- Author: Evelyn Morales
During my rotation at University of California CalFresh Nutrition Education Program, I had a great time and learned about fun and engaging ways to provide nutrition education to children and adults. I like what this program does for our community since nutrition education is essential to living a healthy life and prevent many diet-related diseases.
During my first week, I had the opportunity to create a Nutrition Corner for children about whole grains and write a blog about healthy treats for children on Halloween. I learned that using straightforward terms, pictures that represent the audience, and colorful and attractive items are a must on these projects to attract readers and accomplish the purpose of creating those tools.
That week I also got to attend the Walk to School Day in Madera. An event like this takes time and communication to coordinate. Public authorities, schools, and Public Health Department of Madera worked together with UC CalFresh to make this event remarkably fun for children while promoting physical activity. I helped the team organize the games and encourage children to be more active. I also learned that as nutrition and health educator, my job is to care about my community and maintain their health in all aspects, and part of that was helping children to cross the streets safely.
Teaching children from different grades, from Pre-K to 4th grade, and participating in two adult classes were amazing experiences during my second week. During college, I mostly worked with the adult population, but working with children is quite different. I did not know how to present nutrition information to children, especially younger ones because they get bored or easily distracted. I learned by observing nutrition educators, Carissa and Mishelle. I realized that working with children is really fun. One has to be very creative to teach the nutrition information in a simple, but engaging and enjoyable way. I was amazed at the number of teaching tools that UC CalFresh has, like interactive posters to food models, which are very helpful to share your message. Also, I discovered that being very specific with instructions is vital when working with children since all of them are very energetic and want to participate in all activities.
Finally, on my last day, I got to teach a MyPlate nutrition lesson on my own to Hispanic adults. My knowledge, experience, and background helped me to successfully communicate and teach the lesson. I felt great when some of the adults thanked me and told me that they had learned a lot, and were enthusiastic about applying that information to eat healthier.
Providing nutrition education to members of my community has been one of the most rewarding experiences as an intern. Knowing that children are receiving nutrition education so early in life, as well as teaching about health and nutrition to parents makes me realized the importance of programs like UC CalFresh. With their fantastic work, Nutrition Educators are making sure that the diets of the whole family are improved to maintain health by eating healthy.
- Author: Hannah Lee
Governor Jerry Brown has issued a letter of support and several state agencies have announced the week of March 5-9, 2018 as California's first Food Waste Prevention Week. Happening in March to coincide with National Nutrition Month, partners nationwide are urging everyone to Go Further with Food. According to the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), Californians throw away nearly 12 billion pounds of food each year, wasting precious land, water, energy, and human resources and contributing about 18 percent of all the material that goes to our landfills.
While many people may not think much of tossing food in the trash, consumers are responsible for more wasted food than farms, grocery stores, or restaurants. Forty percent of all food thrown out happens at the individual or household level. Unused food can add up financially for families. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that an average family of four tosses out about 1,000 pounds of food each year, wasting roughly $1,500.
There are other costs from our unused food. The United States is losing up to 40% of its food from farm, to fork, to landfill. That translates to $218 billion lost including costs of food to consumers and retailers, as well as wasted water, energy, fertilizer, cropland, production and transportation. When food decomposes in landfills, it releases methane gas - a climate pollutant 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 20 year period.
The quality and amount of food that people eat each day play a vital role in health and wellbeing. A 2014 USDA report estimated that a staggering 1,249 calories per person, per day in the United States are wasted—more than enough to feed all the 1 in 8 Californians currently experiencing hunger and food insecurity. That nutrition loss could have fed people, not landfills, if only it had been used, instead of tossed. According to Feeding America, over 4.8 million Californians experience hunger or food insecurity, over 1.8 million of whom are children.
Reducing food waste requires action by partners throughout the food system, including food growers, processors, and retailers. But it also requires action from all individuals as well as agencies, organizations, businesses, and community groups. For example, there are many ways for various groups to reduce waste as well as to rescue food and donate it locally.
During Food Waste Prevention Week, we are issuing a Food Waste Reduction Hero Photo Challenge to our workforce and, as appropriate, to our external partners and the public. Reducing food waste in your home, workplace and community requires some thinking and planning. We ask that you join us and take the Challenge!
All you have to do is take a few photos (drawings and videos also accepted) with short captions that demonstrate:
1) How food waste happens in your home, workplace or community; and
2) Barriers you face in reducing the amount of food you throw away, such as the food packaging or portion size options available for purchase, bulk pricing incentives, storage or time constraints, food disposal options, etc.; and
3) What actions, or changes, you are making or solutions you see happening around you to reduce food waste.
Submissions can include before and after pictures, or pictures identifying the food that is the hardest to stop discarding in your household. Some solutions-based photos might include things like imperfect or ugly produce being used, appropriate portion sizes on plates, freshly frozen food to be used at a future date, excess fresh produce from a bulk retailer being shared with neighbors, or any other creative strategies you want to highlight. Simply share your submissions via social media platforms using the hashtag #SaveTheFoodCA and tag @SaveTheFood on Twitter and/or Instagram or email them to SaveTheFoodCA@gmail.com. Please include your location and organizational affiliation (employee or patron of which participating agency) with your submission.
Incorporating a few simple food waste prevention actions - such as freezing food and using leftovers – can immediately help reduce food waste.
Stay tuned all week for resources, tips, and ideas. To learn more, please visit Save The Food. Interested in other ways to reduce food waste? Check out the Public Health Alliance of Southern California's Resource Library and CalRecycle's Resource Directory.
- Author: Angelica Perez
Madison Elementary School from Madera Unified School School District has received a $5,000 Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant for a school garden project.
We are thrilled to announce that Lowe's has awarded the Madison Elementary School funding for the Madison Mavericks "WE BELIEVE" in Healthy Living! garden project. Our grant application was based on the goal of improving the learning community at Madison Elementary School. We look forward to sharing the Madison Mavericks “WE BELIEVE” in Healthy Living! garden project with the Madison Elementary and surrounding community. This garden will give the students the opportunity to learn, plant, harvest and try new foods which they will have experienced to cultivate on their own. This will ultimately nurture and improve the learning community at Madison Elementary School.
The grant application was based on the goal of implementing the garden component of the Shaping Healthy Choices Program in Mrs. Roxie Schallberger's 4th grade classroom. The Shaping Healthy Choices Program is an inquiry-based, garden enhanced nutrition education curricula developed by the Center for Nutrition in Schools at UC Davis and is being implemented in the classroom by UC CalFresh Coordinator, Angelica Perez. We are now in the planning stages of this project, but are eager to get the garden growing for the students to learn.
Mrs. Roxie Schallbereger's 4th grade class holding a thank you sign and the $5,000 check donated by Lowe's.
“Thank you Lowe's for awarding Madison Elementary this grant! Your generosity will allow our students to touch worms, smell fresh herbs, taste new foods, and see the beauty of growing healthy food!" said Mrs. Roxie Schallberger.
All K-12 public schools in the United States are eligible for the Toolbox for Education program. More information is available at www.ToolboxforEducation.com.
- Author: Angelica Perez
As the lessons continued, the student groups were assigned a country and an artwork project that gathered different information about their country. This information included the agriculture practices, food that was grown and sold and even some cultural dishes. The students had fun creating their country's artwork.
The groups did a wonderful job in representing their respective countries and also showed how creative they are!
- Author: Tacu Vang
UC CalFresh teamed up with Cultiva La Salud to promote safe routes to school during their Walk to School event at Winchell and Greenberg Elementary, on October 25th and 26th. The event was hosted by Cultiva La Salud and UC CalFresh was there to support by providing a Rethink Your Drink station for participants.
The Walk to School event had a great turn out. There were parent volunteers who also helped out with the walk. Students were excited and have already been talking about the days that the event happened at their school. Winchell Elementary was the first of two Walk to School events. It was a cold morning at Winchell Elementary, but we were able to fight the weather off and enjoyed our walk.
Nutrition Program Supervisor, Nath Say, with a parent volunteer and Winchell students getting ready for the walk at one meeting location.
Winchell Students crossing the street with the help from Cultiva La Salud team and parent volunteer.
The UC CalFresh team (Carissa, Tacu, and Coraima) with morning smiles and the amazing infused water station.
The next day, we headed to Greenberg Elementary for their Walk to School event. Just like the day before, it was a cold day, but we all had fun with the students and parents. There were 4 different meeting locations for students to meet up so to participate in the walk. The students were ecstatic and enjoyed the morning walk.
Greenberg Students ready for the Walk to School event.
Greenberg Students with their Walk to School signs getting closer to the school.
UC CalFresh Team (Austin, Tacu, Evelyn, and Maira) supporting the Walk to School Event at Greenberg Elementary.
The Walk to School event was a great success. It was the first time that we have done an event like this at any of these schools. Cultiva La Salud did a great job at coordinating these two events and we hope that we can collaborate for more of these events with Cultiva La Salud in the future. One thing is for sure, there is more that we can still do to help all these students walk safely to school, and this is a start to many more safe routes to school.