July 16, 2010

A Better Way to Identify Hungry Children

Author: Brady Koch

A teacher looking at a classroom full of children on the first day of school might have a difficult time determining who would be in need of food assistance. The free and reduced school breakfast and lunch program, our Hi-Five weekend program, and our Kids Cafe afterschool program all help get food to these children.

There are common warning signs to look for like lethargy, inability to concentrate, and aggression, but it can still be challenging to identify the need.

A new study published this month in the journal Pediatrics, by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers examined whether the time-consuming, 18-question Household Food Security Survey provided by the federal government could be shortened and still be effective in identifying hungry children.

They found that there were two questions you could ask that would be as effective as the entire 18 question survey.

Simple Two-Question Survey Can Better Identify Hungry Children

This is a great start to brainstorming exercises we’ve started internally to find ways to enhance our childhood programs.

What do you think of the findings of this study?

June 9, 2010

2010 Summer Food Service Program Begins when School Ends

Author: Brady Koch

Nearly 250 sites will be offering free breakfast, lunches and afternoon snacks to children in economically disadvantaged areas throughout Orange County this summer. This is our third year participating in the Summer Food Service Program and we’re hoping that it is our most successful year to date.

The major obstacles for kids participating in the program are outreach and transportation. Children home for the summer may not even know that this program is available in their community.  We urge you to help us spread the word. Help us raise awareness and ensure that children have access to proper nutrition this summer.

The Summer Food Sponsors in Orange County are:
-  The Orange County School District
-  Orlando Parks and Recreation
-  Second Harvest Food Bank
-  Township of Eatonville

For information on Orange County sites, click here.

For site information on Central Florida sites, click here.

For the rest of the state provide a zip code at this site:
http://app1.fldoe.org/summerfoodprogram/

For more information contact: Santos Maldonado, Childhood Hunger Programs Manager
(407) 295-1066 ext. 25 or smaldonado@foodbankcentralflorida.org

Brady Koch
Director of Agency Relations & Programs

April 13, 2010

5 Tips to Surviving Taste of the Nation Orlando

Author: Maria Diestro

Can you believe Taste of the Nation Orlando is almost here? It feels like just yesterday I was helping with setting up our food display at last year’s event.

Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation is the nation’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America.

All proceeds locally benefit Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida; state wide beneficiary is Florida Impact.

Imagine yourself in a room full of food catered by some of your favorite restaurant chefs. Just in … five of the Taste chefs will have the great honor of cooking at the James Beard House in June!

• Jamie McFadden of Cuisiniers Catering
• Kevin Fonzo of K Restaurant & Wine Bar
• James & Julie Petrakis of The Ravenous Pig
• Scott Copeland of Antonio’s Cafe & Deli. 

This is a small glimpse of some of the amazing talent that help put this event together. View a list of all participating restaurants.

So go ahead and make a big mark around Saturday, June 5 on your calendars. The 21st Annual Taste of the Nation Orlando will take place at the Orlando Marriott World Center on 8701 World Center Drive.

Last year was my first Taste of the Nation experience. It can be a bit overwhelming to see all the different tables of food and trying to decide on which auction item to bid on. Did you know that last year there were over 200 auction items?

Here are 5 tips to surviving Taste of the Nation Orlando

1) Get there early and beat the rush. 

2) Bring cash for raffle items. Last year we raffled of some pretty cool prizes and trips.

3) Take time to look through all the auction items. You will be surprised to find some very affordable hidden gems in there. Also, there are always very unique opportunities that you will only find at Taste of the Nation.     

4) Take a moment to stop by the beneficiaries displays. Learn more about what this whole event is really about!

5) Take advantage of the VIP package. You enjoy early admission, reserved seating, a champagne reception and a goody bag. That’s not bad for $50 more.  

If you are a Taste of the Nation Veteran, feel free to post any additional tips below!

See you at Taste of the Nation,

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager

January 7, 2010

New Year, New Program

Author: Brady Koch

Happy New Years!

Many of us have made a commitment to live a healthier life in 2010. For me, I’ll be involved in the Pound for Pound Challenge. For the food bank, it involves hiring a Nutrition Manager.   Next week I will begin to sort through all of the applications we’ve received for the new Nutrition Manager position we’re hiring at the food bank. This blog gives me the unique opportunity to include you in our program development process from design to implementation to evaluation.

 Before we begin any new program we complete a thorough research process that includes needs analysis, best practices studies, and pilot programs. One of the greatest benefits of our membership with Feeding America is access to the nationwide network of food banks throughout America. Combining ideas from the network and listening to the needs of our own agencies we are able to take this list of possible nutritionist tasks and whittle it down to a program with a specific strategic plan and outcomes. Here’s what we’ve determined to be our areas of focus for our Nutrition Manager:

•  Nutrition Education for Program participants: The food bank’s Strategic plan has an entire section devoted to our commitment to address the Childhood Obesity challenges faced specifically by children in food insecure households. Research continues to prove that children in low-income households consistently have a high rate of obesity. One of the main reasons for this is that the foods that are the healthiest happen to also be the most expensive. If the closest food store to your house is the gas station or convenience store, then your dollar is going to stretch even thinner. 
• Nutrition Analysis of our program food: Every year, about 10% of our food is acquired through our Power Purchase Center in order to provide participating agencies menu consistency. Our Nutritionist would be able to analyze the food we purchase and determine possible alternatives to make sure the items we can select for purchase is nutritionally optimal.

Like any of our programs, the Nutrition program will evolve with the community’s needs. It’s especially exciting to get the person in the position and see them run with the program that we’ve been honing for months. I’ll be sure to fill you in with another progress report once we hire the best candidate!

Brady Koch
Director of Agency Relations & Programs

October 30, 2009

On the Road: Sharing our Successes

Author: Brady Koch

This week I’m attending Feeding America’s Agency Capacity, Programs and Nutrition Conference.

It is always reinvigorating to meet up with over 400 food bankers from across the nation and share notes in a face to face format. On Tuesday I got to sit in a panel for new food bankers and share our experiences on Childhood Hunger programs, Hi-Five, Summer Feeding, and Kids Café.

It feels rewarding to be able to share all of our best practices with people that were in the same position I was in a number of years ago.

 On Wednesday, I had a presentation about the cutting edge practices we use in our Benefits Connection food stamp outreach program. This program has been an overwhelming success for us and after nonstop consultations with other food bankers; I’m down to my last business card.

Thursday Nitza Colon, our Benefits Connection Manager, had another presentation about our outreach program that instructed other food banks how to start their own food stamp programs. At the general session that afternoon the speaker from Feeding America said that “Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida has turned food stamp outreach into an art form.” I feel like Picasso now.

Our Childhood Hunger manager, Santos Maldonado, and I received a plaque thanking us for our work as mentors for the Hi-five Kids pack program.

Accolades like this and being asked to speak at events such as this remind me how great Second Harvest is and how many other hunger relief agencies nationwide look to us as leaders in our field.

There is a lot more to our work than a warehouse full of food. Each of our programs strategically tackles a specific facet of hunger that may otherwise not be addressed. Now that our batteries are recharged, we can’t wait to come back to Orlando and implement some of the new ideas we’re learning about.

Holiday season’s one of the busiest times at Second Harvest and we’re ready to hit the ground running. If you’re interested in learning about any of our programs please feel free to contact me or anyone on my team.

Brady Koch
Director of Agency Relations & Programs
bkoch@foodbankcentralflorida.org