Taste of the nation is almost here! 

We have 34 restaurants participating in Central Florida’s favorite foodie event this year. I bet some of your favorite Central Florida dining spots are on this list .

Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation event is put together by a volunteer committee group. I attend the meetings as a representative of Second Harvest Food Bank. Both beneficiaries, Coalition for the Homeless and Second Harvest Food Bank help out with the planning of the event. If you are attending, make sure to stop by our tables.

To enable you to fully enjoy the endless supply of wine, beer and delicious cocktails, Orlando World Center Marriott is generously offering Taste of the Nation guests a discounted rate for rooms on the night of June 5th! Click here to take advantage of this fabulous deal. The code will show up automatically on the page.

Everyone has worked so hard these past few months bringing this event together. I can’t give away everything that we have planned … but I can give you a sneak peak of what to expect. 

Here is a small food preview: 

      -  Chef-carved Rosemary and Dijon Crusted Roasted Pork Loin Served with a Wild Mushroom 
          and Sun-Dried Tomato Pearl Barley Risotto
      -  Chef Jean-Louis’ Bananas Foster
      -  Greek Tuna Tataki in Lettuce Gyros with Sumac, Onions and Avocado Tzatziki
      -  Roasted Beet Brownies with Gorgonzola, Spicy Cashews & Vanilla Honey

We also have some very unique auction items this year. Don’t forget to make your way around the silent auction. You never know what you will find!

      -  New York Yankees 27 World Championships ticket replicas
      -  Tickets to the Rachael Ray taping in New York plus plane ticket
      -  A  trip Chicago: flight, hotel, and dining included
      -  Chefs tables from Taste of the Nation participating Restaurants
      -  Many more!

100% of ticket sales help ensure no kid in America grows up hungry.

Hope to see you at Taste of the Nation Orlando! If you want to find me … look for the person twittering, facebooking and taking photos.

Click here to buy tickets!

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager

Don’t forget to check-in. I will be leaving tips throughout the night!

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

Here we are again, the start of a brand new year. Every year during the holiday season the same thing happens … we pack on a few extra pounds. It’s hard to resist all the wonderful food and drinks surrounding the holidays.

I am willing to bet that more than half of us have the same New Year’s Resolution to shed those unwanted pounds. Well … here is a way for us to do it together and help feed our Central Florida neighbors in need at the same time!

“The Biggest Loser” on NBC is sponsoring the 2nd Pound for Pound Challenge. General Mills has been gracious enough to donate 14 cents per pound pledged on the Pound for Pound Website. The Challenge Kicks off on The Biggest Loser tonight at 8 p.m.

Let’s make Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida the #1 food bank in America! Already we are first in Florida. So go ahead and think about your goal, pledge the pounds, and let your friends and family know! Remember- for us to get the credit, one must type in a Central Florida zip code. We have until May 2010 to meet our goals.

Check out this video from last season to get a closer look on how the Pound for Pound Challenge will not only change our lives, but the lives of people in need right here in our own community.

 

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida has formed a team. We will be participating in group exercise activities and weigh ins before and after work! We will also be posting updates (photos and videos) on our progress via this blog.

Do you want to get move involved? Join our Facebook group! Share your favorite recipes, work out tips, and success stories. It is always better to have the support of friends, families, co-workers, and neighbors! Anyone can create a team of Central Florida’s Biggest Losers!

Don’t forget to send 5 friends an e-card and have them join.

Together we can change our lifestyles and help those that need it most. Let’s show America that Central Florida can be THE BIGGEST LOSERS!

Sign up for the Pound for Pound Challenge.

Good luck and most importantly… HAVE FUN!

Please let me know if you have any questions about the Pound for Pound Challenge at shausman@foodbankcentralflorida.org or 407-843-5009 x25.

Sasha Hausman
Events Specialist

The New York Times has an ongoing editorial series focused on encouraging debate on a variety of relevant social topics. Recently the topic was about the perception that people receiving food stamps eat poorly.

Food Stamps: The Economics of Eating Well (source: New York Times)

I think this article provides a good summary of all of the major opinions on the issue. To chime in on the topic myself, my interviews with our clients show that the majority of food stamp recipients are using the benefit to access healthier food that they could not get otherwise.

As a food bank we can be limited to providing the community with whatever may be donated in a given week. The food stamp program is a great way for our clients to supplement the donated food with items that their family may not be able to get from a pantry. The next outreach step could include client education on how to best use their food stamp EBT cards to maximize nutrition and food stamp dollars.

Brady Koch
Director of Agency Relations & Programs