Posts tagged: SNAP

The True Big Apple

(left to right top) Mike Hurwitz, Director of the Greenmarkets Programs, GrowNYC; Anthony Jordan, Community Liaison for Congressman Serrano; Joel Berg, Executive Director, New York City Coalition Against Hunger; Kim Kessler, Food Policy Coordinator, NYC Mayor’s Office; Cathy Nonas, Senior Advisor, DOHMH. (left to right bottom) Alyson Abrami, Manager Farmers’ Market Program, DOHMH; Culinary Nutritionists, Stellar Farmers’ Market Program; Audrey Rowe, Administrator for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service; Linda La Violette, Director of Farmers’ Markets, Empire State Development

(left to right top) Mike Hurwitz, Director of the Greenmarkets Programs, GrowNYC; Anthony Jordan, Community Liaison for Congressman Serrano; Joel Berg, Executive Director, New York City Coalition Against Hunger; Kim Kessler, Food Policy Coordinator, NYC Mayor’s Office; Cathy Nonas, Senior Advisor, DOHMH. (left to right bottom) Alyson Abrami, Manager Farmers’ Market Program, DOHMH; Culinary Nutritionists, Stellar Farmers’ Market Program; Audrey Rowe, Administrator for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service; Linda La Violette, Director of Farmers’ Markets, Empire State Development

During a recent visit to the “Big Apple”, Audrey Rowe, Administrator, USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) visited Poe Park Greenmarket in the Bronx, a borough of New York City.  She entered to find farmers showing off their fresh, locally-grown produce, herbs and specialty products, which community members regularly use their SNAP and WIC benefits to buy. Read more »

In Pennsylvania, Farmers Markets Offer Opportunity to Producers and Communities

Pennsylvania is among the country’s top ten states represented in the USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory.  I recently completed a trip through the Fruit Belt to the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia to see how USDA’s support of farmers market development is impacting communities and helping farmers across the Keystone State.

My first stop was Camp Hill, a small town outside Harrisburg, to visit a new farmers market developed with the assistance of community organizations including   Capital Resource and Conservation & Development Area Council (Capital RC&D).  Capital RC&D received a USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grant to help farmers markets improve their consumer outreach and receive EBT and debit payments to expand micro-business opportunities for the area’s local farmers.  The market, which just opened in May, is off to a great start with over a dozen vendors selling local bread, meat,  dairy and produce from Pennsylvania’s fruit belt. Read more »

Hunger Doesn’t Stand a Chance in Michigan

Lori Cook, aka TV-personality “Maranda,” interviewed me about the importance of the Summer Food Service Program.

Lori Cook, aka TV-personality “Maranda,” interviewed me about the importance of the Summer Food Service Program.

Hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation, and the State of Michigan is making sure that nutrition assistance programs don’t either. I recently traveled to the west side of the state to see some of the inspiring work our partners are doing to make sure that no one in their community has to face hunger. Read more »

What Can the Food Environment Atlas Tell You?

Understanding a community’s food environment is key to understanding a community’s identity.  But what can a “food environment” tell us?

A community’s food environment is a technical term for assessing information about the who, what, where, and how of food availability in a given community: Who are the people in the community?

What kinds of food outlets are available in their area? How accessible are grocery stores and supermarkets? What are some of the health statistics? Read more »

Sazón y Salud: Goya apoya al programa nutricional MiPlato

Goya, la compañía hispana de comida más grande en los Estados Unidos, es parte de la campaña de la Primera Dama Michelle Obama ¡A Moverse! (Let’s Move!) la cual está enfocada en motivar a los padres de familia a tener una vida saludable para ellos y sus familias.  Al asociarse con el nuevo ícono MiPlato del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos, diferentes compañías recuerdan a sus consumidores sobre la importancia de crear platos balanceados y nutritivos durante las comidas. Goya, un asociado nacional estratégico, apoya MiPlato al promover mensajes que instruyan e incentiven a familias a tener una dieta balanceada.  Al asociarse con la iniciativa  ¡A Moverse!  y con el USDA, Goya se ha comprometido a proveer al público varias herramientas para mejorar su salud.

Para apoyar a la iniciativa de la Primera Dama, Goya ha creado una gran cantidad de recursos para combatir la obesidad infantil.  Goya ha producido un folleto en inglés y español con seis recetas nutritivas, diez consejos de cómo crear una comida balanceada, y un cupón para frijoles con un bajo contenido de sodio que está siendo distribuido organizaciones asociadas con el programa A Moverse: Iglesias y Comunidades (Let’s Move Faith and Communities) a través de la nación.  La Dr. Luz Myriam Neira, Directora de Nutrición del Banco de Comida de  San Antonio,  dijo que “los folletos fueron tan bien recibidos por participantes del programa de SNAP/Ed”, que su organización va a usar la versión electrónica del folleto, sin el cupón, para satisfacer la demanda de recetas nutritivas y consejos de salud. Este banco de comida también está trabajando con una cadena de supermercados local para utilizar los materiales de Goya en sus esfuerzos de educación nutricional. Read more »

Being All You Can Bean with Goya

Goya, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, is part of the First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! movement to empower parents to make healthy choices for themselves and their families.  It is partnering with USDA’s new icon, MyPlate/MiPlato, that reminds consumers to build healthy plates at meal times.  As a national strategic partner, Goya is promoting the messages that support MyPlate and MiPlato to educate and encourage families to consume a well-balanced diet.  By teaming up with Let’s Move! and USDA, Goya has committed to provide people with several tools to improve their health.

In support of the First Lady’s initiative, Goya created an army of resources to help fight childhood obesity.  Goya has produced a brochure in both English and Spanish with six healthy recipes, ten tips on how to create a well-balanced plate, and a coupon for low sodium beans is being distributed to several Let’s Move Faith and Communities partners around the country.  Dr. Luz Myriam Neira, Director of Nutrition at the San Antonio Food Bank, said “the booklets were so well received by SNAP/Ed participants” that she will be using an electronic version of the booklet, sans coupon, to meet the demand for helpful recipes and tips. They are also working with a local grocery chain using these materials in their nutrition education efforts.   Read more »