February 1, 2012

Eatonville Boys & Girls Club’s Kids Café

Author: Santos Maldonado

Eatonville Boys & Girls Club’s Kids Cafe welcomed over 120 youngsters with a hot afterschool meal on its opening day. The club sits in the heart of historic Eatonville; the nation’s oldest established African-American township. It is a stone’s throw from Hungerford Elementary and draws more than 200 students from nearby elementary, middle, and high schools.

Joyce Davis, who prepared  the meals, tell us that before Kids Cafe, children would receive small snacks consisting of bagels or cheese perhaps two or three times weekly, without regularity.

Second Harvest Food Bank, with the support of the Winter Park Health Foundation, has made it possible for these children to rely on a wholesome meal each and every day while school is in session. During the summer, Second Harvest will sponsor the club so that it may participate in the Summer Food Service Program which helps bridge the nutritional gap when children lack access to school cafeterias. Read More …

September 13, 2011

AARP Day of Service at Second Harvest Food Bank

Author: Maria Diestro

Let’s hear it for AARP! This year, they have made a major commitment to hunger among older Americans. Our CEO, Dave Krepcho, wrote about it in his “Hunger and the Daytona 500?” blog post in February.

Well this year, AARP designated Friday, September 9 as it’s Day of Service where the main focus was also hunger. On this day staff and volunteers nationwide went out to serve in their local communities.

How is this related to Second Harvest? Well, on Friday, September 9 we had 60 Winter Park AARP volunteers at our sorting facility putting together senior packs. Basically, they took over the food bank on that day and put together 5,452 senior food packs. Pretty amazing, right? Read More …

February 17, 2011

Pound for Pound Tips from Second Harvest Employees

Author: Maria Ali

What better way to inspire you this week than to let you hear what tips have helped Second Harvest Employees! 

 5 Tips from Our Leading Biggest Losers:

 1.   You can’t have it all. You have to make choices about which food items you decide to eat to keep the balance in your favor.

Take a situation like this:
Say you go to Cheesecake Factory for dinner one night. Of course you want to have some cheesecake—plan to order a smaller and healthier dinner like grilled fish and substitute a starchy side with a double side of veggies. Now you have created room for some dessert calories! Go ahead and split that piece of cheesecake with someone.  This is exactly how you have your cake and eat it too.

 2.   Plan ahead. Meal-planning is one of the most important habits in managing your weight and your health.

 Think about what you have planned for the week. Identify the days you know you will be going out to eat or eating a larger meal. Maybe you have a party to go to or you plan to splurge over the weekend? Balance out what you choose to eat and drink days prior to then. Pack a healthier lunch and cook lighter dinners in preparation for that weekend splurge or festivity.  Additionally, before you head out to a restaurant, look up your favorite meals online to see the nutrition facts. Then decide if that meal is a good choice for you to order or how much of a portion you can calorically afford.

 3.   Eat more low-calorie foods like fruits and veggies.  

Fruits and veggies are packed with nutrients and fiber. They are one of the healthiest additions you can add to your meals. Make it a goal to add some at every meal and snack that you eat. Add fruit to breakfast cereal, or eat a piece of fresh fruit with whole-grain toast and peanut butter. Pack fruit and veggie cuts for that afternoon snack. Double-up your non-starchy veggie portion at dinner…you’ll likely eat less of everything else, without feeling any less satisfied. 

4. Vary up your protein sources. You don’t have to eat meat at every meal.  

Eating smaller portions of meat and eating meat less often is a great habit to take on. Instead of grabbing a beef taco opt for a bean burrito once in a while. Consider eating vegetarian certain days or for certain meals of the week. 

5.   Push yourself to grow … Muscles that is.

There’s no better way to trim up than to combine healthier eating with exercise. You’ll see faster results and feel a difference sooner! Pushing yourself a little harder, further or faster than the day before keeps it interesting and makes you feel accomplished.

They shared some great advice didn’t they?

Maria Ali, RD, LD/N
Nutrition Manager

January 17, 2011

Pound for Pound Challenge – Week #1 Tip

Author: Maria Ali

What is your goal? How will you get there?

A new year – 2011. Congratulations on your decision to invest in your health! There is no better time than now to start taking control of your health, more specifically your weight. To do that effectively, you need to be able to answer 2 questions:

(1)   What is your goal?
(2)   How do you plan to meet that goal?

Take some time and really think about this. The 2^nd question probably takes a little more thought. Note that everyone’s plan will not be the same. It may share some of the same components, but because every person has a different lifestyle, the tips shared over the next 12 weeks will be lived out differently. I encourage you to take the tips and make them your own. Find a way to fit them into your personal lifestyle and have them work for you.

Ingredients to “Homemade” Weight Loss = Diet + Exercise

Now I know some of you “don’t have time” to exercise or “don’t have the discipline” to eat right most of the time. However, in order to lose weight you’re going to have to choose to do at least ONE of these really well.

Week 1 Tip: Track what you eat and drink. Track your exercise.
People who keep a food journal are more successful at managing their weight. Consider tracking your food and physical activity online. Check out http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/ . It’s absolutely free!

Even if you decide not to track your intake and exercise continuously, I recommend doing it for at least 3 days to really see where you are. This site will help give you an analysis of your eating and activity habits and make it easier for you to target in on your answer to question #2.

Let’s Go!

Maria Ali, RD, LD/N
Nutrition Manager

p.s. Don’t forget to let your friends know about The Pound for Pound Challenge!

December 22, 2010

Whatever It Takes

Author: Brady Koch

On a chilly, rainy Saturday morning, Second Harvest Food Bank and Winter Park Health Foundation staff teamed up to unload a truckload of food in the parking lots of Glenridge Middle School, Hungerford and Cheney Elementary schools. 

 Thanks to a generous grant from the Foundation, Second Harvest was set up to distribute emergency food boxes to families who are struggling.  Word of the distribution had been circulated through local emergency food pantries, and there was no shortage of people who needed the help.  

Even before the truck arrived, cars had been lining up since before daybreak. Many of the vehicles contained more than one family, and had arrived early to avoid missing out on the getting one or two of the boxes.   

This distribution was a little different than others have been in the past, mostly because of the steady drizzle of rain. People mostly stayed inside their vehicles this time, except to hop out and quickly secure their food in the trunk.  

Still, smiling, relieved faces of all ages and ethnicities could be plainly seen through the dripping windows, and a heartfelt ‘thank you!’ was the most-often heard phrase that day. In all, 470 boxes of wholesome, staple food items found their way back to homes.  

Additional shout out to OCPS Nutrition Services for providing all of the volunteers for the sites.

Brady Koch
Director of Agency Relations & Programs