During the program, students rotate between a nutrition education lesson, cooking demonstration and food truck tasting.  At the end, each student receives a family food bag to take home.  By engaging students in these activities, we strive to provide a nutrition-based multi-sensory learning experience, while addressing barriers to needy students receiving food.

This month’s theme is “Fuel Up for Sports.”  Students play a Jeopardy-type game, learning about the best foods to eat before and after exercise so their bodies can move and recover safely.  The recipe prepared in the cooking demonstration and sampled at the food truck is a delicious, high-protein Quinoa Salad Wrap.

Have you tried quinoa?  We promise, just like the students, you won’t be disappointed.  Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad Wrap

Ingredients:

10” Flour Tortilla Wrap
3 oz. Cooked Quinoa
2 oz. Black Bean & Corn Salsa
2 oz. Cooked Chicken
½ oz. Spring Mix Salad
1 oz. Chimichurri Dressing (fresh cilantro and parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon, and salt & pepper)

Preparation:

1. Mix cooked quinoa, chicken and salsa together, season lightly with salt & pepper.
2. Spread chimichurri onto tortilla.
3. Place 5 oz. quinoa mix in center of tortilla, top with spring mix lettuce.
4. Fold sides and wrap lengthwise to complete the wrap, can be cut in half on the bias (diagonally).

Recipe contributed by Chef Ed Colleran from Universal Orlando

Recently a donation of more than 1,000 pounds of fresh blueberries arrived at Second Harvest from a first-time contributor.  Always on the lookout to expand my repertoire of donation stories, I decided to spend an hour or so with the folks at Tom West Blueberries in Ocoee, Florida.  After a warm reception by Scott West and his sister Susan, I learned that they had shipped a recent commercial order, only to be told by the shipper that the load of berries was ‘a little too soft” and therefore wouldn’t make it to the destination in market condition.

I asked Scott “What does that mean, exactly? –Were the berries bad?”

He explained that blueberries are a very fragile fruit, and that sometimes the weight of the berries pushing against each other in containers tends to soften them up, hastening the rate at which they spoil.

“It was frustrating, because here we had all these beautiful berries that were absolutely fine at the moment, but wouldn’t last all the way to the customer.  It was either find a way to use them quickly, or throw them out,” he said.

Needless to say, we and our partner feeding programs are glad that Scott was thoughtful enough to bring the load by the Food Bank.   The berries were distributed in just a day or two for quick consumption by low-income families grateful for the help.   Not to mention families who typically don’t spend their tightly-stretched food dollars on nutritious super-foods like blueberries.

Tom West Blueberries also offered their first-ever public “U-pick” experience this year in April and May.   The response was great, and Scott and Susan are excited to open the farm up to sell to  the public again next year.   I’m happy to report that I returned to the farm the very next day after the interview, and picked nearly six pounds of enormous, juicy blueberries with my own family!  We’ll be eating those beauties out of the freezer all summer long.

Thanks to Scott, Susan, and all our generous corporate food contributors.  Together you help to create hope for thousands in Central Florida.

Short video of Scott and Susan:

Greg Higgerson
Vice-President, Development

Wine, Women, Shoes……and an Anteater?!

These special touches from SeaWorld Parks & Resorts helped make Wine Women & Shoes an event to remember. For us at Second Harvest Food Bank though, the most memorable part of the afternoon was the overflowing generosity shown by each guest, sponsor, vendor, shoe guy, and committee member towards fighting hunger in our community. On May 18th, 2013 Wine Women & Shoes was able to raise over $85,000 for people struggling with hunger right here in Central Florida! That number equates to over 340,000 meals for families in need. Second Harvest will be able to provide over $765,000 worth in food value for people that need it most because of your generous contribution. I’d like to personally thank you for each ticket purchased, each auction item bid on, and each new pair of shoes purchased which contributed to these fantastic results.

For those of you who weren’t able to attend Wine Women & Shoes I’d like to share a few highlights from the event that will make sure you don’t miss out next year!

• Guests shopped at 9 fabulous marketplace vendors that had shoes, jewelry, accessories, and fragrances. Who can say no to that?! Our vendors included: : Bibby’s Jewelry & Accessories, Coralia Leets, Dede’s, Diana E. Kelly, Gina Cueto Jewelry, Merle Norman Boutique, Saks Fifth Avenue Florida Mall, Sophie & Trey, and Wearable Art by Scott Laurent. I added a few new things to my collection!
• One lucky guest won over $6,600 worth of accessories, purses, shoes, gift certificates, and even a bicycle in our Key to the Closet raffle!
• Six delicious wines were poured including: Biagio Prosecco, Rabbit Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, Tenuto Polvaro Pinot Grigio, Roth Chardonnay, Milbrandt Traditions Merlot, and Hahn Pinot Noir.
• 20 handsome shoe guys mingled throughout the room and for the first time ever strutted their stuff on the runway! One of our Shoe Guys even broke out his special move “the worm” on stage!
• Saks Fifth Avenue was back again this year with a flawless fashion show. Their models showed off hot looks for spring and gorgeous dresses. We even got a few ideas for the men in our lives from their male model!
• Guests had their pictures taken with one of four SeaWorld animal guests!

I’d like to give a huge thanks to the reason this wonderful event went off so beautifully: our co-chairs Diane Heiken and Kelly Gaines along with our wonderful Wine Women & Shoes Committee. They worked tirelessly for months planning every detail and making it all come together the day of. Thank you so much for your commitment to fighting hunger right here in our community. Interested in being a part of next year’s planning committee? Contact Jennifer Landress at: jlandress@feedhopenow.org or 407-514-1017 for more details!

I’d also like to thank our generous sponsors for their support. Without them this event couldn’t have happened. I’d like to also thank SeaWorld Parks & Resorts for their generosity. Our event was beautiful, the food was delicious (did you see those fruit tarts?!), and everything ran perfectly because of their wonderful team. Who can forget our handsome emcee: Jorge Estevez from WFTV! He had our ladies swooning in their seats over his jokes. Thank you so much for making our event so much fun!

I hope everyone had as great of a time as us at Wine Women & Shoes this year! I’d like to once again thank all of our guests and supporters who made this event such a success. Thank you for fighting hunger in Central Florida!

A huge thanks to Ansley Beth Photography for donating their services and taking these amazing photos. Click here to view the full gallery >> http://ow.ly/lvnZW

Jennifer Landress
Events Specialist

What is the name of this partnership?
The project is called IT’S A S.N.A.P.!, which stands for Senior Nutrition Awareness Project.  It also makes reference to our relationship with the SNAP Program and to the fact that it’s easy to apply for these benefits with our specialists.

Who are the parties involved?
Originally, there were only two parties involved: Second Harvest and the Winter Park Health Foundation.  Shortly after, AARP expressed interest in partnering with us by providing volunteers.  More recently, a number of our partner agencies within the target area have come on board.  As I indicated to Karen Broussard, our VP of Agency Relations and Programs, I visualize this project as a patch quilt, every collaborating agency brings their own unique form of vital services with which to wrap our needy seniors during this tough economic times.  We are looking forward to adding more collaborators.

Why did Second Harvest decide to get involved?
Based on statistics from FNS, over 5 million or 15.1% of all seniors in our country are food insecure due in part to rising housing and medical costs, and only 34% of potentially eligible seniors currently receive SNAP benefits.  These numbers are expected to increase as Baby Boomers reach retirement age; the youngest Baby Boomers (born in 1954) are more at risk.

Tell us more about the partnership.
This is a pilot project financed, in part, through a grant from the Winter Park Health Foundation, and is focused on the Winter Park, Maitland and Eatonville area.  Reaching out to older Americans has been a challenge for years within the Feeding America network.  We try to learn from each other and share best practices.  Some of the elements of this project were modeled after an initiative in Minnesota.  Our target population are older adults, age 50+.  Studies indicate that there is a connection between food insecurity, lack of proper nutrition and health.  “This could impair the ability of older people to live independently and have good quality of life” (UCLA Health Policy Research Brief May 2007).

What is the goal?
Our goal is to improve nutrition among seniors by increasing awareness of SNAP benefits, assisting them with the application and increasing the amount of the award they could potentially be eligible for.  There are many myths and misconceptions regarding the SNAP program that are keeping older adults from applying.  One of our jobs with this project is to debunk these myths.  This would allow seniors to make an educated decision.  Many of them receive Medicaid, housing assistance, LiHEAP, etc.  SNAP is no different than these other programs which are also part of our nation’s safety net.

S.N.A.P. Posters

It was incredibly close in the voting right up to midnight, but in the end WE DID IT!

We were able to access a $45,000 grant to help feed kids this summer.

Every vote you cast, every friend you called and every share you made on Facebook and Twitter made a difference.

On behalf of Central Florida’s kids in need, who run short on just about everything in life…we thank you so much for helping out.

Your friends at Second Harvest Food Bank

This USDA subsidized program makes it possible for us to provide free, nutritious, prepared meals to children ages 18 and under while schools and their cafeterias are closed for the season. Community centers, summer camps, churches and other nonprofit organizations may participate. Additionally, for-profit, low income residential complexes may also host sites.

This summer we will sponsor sites in three counties. The program will operate from June 6th through August 16th – for a total of 51 days. Since becoming sponsors in 2008, Second Harvest Food Bank, in partnership with over 60 sites, has served more than 233,600 meals. Lunches and snacks will be served daily at approximately 20 locations.

The Summer Food Service Program:
• Helps feed hungry children and teens.
• Attracts more youngsters to activities that help them learn in a safe environment during summer  months.
• Helps parents stretch food dollars.
• Saves money on food so that community-based organizations may provide additional programming or serve more children.
• Gives children and teens a chance to interact with peers, participate in organized activities, and be physically active.

Although we are no longer accepting site applications, we are still seeking to partner with a low income residential complex or motel in Osceola County where needy or displaced families live – specifically along the 192 corridor. If you are interested please contact us.

All others wishing to participate can contact their school district.
Orange County Summer Food
Seminole School District
Osceola District Campus Grille

For more information follow this link: http://www.summerfoodflorida.org/

If you are a parent or guardian that wishes to locate a serving location for children, click on the links below.

Second Harvest Summer Sites
All Florida Sites

Second Harvest’s locations operate as “open sites”. All children 18 and under are welcome to show up and eat.

Please contact me with any questions you may have about the program.

Santos Maldonado
Childhood Hunger Programs Manager

Even though Kayleigh’s mother works more than 50 hours per week at two separate jobs, there is often not enough money to buy enough food for the family to have enough food on weekends. Both kids used to dread the weekend days, and also the summertime.

Now, they are able to get a weekend feeding pack on Fridays from their teacher, which takes the edge off their rumbling bellies until they can get back to school on Monday. These packs will also help supplement the meals they will get through the school’s ‘summer feeding’ program beginning in June.

Between now and Tuesday (April 30), Second Harvest Food Bank urgently requests your help in accessing a $45,000 grant from Walmart to provide 9,000 weekend feeding packs for kids this summer. Vote daily here >>

With your votes, so many kids just like Kayleigh will be in danger of not receiving the benefits of this grant. Please vote daily and share the urgency of this request with everyone you know.

Thank you!

Dave Krepcho
President/CEO

It was extra exciting for us this year because we were able to have the luncheon in our community room and it was catered by the students in our culinary training program.

We could not begin to do the work we do in the Central Florida community without our volunteers. This year, we recognized the following companies/organizations/individuals for going above and beyond their volunteer efforts.

David Pearlman Spirit of Volunteerism Award:
Bill Sullivan

Andre Reyna Youth Against Hunger Award:
Girl South Troop 506

Volunteer Awards:
Letter Carriers Food Drive
Boy Scout Food Drive
Universal Orlando
Sprint
Macy’s
Rollins College
Jonathan Holbrook

I’d like to leave you with a service quote and a photo album of all our champion volunteers.

“The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.”