- Author: Shannon A Klisch
- Author: Debbie George, Master Food Preserver Volunteer
- Author: Chutima Ganthavorn
- Author: Emma McKellar
- Author: Marlyn Pulido
- Contributor: Michele Byrnes
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UC-led partnership resulted in over 29,000 pounds of fresh produce being distributed to 900 students and limited resource families in Coachella in 2018. More than a quarter of participants reported being more food secure.
The Issue
The desert city of Coachella has a population of 6,919. Seven-hundred and sixty-one residents do not live within 10 miles of a supermarket or have a car, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Research Atlas. In an effort to increase healthy food access and close the food gap in the area, CalFresh Healthy Living at University of California (CFHL-UC) teamed up with Food In Need of Distribution (FIND) Food Bank to bring fresh produce to the students and families of Cesar Chavez Elementary School.
How UC Delivers
CFHL-UC partnered with FIND in 2018 to bring CalFresh enrollment support and food donations to nutrition class participants at the Coachella Valley Adult School. In the spirit of partnership, CFHL-UC introduced FIND to Cesar Chavez Elementary School with the hopes of bringing more resources to families in the area. With staff and teacher support at Cesar Chavez Elementary, CFHL-UC delivers a spectrum of services to help influence individuals to live healthier lifestyles including nutrition and physical activity education for both children and parents using evidence-based curricula (Go, Glow, Grow; Plan, Shop, Save, Cook; and Coordinated Approach to Child Health). Environmental and policy efforts include Smarter Lunchrooms Movement resources to increase student breakfast/lunch participation, local school wellness committee collaboration to offer wellness policy support, and this recent partnership with FIND Food Bank to increase access to fresh produce.
The Impact
“When I bring the food home, my mom is happy because she does not have to go to the grocery store.”
– 3rd Grade Student at Cesar Chavez
As a result of the UC-led partnership and collaboration, FIND Food Bank made Cesar Chavez Elementary a food distribution site for their summer food donations. This included five events, with an average of 150 families attending, which helped feed an average of 690 people in 2018. Cesar Chavez was the highest attended distribution site that FIND serviced in 2018. Due to this success and need, FIND now provides monthly food distribution for the students at Cesar Chavez Elementary School. This year, FIND distributed over 29,000 pounds of fresh produce for 900 students to take home and share with their families. CFHL-UC staff highlighted the produce by supplying recipe cards from EatFresh.org for families to be able to make nutritious, easy, and inexpensive meals.
In addition, CFHL-UC helped increase food security and healthy living for program participants by teaching food resource management skills. Participants in the Plan, Shop, Save, Cook series reported making behavior changes such as planning meals ahead of time (44% of 124 survey respondents), comparing unit prices (40%), shopping with a grocery list (35%), and using Nutrition Facts to make food choices (54%). Importantly, 27% of participants were less likely to run out of food before the end of the month. This program is one example of how UC ANR improves food security, contributing to the public value of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians. CFHL-UC aims to continue working in Coachella and collaborating further with FIND Food Bank to increase access to healthful foods at other sites in need.
- Author: Patti C. Wooten Swanson
1. Ask what is needed before you give.
Sometimes what we want to give—holiday foods, homemade jam, or cake mixes---may not be what is needed. Check the website of your local food bank or call to see what foods they currently need. Generally, the most needed items are:
• Peanut butter
• Canned meats such as tuna or chicken
• Cereal
• Canned and dried fruit
• Canned vegetables
• Macaroni and cheese
• Canned soup.
2. Choose a more nutritious form of the food you want to give.
For example, select:
• Fruit canned in its own juice rather than syrup
• Vegetables canned without added salt
• Cereals that are high in fiber and don't have much added sugar
• Whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and quinoa
• Low sodium soups and low-sodium versions of other products such as pasta sauce
• Lean protein, such as beans and canned tuna.
3. Check the use-by or expiration date on canned or packaged food items.
If donating food items from your own pantry, check the freshness date. Most food banks will not give out food that is past the use-by or expiration date printed on the container. (Use-by and expiration dates refer to the quality of the food, not the safety.)
4. Avoid foods in glass containers or damaged packaging.
Some food banks don't accept food in glass containers---even baby food or infant formula---because they chip and break easily. Inspect the packaging of an item. Avoid dented or bulging cans. Food banks won't accept damaged or open paper or plastic containers. Only donate commercially prepared foods. Food banks cannot take home preserved foods.
5. Give with the food bank clientele in mind.
Are the clientele homeless? If so, they probably don't have access to storage or refrigeration. Dr. Lucia Kaiser, Nutrition Specialist at the University of California Cooperative Extension, suggests giving easy-to-prepare and ready-to-eat foods such as:
• Pop-top cans of stew, chili, and soup
• Shelf-stable milk and cheese
• 100% fruit juices in single serving boxes
• Convenience foods like granola bars, packaged crackers (low fat), beef jerky, and single-serving packages of nuts.
Programs for children may want single serving sizes of foods, such as;
¥ 100% fruit rolls
¥ Raisins
¥ Graham crackers
¥ Unsweetened applesauce
¥ Fruit cups
¥ Low-sugar cereal bowls
¥ Pretzels
Ideas to Help You Plan a Healthy Food Drive
Request donations by meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner), by food group (fruits and vegetables, dairy, protein, etc.), or by recipes. Another option is a SuperFood Drive where participants donate items on a list of nutrient-dense foods that you provide. Or, help potential donors by giving them Dorothy Smith's food bank gift list.
Here's to healthy living and giving during the holiday season!
El escenario: los miércoles son días del mercado de granjeros, pero no solo cualquier mercado o cualquier día. Este mercado se lleva a cabo una vez al mes como parte de la colaboración entre la Coalición del Banco de Alimentos del condado de San Luis Obispo (Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County) y la escuela preparatoria López (Lopez High School). La preparatoria, una escuela alternativa en la parte sur del condado de San Luis Obispo, cuenta con un programa llamado Educación Práctica sobre Paternidad (Hands-On Parenting Education), o HOPE, por sus siglas en inglés, la cual ayuda a madres adolescentes o embarazadas a graduarse.
El día antes del más reciente mercado de granjeros, los estudiantes de HOPE contaron con una oradora: Dayna Ravalin, coordinadora del programa Maestro Preservador de Alimentos de UCCE de San Luis Obispo y Santa Bárbara. Ella les ensenó a preparar y almacenar comida para bebé de manera segura. El momento es oportuno pues los estudiantes pueden (y lo hacen, como resultado de la lección) obtener ingredientes frescos al día siguiente.
Dayna instruye a los estudiantes sobre una serie de consejos sobre seguridad alimentaria denominada Core Four, al mismo tiempo que les muestra cómo convertir frutas y verduras frescas del mercado en alimento para bebés.
- Limpiar – Lavar las manos con agua tibia y jabón durante por lo menos veinte segundos antes y después de manejar alimentos. Lavar las tablas para cortar, utensilios y tapas de los gabinetes con agua caliente y jabonosa después de preparar cada alimento y antes de pasar al siguiente.
- Separar – Evitar la contaminación cruzada. Mantener la carne cruda separada de los alimentos que no se cocinan.
- Cocinar – Cocinar a una temperatura segura.
- Enfriar – Enfríe las sobras y la comida para llevar antes de dos horas. Mantenga el refrigerador a 40° F o menos.
Para finalizar, a los estudiantes se les enseña cómo preservar de manera fácil el alimento para bebés con el objetivo que dure todo el mes, hasta que llegue el próximo día de mercado de la preparatoria López y la Coalición del Banco de Alimentos. Ravalin hizo demostraciones sobre cómo usar un molde para hielos para congelar porciones de alimentos tamaño bebé antes de darle a cada estudiante un molde para llevarse a casa, dándoles el poder de construir bloques de alimentación sana.
Los estudiantes se retiran ansiosos de tomar ventaja de sus recursos al día siguiente, y para empezar, con dos recetas básicas para frutas y verduras de la estación.
Recetas para alimento de bebés hecho en casa
Zanahorias/papas
- 1 libra de zanahorias
- 1 taza de agua
Pele las zanahorias y retire los extremos y corte en pedazos de una pulgada. Colóquelas en un sartén con el agua. Póngalas a hervir y reduzca el hervor a fuego lento, tape y cocine durante 25 minutos (se toma más tiempo si sus zanahorias están gruesas). Déjelas enfriar en el mismo líquido de cocción. Muélalas en un procesador para alimentos, licuadora o molino para alimentos, tape y congele en porciones pequeñas.
Ideas para agregar: una pizca de cominos, cilantro, canela o papa machacada.
Manzanas/peras
- 2 manzanas dulces o peras
- 4 a 5 cucharadas de agua o jugo de manzana puro
Pele y corte a la mitad las manzanas, quíteles el corazón y córtelas en pedazos. Colóquelas en un sartén mediano junto con el agua o jugo. Tape y cocine a fuego lento durante seis a ocho minutos o hasta que estén bien blandas. Deje enfriar en el líquido de cocción. Muela en un procesador de alimentos, licuadora o molino de alimento, tape y congele en porciones pequeñas.
Ideas para agregar: una pizca de canela, puré de zanahorias o jengibre.
“Pueden hasta congelar purés de tres diferentes tipos en capas y (y los cubos) lucirán tricolor cuando los saque del molde”, dijo Ravalin.
A través de esta lección de una hora y media, las mujeres embarazadas y padres primerizos aprendieron lo fácil que puede ser prolongar la vida de un alimento, aprovechándose del mercado escolar de cada mes para proveer a sus familias. Esta colaboración es un ejemplo de cómo los voluntarios del Programa Preservadores Maestros de la UC donan más de 20,000 horas de su tiempo anualmente para educar a familias en todo California acerca de la preservación segura de alimentos.
- Author: Jim Coats
"Some hae meat, and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it . . ."
The words are old and a little hard to understand, but they tell a story that's as true today as when the poet Robert Burns spoke them back in the 1790s. They were old words even then. Always, it seems, there are those of us who are fortunate enough to eat well and those of us who go hungry, even in a country as rich as ours.
One morning last May, I got to meet some folks who help ease that hunger in the community where I live. That morning I drove with my wife to an industrial area on the northeast side of Woodland, California, where the Food Bank of Yolo County does its business. Outside the warehouse door delivery trucks from local markets, chain stores, farms, and other food sources came and went, mingling with buyers' pickups and trailers from churches and other charitable groups.
The big trucks were there to deliver what many retailers would consider marginal goods: bread, dairy products, meats, and canned and dry goods that were moving too slowly off the shelves or getting too close to their sell-by dates; a cardboard harvest bin of loose carrots in the walk-in, donated by a grower who was getting ready to put in a new crop; 50-pound sacks of potatoes or onions that were either too much for the food service market or were set aside by generous handlers or a government agency for exactly the purpose they were about to serve: to feed the hungry.
These days about 35 percent of the stock you can see in this Food Bank warehouse has been donated outright. The rest comes from government agencies or direct purchases from the California Association of Food Banks. A few years ago the directors of the Food Bank of Yolo County shifted their focus toward providing clients with fresher, more nutritious food, and since then they have brought their fresh produce sales from about 50,000 pounds a year up to a high of 1 million pounds in 2010.
![Harvest bins of citrus fruit sit in the Food Bank warehouse aisle between shelved pallets of canned beans, pasta, and other canned and dry goods. Harvest bins of citrus fruit sit in the Food Bank warehouse aisle between shelved pallets of canned beans, pasta, and other canned and dry goods.](http://ucanr.org/blogs/food/blogfiles/8072.jpg)
That morning in May my wife and I joined other groups of buyers inside the warehouse, each of us picking through the low-priced goods for just the right mix of products to refill the shelves of a soup kitchen or—as in our case—a local food closet. Loaves of bread, a case of canned tomatoes, a box of apples, macaroni and cheese mix, a shrink-wrapped bundle of bags of flour. We loaded our wheeled dolly three times: first came the bread, which a food bank volunteer weighed before we loaded it into the truck; then the produce, likewise weighed on the dolly and loaded; and finally the canned and dry goods, which are priced by the case. Five flats of eggs we put in the pickup's back seat for a smooth ride. For a little less than $100 we got enough food to fill the truck.
A short trip then took us back to the food closet at our church, where 8 or 10 women and men, most of them well into their retirement years, bustled around the edges of the sorting table that filled the middle of the small room, stacking cans on shelves, putting bread, tortillas, and eggs into the refrigerators, doling potatoes, onions, rice, and beans from 50-pound sacks into smaller, consumer-sized bags, and pointing out to me firmly and kindly each time I put a box or bag down in the wrong place. Which was pretty often. Before an hour was up, the closet was stocked and locked up and ready for food distribution the next day. Two distributions a week from our closet alone can serve up to 50 families in need.
There's plenty that you can do, too, to help relieve hunger in your own community. Find your nearest food bank on the California Association of Food Banks website, or ask around to find out about local food closets or soup kitchens.
Then all you need to do is pitch in. If you've got the time, they've got the need.