The Chef Ann Foundation has $250,000 available to support school lunchroom learning programs. Project Produce: Fruit and Veggie Grants for Schools is a grant program designed to help increase kids� access to fresh fruits and vegetables and create experiential nutrition education when and where students make their food choices: in the cafeteria. The $2,500 one-year grants support food costs to incorporate school-wide fruit and vegetable tastings into the school's nutrition program. Any district or independent school participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is eligible to apply. Grants will be determined on an ongoing basis depending on available funding; there is no application deadline. Learn more here. An information webinar about applying for the grants will be offered on Wednesday, April 27 from 4-5pm ET. Register here.
healthy food - GardenShare receives grant from Excellus - SIBEJO
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield selects seven Central New York nonprofit organizations to receive Community Health Awards
SYRACUSE, N.Y. � Seven nonprofit Central New York organizations have been chosen from among a total of 185 applications to receive Excellus BlueCross BlueShield�s 2016 Community Health Awards. Each award recipient today received up to $4,000 of the $87,000 allocated by the company to help fund health and wellness programs in its 31-county upstate New York region. Through a competitive application process, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield�s Community Health Awards support programs that have clear goals to improve the health or health care of a specific population.
Awards focus on improving the health status of the community, reducing the incidence of specific diseases, promoting health education and enhancing overall wellness and are made based on scope of need, goals of the program, number of people expected to benefit from the program and positive impact on the community�s health status.
The seven nonprofit organizations in the Central New York region selected to receive Excellus BlueCross BlueShield�s Community Health Awards are:
� Canton Woods Senior Center, Baldwinsville, to install a hydration station (including a water fountain and bottle filling station) and provide educational information on the health benefits of proper hydration to help improve the health of senior participants.
� Community Health Center of the North Country, Canton, to make 250 carbon monoxide detectors and 300 informational brochures available to St. Lawrence County residents, 26 percent of whom do not have a carbon monoxide detector in their homes.
� Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Jefferson County, Watertown, to fund �4-H Up for the Challenge� at after-school programs in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. The program�s research-based curriculum helps youth set goals and make healthy decisions regarding physical activity, health and nutrition.
� GardenShare, Canton, to make bonus Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits available to low-income St. Lawrence County residents who shop at farmer�s markets. The bonus benefits will help low-income families increase their consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables.
� InterFaith Works, Syracuse, to create a Refugee Wellness Program that addresses depression, loneliness and health imbalances among refugees who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the war, violence and oppression they have experienced.
� SAGE Upstate, Syracuse, to offer cultural competency training and resources for health professionals who provide services for older gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals in Cortland, Onondaga and Oswego counties. Funds would also be used to produce a resource guide of supportive services for older GLBT county residents.
� YWCA of Cortland, to support the organization�s newly formed group for girls in grade 6 through 8 who reside in low-income homes and experience stress. The girls will learn many skills, including nutrition, personal health and safety, appropriate social interaction and leadership.
�The company�s Community Health Awards demonstrate a corporate commitment to support local organizations that share our mission as a nonprofit health plan,� said Jim Reed, regional president, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. �These awards complement our existing grants and sponsorships with agencies that work to enhance quality of life, including health status, in upstate New York.�
In the 80 years that Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has been serving residents of upstate New York, the company has supported hundreds of programs that are aimed at improving the health status of area residents.
healthy food - Summer EBT extended, but not to the North Country - SIBEJO
USDA recently announced $26.9 million in grant funds to be distributed among eight grantees to continue administering pilots of the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) programs, providing summertime nutrition assistance to children who receive free and reduced price meals during the school year. In addition to funding existing pilots for summer2016, these grants will extend benefits to new rural areas, Tribal Nations, and areas of extreme need. Unfortunately, the North Country is not among the areas receiving this funding.
Summer EBT provides a monthly benefit on a debit-type card that can be used throughout the summer for food purchases at authorized stores. Summer EBT is a complement to traditional summer meals programs, which offer no cost summer meals at approved sites, and is especially valuable in areas with limited or no access to traditional summer meals programs.
Summer EBT, which is currently operating as demonstration project, was first funded by Congress in 2010. Rigorous evaluations of these pilots found that Summer EBT can significantly reduce very low food security among children, the most severe form of food insecurity, by one-third. Studies also showed that these additional resources enabled families to eat more healthfully, eating significantly more fruits and vegetables and whole grains � key building blocks to better health. Based on these proven successes, the President's proposed plan would allow Summer EBT to reach nearly 20 million children once fully implemented.
Summer EBT provides a monthly benefit on a debit-type card that can be used throughout the summer for food purchases at authorized stores. Summer EBT is a complement to traditional summer meals programs, which offer no cost summer meals at approved sites, and is especially valuable in areas with limited or no access to traditional summer meals programs.
Summer EBT, which is currently operating as demonstration project, was first funded by Congress in 2010. Rigorous evaluations of these pilots found that Summer EBT can significantly reduce very low food security among children, the most severe form of food insecurity, by one-third. Studies also showed that these additional resources enabled families to eat more healthfully, eating significantly more fruits and vegetables and whole grains � key building blocks to better health. Based on these proven successes, the President's proposed plan would allow Summer EBT to reach nearly 20 million children once fully implemented.
healthy food - USDA Seeks Applications for Grants to Help Agricultural Producers Increase the Value of Their Products - SIBEJO
| Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is making up to $44 million available to farmers, ranchers and businesses to develop new bio-based products and expand markets through the Value-Added Producer Grant program. "America's farmers, ranchers and rural business owners are innovative entrepreneurs and this program helps them grow economic opportunities for their families and communities by increasing the value of the items they produce," Vilsack said. "The Value-Added Producer Grant program has a great track record of helping producers increase the value of products and expand their markets and customer base, strengthening rural America in the process." Value-Added Producer Grants may be used to develop new products and create additional uses for existing ones. Priority for these grants is given to veterans, members of socially disadvantaged groups, beginning farmers and ranchers, and operators of small- and medium-sized family farms and ranches. Additional priority is given to applicants who seek funding for projects that will create or increase marketing opportunities for these types of operators. More information on how to apply is on page 20607 of the April 8 Federal Register. The deadline to submit paper applications is July 1, 2016. Electronic applications submitted through grants.gov are due June 24, 2016. Additional information and assistance is available through the USDA Rural Development Office serving your county. |
healthy food - SNAP participation drops by more than a million people - SIBEJO
Lower SNAP caseloads is likely due to an improving economy, and yet despite economic improvement, food hardship remains high, with a Gallup poll showing that 17% or respondents did not have enough money to feed themselves in the first half of 2015.
Source: Food Research and Action Center, much more detail here
healthy food - LIBRARIES SERVE HUNGRY PEOPLE - SIBEJO
A growing number of library systems are adding services for patrons who are homeless, hungry, or suffering from drug addiction or mental illness. Increasingly, public libraries also are providing social services, such as serving children free lunches during the summer, said Sari Feldman, president of the American Library Association. Public libraries have expanded services in a number of ways. San Francisco was the first to hire a social worker, in 2009. Washington and Denver have followed suit. The Dallas Public Library has used grant money to station two AmeriCorps volunteers at a help desk where they might help proofread resumes or help with food stamp applications � and to hire someone who refers patrons to social services. Since 2012, three outreach workers at the Salt Lake City Public Library do everything from giving directions to nearby food banks to escorting victims of domestic violence to battered women�s shelters and helping patrons get state ID cards.
Source: Stateline, 4/4/16, Libraries
healthy food - Ag Studies Academy Launched at Extension Learning Farm - SIBEJO
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