program in which university chapters offer educational, free and fun events that address bring students together around a shared interest in food issues. For example, the CHEFs for Schools’ Chapter at NYU offers free monthly cooking classes that unite and educate prospective and current volunteers around delicious, nutritious meals, while the CUNY Hunter Chapter will launch a food justice speaker series in the fall.

CHEFs aim is to recruit the most capable and motivated volunteers possible. The CookShop program requires no prior experience in public schools or food preparation, welcoming a wide variety of volunteers ranging from college students to working professionals. CookShop provides all volunteers with free training to improve their understanding of food preparation skills with elementary school children and demonstrate how to support a classroom during exploratory and cooking lessons.

I hope that you will join us in our efforts. Please take a moment to review the Food Bank’s various volunteer opportunities, including CookShop, and learn more about CHEFs’s efforts to impact food justice through volunteerism.

CookShop Launches in More Classrooms than Ever Before

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:48:00 -0400

As the holiday season draws near, we at the Food Bank have an additional reason to celebrate: the annual start of CookShop, which this year will reach record numbers of children, teens and adults throughout the city.

Our federally funded nutrition education program, CookShop helps teach low-income New Yorkers the skills and knowledge to make healthy food choices on a limited budget. Starting this December, approximately 30,000 New Yorkers – nearly twice as many as last year – will participate in hands-on workshops featuring fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.

In CookShop Classroom for Elementary School, participants will find out about where food comes from (hint: it’s not the fridge or the bodega!) and use their five senses to explore food up close. Participants in CookShop for Families will learn helpful nutrition tips like how to plan healthy and affordable meals at home. But the best part of CookShop, as our participants tell us time and again, is the cooking – and, of course, the tasting! No one puts it better than Mossiah, an elementary student at P.S. 307K in Brooklyn: “I learned in CookShop that when we are done we get to eat food and it tastes good. It tastes so good. I said, MMMMM.”

We look forward to working with teachers and students in more than 1,300 CookShop classrooms in the months to come!

Nutrition Ed Boot Camp Launches Exciting Changes for CookShop

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:47:00 -0400

By Carly Rothman Siditsky

Big changes are coming to CookShop this year, with big impact for New York City students and families struggling to make healthy, affordable food choices.

CookShop is the Food Bank For New York City’s largest nutrition education program, helping children, teens and adults gain the knowledge and skills to make nutritious food choices on a limited budget. On Saturday, at a daylong nutrition education boot camp, the Food Bank trained nearly 1,000 New York City public elementary school teachers and staff to implement the program.

The Food Bank also debuted a new name for CookShop’s component for parents and caregivers, CookShop for Families, and announced an exciting joint effort with SchoolFood to bring CookShop foods into school cafeterias. These changes could have especially far-reaching impact this year, as CookShop nearly doubles in size from approximately 15,000 to 28,000 participants.

Held at the headquarters of the United Federation of Teachers, Saturday’s training was the largest such event in CookShop’s 17-year history. Karen Alford, the UFT’s Vice President for Elementary Schools, and Chris Proctor, the organization’s Director of Health and Safety, were on hand to welcome attendees to the event, joining Áine Duggan, the Food Bank’s Vice President for Research, Policy and Education, and Jeannie Fournier, the Food Bank’s Director of Nutrition and Health Education.

Mildred Peguero, a kindergarten teacher at P.S./I.S. 180M who has implemented CookShop in her classroom for the past five years, also welcomed attendees to the training, sharing her own insights about the program’s impact. CookShop integrates well with the core subject areas like math, science and language arts, she said, adding she’s always impressed to hear her kindergarteners use sophisticated concepts to talk about nutrition.

“They know what they’re eating, and why it’s good for them. They know where the plants come from, and it’s not the store,” she said. The bottom line: “They have learned how to eat healthier.”

Saturday’s nutrition education boot camp featured hands-on cooking lessons and engaging nutrition seminars, through which participants develop the nutrition knowledge and cooking and food safety skills they will pass on to their students when the program begins in December. This year, CookShop will be taught in approximately 1,300 public elementary school classrooms and after-school programs.

But CookShop’s impact will also reach beyond the classroom. CookShop for Families (formerly CookShop for Adults) is offered in schools that implement CookShop Classroom for Elementary School. With workshops that complement the children’s curricula, CookShop for Families’ new name emphasizes its core goal: involving whole families in preparing meals and choosing food. Similarly, CookShop’s partnership with SchoolFood aims to engage entire school communities in the program’s lessons about why and how to eat wholesome foods including fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.

CookShop Classroom Featured by International News Network

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:03:00 -0400

by Carly Rothman Siditsky

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:

Without School Lunch & Breakfast, Kids Need Summer Meals

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:05:00 -0400

by Roxanne Henry

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.

Principals: CookShop Helps Students, Families Make Healthy Choices

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:08:00 -0400

by Katherine Mancera

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:

Peanut Butter: Not Just for Sandwiches Anymore

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:14:00 -0400

by Daniel Buckley

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!

Strengthening Volunteerism in NYC

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:06:00 -0400

by Phillip Cooke

This year, almost two hundred volunteers will be doing their best to spur volunteering throughout New York City, and I am happy to count myself as one of them. The project that has brought us all together is the NYC Civic Corps, founded by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Our goal is to harness the power of New York’s population and focus it toward improving the city.

Myself and the close to 200 members of the Corps’s inaugural class have been assigned in small teams to about sixty public agencies and non-profit organizations throughout the five boroughs. For the next year, our jobs are designed to “pay it forward” while helping to create new, or develop existing, volunteer programs. Through doing this, the Civic Corps aims to strengthen our city’s network of volunteer programs and engage more New Yorkers in meaningful service, creating lasting changes in New York City

The Civic Corps is affiliated with Americorps VISTA, a national poverty reduction program; however it is unique and groundbreaking in its scale and focus. The corps is the first Americorps program with the mission to improve civic engagement throughout an entire city. At the same time, it is also the first program to foces on several local needs — including health, education and emergency preparedness. The ultimate goal for the Civic Corps is to create a model volunteer program to be adopted in cities across the nation.

Having been assigned to the Food Bank For New York City, myself and two other Civic Corps members have been given an incredible opportunity to help work towards the Food Bank’s goals. Be it childhood nutrition, tax assistance or improving community kitchens around the city, we have an opportunity to add our own small contribution to the greater good of New York City, the Food Bank and the Civic Corps.

Stay tuned for more on my role as a Civic Corps member at the Food Bank next month!

NYC & EATWISE Pledge to Change One Thing

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:22:00 -0400

by Daniel Buckley

In July, the Food Bank launched the “Change One Thing” ad campaign, aimed at encouraging healthy eating among our city’s teens. While cheap, fast junk food seems to be everywhere, there is a common perception that eating healthy requires a wholesale lifestyle change.

Our ads promote the idea that you can lead a healthier life by Changing One Thing. Craving soda? Try water today. Skip those mini doughnuts this time and grab that orange! The Food Bank is also asking all New Yorkers to take our Change One Thing pledge – and help us move toward a healthier New York.

Our summer EATWISE students are taking the lead – read what they are pledging to change in their diets below. Great ideas!

Farhat Ludi
“One thing I can change is to avoid fast food and eat healthy food every day. Also I can do more exercise to be healthy in myself.”

Hajera Ahmed
“One thing that I could change is to stop getting fatty foods out. Now I am trying to eat health food. I think I’m changing.”

Solveig Nolasco
“I should eat more vegetables and less meat a day.”

Jean Tony
“One thing I changed was to stop eating McDonald’s.”

Asuka Li
“Change: eat more vegetables, less rice and meat. Change: run for at least 20 min every day.”

Tyree W.
“One healthy change I’ve made recently is drinking about 80 oz of water every day.”

Leroy Walker
“I could stop eating junk food every day and eat fruit every day.”

Kiaralee
“One thing I can change about my diet is consuming more water instead of juice and soda. One change I have already made is changing my portion size.”

Don Snyder
“Shop at the green markets.”

Romona
“Stop drinking soda. Stop eating candy. Eat more breakfast.”

Celin Concepcion
“One thing that I could change in my diet is that whenever I go to the kitchen and get a snack I should get a fruit or vegetable, instead of donuts or chips and soda.”

My EATWISE Experience

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:25:00 -0400

by Sylvia Wu

My time at EATWISE (Educated and Aware Teens Who Inspire Smart Eating) over the summer of 2008 was an experience I will never forget. I learned valuable information regarding food and nutrition, such as micro- and macronutrients, diet-related diseases and hunger and poverty. We used what we learned to conduct nutrition-education workshops for elementary school students, and volunteered at places like the Food Bank’s Community Kitchen and Senior Food Program.

In addition to teaching about good nutrition and helping provide food to other New Yorkers, we had meals of our own every Wednesday, when we learned how to make healthy, nutritious food and snacks like maple almond granola.

EATWISE made me realize my passion for food and nutrition. I made many friends who helped make this my most memorable and unforgettable experience. Through all that we have learned and accomplished in this program, I know that I want to be a dietitian. I want to spread my love of food and nutrition, and the knowledge I have gained, to others who want to eat healthier, or who struggle with their weight. I want to impact others the way EATWISE has impacted me.

Summer Brings EATWISE

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:36:00 -0400

by Justin Crum

As the last days of school approach, we are gearing up for our summer EATWISE Program, which provides an opportunity for students to go considerably more in-depth with the topics we cover. We received a ton of applications, and are interviewing candidates. Students will be out in the community, working with food assistance programs, urban farms, and our Community Kitchen in Harlem. Two participants from last summer, Johnathan and Andrew, described their work at the Community Kitchen as such:

[In the Community Kitchen’s soup kitchen,] you help clean, prepare food, set up for breakfast and dinner, and after you’re done cooking, you can enjoy a meal with the other volunteers. All the produce there is fresh, and is prepared in the kitchen. Cleaning is the hardest thing but when you have help it becomes very fun.

We try to help students connect what they are learning about nutrition to real-world situations. Working directly with community groups that deal with hunger gives students a context to explore what they are learning. Cooking always proves to be a wonderful outlet for their energy (but it certainly doesn’t hurt to get their hands dirty cleaning or working in a garden). Stay tuned for blog entries about EATWISE Summer 2009 from the students themselves!

Justin Crum is the Youth Development Manager for EATWISE, the Food Bank's CookShop for Teens program.

NYC Youth Forum

Wed, 27 May 2009 09:49:00 -0400

By Justin Crum

EATWISE, the Food Bank’s CookShop for Teens program, recently attended and gave a workshop at The Youth Forum & Expo: Food, Farming and Active Living. Guided and planned by a multi-generational group of students, volunteers and nonprofit professionals — and co-sponsored by the Baum Forum and the NYC Food & Fitness Partnership — the event was an overwhelming success.

Most of the youth at the event were already working to make their communities safer, healthier and more productive places. And most who weren’t yet were actively searching out a way to do so. Besides the students' drive to improve themselves and their communities, I was incredibly impressed that they were all there. At a conference. On a beautiful day. During spring break.

They were there not only to find internships and jobs for the summer, but also to give presentations about the work they were already doing. They gave workshops on everything from starting farmer’s markets to starting businesses, planting to cooking and changing their own eating habits to changing the food their school serves. And their excitement was contagious.

I catch the same feeling when visiting our EATWISE chapter schools. For many people, loud high school hallways filled with groups of young people are anything but energizing — but once the students focus in on something positive, their drive and clarity can be astounding. We’re very proud to have been part of this great event, and of our EATWISE students for the passion and energy they bring to their work.

Get Your Gardening On!

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:45:00 -0400

By Katy Mitchell-Gilroy

April is National Gardening Month. What’s that you say? Why is the Food Bank For New York City blogging about National Gardening Month? For one very simple reason: Gardens are a great source of healthy home grown fruits and vegetables! (And we do realize it’s the end of the month, but it’s still the beginning of garden season!)

Backyard garden at the Food Bank’s Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem. Our garden provides fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit for soup kitchen service at the Community Kitchen.

“But wait!” you’re saying. This is New York City, where people live elbow to elbow and building a garden on the Great Lawn in Central Park is illegal. Where can you garden? Get creative; you could try a tiny container garden, where produce is grown in flower pots, boxes, or even recycled materials. There’s no limit to what can be grown in a container.

If you have space for it, you might think about a large backyard garden. The Northeast allows a lot of fruits and vegetables to be grown outdoors. Cool springs and hot summer days filled with sunshine (and usually just enough rain) give a backyard gardener a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to choose from. Some of my favorites are tomatoes, eggplants, peppers (green, red, yellow, orange and even purple!) and fragrant herbs.

And for those with no space for a container garden and no backyard for a garden, have you thought about a community garden plot? Community gardens, common in Europe but taking hold here in New York, offer urban gardeners a plot of land to grow, well, whatever you’d like! Community gardens are located throughout New York City; you may pass one as you walk to work! These plots of plants and flowers and the occasional garden gnome are beautifying the city every day.

Gardening also brings to mind thoughts of fresh produce. Food Bank For New York City is bananas for produce — we distributed more than 14 million pounds of fresh produce last year! We even offer shares in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program — which offers a sliding-scale pay structure — at our West Harlem Community Kitchen. (Interested in joining a CSA? Learn more!)

Even if you don’t get going until it turns to May, we hope you’ll celebrate National Gardening Month and help build a healthy NYC with the Food Bank!

Do you have any success stories of gardening with limited space in NYC? Help our neighbors get going — share your stories in the comments!

It?s Spring! Time to Dance!

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:59:00 -0400

by Daniel Buckley

Finally, it seems safe to say that spring is here! The sun is coming back, it’s getting warmer and little green shoots are appearing in gardens…and our CookShop Classroom for Elementary School students are learning about how those little sprouts will grow to become food.

An important aspect of CookShop, the Food Bank’s core nutrition education program for low-income children, teens and adults, is helping participants find out where food comes from. To learn about where fruit and vegetables grow, students read letters from farmers. To learn about how they grow, they dance!

Carrie Hildebrand, CookShop Site Monitoring Coordinator and star of our “’Like’ PSA,” demonstrates the Essentials of Growth Dance. The dance is a fun way for students to visualize and remember the five things plants need to grow: sun, soil, water, air and (of course) love and care. In our Plant Life Cycle Dance, our Volunteer Services Manager and blogger Brian Pham helps our students visualize and remember the six parts of a plant – seed, roots, stem, leaves, flower and fruit – and each part’s function in the plant life cycle.

So, in honor of the new season, take a moment out of your day, take a step back from your desk or that couch, and enjoy a little dancing!

The Essentials for Growth Dance!

The Plant Life Cycle Dance!