healthy food - THE HIGH COST OF HUNGER - SIBEJO

Hunger costs the U.S. at least $160 billion in poor health outcomes and additional healthcare expenses � and about half of these hunger-related health costs ($78.7 billion) were due to depression, anxiety or suicide. Research shows that children who grow up in impoverished or food-insecure households are exposed to toxic levels of stress that contribute to the early onset of chronic diseases and make children more vulnerable to depression and thoughts of suicide, substance abuse, and dropping out of school. Not finishing school severely limits employment opportunities in adulthood. The mental burden of hunger does not ease with age. Food-insecure seniors are 60 percent more likely to experience depression than their food-secure counterparts,

Source: Bread for the World, 3/29/16, Hunger & Mental Health

healthy food - North Country Matters features GardenShare - SIBEJO

Gloria McAdam, the Executive Director of GardenShare, discusses issues of poverty, food deserts, local food systems, and the work of GardenShare to address them with real solutions with host Ann Carvill.

healthy food - UGLY FOOD PILOT PROJECT READY TO GO - SIBEJO

Whole Foods Market will begin a pilot project later this spring offering �ugly� produce for sale in certain California stores. Whole Foods already uses this produce in its prepared foods, but it intends to put the produce on display and sell it with other fruits and vegetables. The goal is to reduce food going to waste, which the USDA estimates affects approximately one-third of the total food supply. Supermarkets in Europe and Australia already successfully sell �imperfect� produce. In addition to Whole Foods� project, several companies and nonprofits in the U.S. are seeking to make this produce available at below-supermarket prices. One, located outside of Boston, has experienced enough success to consider expansion to other areas.

Source: CT Office of Legislative Research, 3/29/16, Ugly Food

healthy food - NOFA-NY On-Farm Skills Development Guide - SIBEJO

NOFA-NY's On-Farm Skills Development Guide is a tool for farmers and mentors to use with employees, beginning farmers or anyone they are teaching to develop a hands-on farm- based learning plan. 

Beginning farmers also can use it as a self-assessment tool to determine current strengths and weaknesses, and to identify critical learning needs. Click here for a downloadable PDF or excel spreadsheet.

healthy food - POLICY CHANGES CAN INCREASE ACCESS TO ASSISTANCE - SIBEJO

Six states participating in a work support strategies initiative identified and

adopted various policy changes to improve the delivery of work supports to low-

income families. By simplifying program policies by, for example, reducing unnecessary verification requirements, they sought to streamline access to work support programs. Simultaneously, they sought to align policies across different work support programs to reduce administrative burdens on families that qualify for more than one program. Through both kinds of policy changes�within and across programs�states sought to improve access to and retention of benefits. In SNAP, for example, changes reduced the use of face-to-face interviews, simplified verification requirements, and lengthened certification periods.

Source: Urban Institute, 3/29/16, Policy Changes

healthy food - Food Bank supports gardens at local programs - SIBEJO

Edible gardens increase food security and nurture a meaningful connection between the community and growing nutritious fresh foods.

One of the goals of Food Bank of Central New York is to engage local food pantries,  free will dinners, and community members in projects supporting community food security. Through the Food Bank's Garden Grant program, these partners can receive $250 toward establishing or expanding an edible garden.

Awards will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. It is a rolling application process with no deadline to apply. Award applicants will have to meet the criteria outlined in the application and provide all the information to receive the award. The application can be accessed online under Get Help/Community Services.

Garden installation and start-up may be assisted by Food Bank staff upon request. Partner Agencies are responsible for maintaining and sustaining the garden and, of course, reaping the reward of freshly grown produce! So Let�s Get Growing!

healthy food - BEAUTIFYING FOOD WASTE - SIBEJO

In Jean-Fran�ois Millet�s 1857 painting �The Gleaners,� three women in a cornfield pick what harvesters have left behind, collecting and eventually making use of what would otherwise be wasted. It�s one of, if not the, most famous depictions of food rescue. Contemporary Brooklyn artist Alizazarov is a modern food rescue artist. Her �Waste Not� project began in 2011 when a local paper assigned her an Earth Day story to trail a �freegan.� Using freegan directories, Eliazarov intercepts food shortly after grocery stores or bakeries put it to the curb in trash bags and before it is picked up by garbage collection. Back in her studio, she gives the food two new uses. First, she arranges the tableau; then she eats. Eliazarov�s project has grown beyond still lifes of food waste to working with food rescue organizations, including photographing apple orchard gleaners with the Connecticut Food Bank.

Source: Christian Science Monitor, 3/28/16, Food Waste Artist