May 4, 2010

Pietopia

Author: Sasha Hausman

I had the great pleasure of attending the Great American Pie Festival April 24th and 25th in Celebration. Which basically meant good bye Pound for Pound Challenge, hello delicious pie!

Apple, pecan, key lime, cherry, French silk, you name it … I tasted it! So you might be asking, “So what does this have to do with Second Harvest?” Well the folks at the Pie Council and Village Inn care so much about Second Harvest Food Bank’s Kids Café program, that they dedicate some fun activities to raise funds for our afterschool program.

There were buckets spread out throughout the festival for pie lovers to drop donations into. There was a great booth set up where kids can give a dollar to participate in a “Pie Walk” similar to a cake walk, where they could win a free Village Inn Pie!

Finally, the Pièce de résistance…the 4 ft in diameter pie! Have you ever seen anything more beautiful in your life???

It was a chocolate cookie crust with a chocolate ganache and cream cheese filling…with fantastic local grown strawberries, raspberries, and wild blueberries in a glaze with fresh whipped cream on top!

Each piece of this pie was sold for a donation to Second Harvest. It was a hit! All of these great fundraisers brought in over $500!

In food bank math, we are able to provide up to $4,500 in buying power to feed our neighbors in need. We are so happy and thankful to have such a great partnership with the Pie Council and Village Inn!

Check out this great video to see the other yummy things that went on during the weekend!

Are you interested in coming out to the Pie Festival next year? Keep checking our events page every so often so you don’t miss out on the fun!

In the mean time, take a look at our other events coming up…we’d love to see you there!

Until next time!

Sasha Hausman
Events Specialist

April 6, 2010

Meet Our Pound for Pound Challenge Champ

Author: Sasha Hausman

We have all learned that is hard to stay motivated when trying to get healthy. There are so many temptations out there ready to lure us in at any given moment (Cake for a co-workers birthday, favorite movie on TV so you skip the gym, etc.).

So we try to think of something to help us stay on the right track…It could be a pair of jeans that you have outgrown 5 years ago. But for Robin Le Roy-Kyle it is something bigger. It’s about helping feed our neighbors in need.

Please meet Robin aka “The Orlando Turtle Runner” and our Pound for Pound Challenge Champion.

In 2006 Robin was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and decided to make a change. Since then, running has been her exercise of choice. Her running blog www.RunningCirclesAroundTheTurtles.com, has taken off quite nicely with rapidly growing readership. This led her to her next venture.

Robin began hosting a running club called Pay it Forward 500 Mile Club: Running with a Purpose in 2010. Participants commit to running a certain number of miles (minimum 500), select a charity/organization of choice, and get sponsors to donate 10 cents per mile for every mile they run in 2010. Runners can sponsor themselves and/or get others to sponsor.

Robin’s organization of choice: Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Her mileage goal for 2010? 750 miles!

“I’m sponsoring myself and recruiting family members, my dear sweet husband, and friends/coworkers to sponsor me, pitch in, etc… so I will be very excited to make my donation to Second Harvest in late December! Hope my efforts and commitment to feeding our neighbors helps in some small way!”

I hope Robin’s story can inspire you to make a change in your life and meet those personal goals you have been putting off! Don’t forget to pledge your pounds on the Pound for Pound Challenge Website.

Interested in joining the Pay it Forward Running club? Let us know!

Do you have an inspiring story as well? Let us know!

Thank you Robin and to all our Challenge Champs! Keep up the good work!

See ya next time!

Sasha Hausman
Events Specialist

January 19, 2010

Pound for Pound: Week 1

Author: Brady Koch

The Pound for Pound challenge kicked off this week at the food bank and we all got on our pallet scale to get our cumulative “before” weights. We have so many participants at each of our different warehouses that we all couldn’t fit on the scale at once. Hey, no snide remarks about that. Collectively we weighed in at 2,809 lbs.

One of the things we’re doing this week to get healthy is walking the perimeter of the warehouse during lunch. Four laps is the equivalent to one mile. So next time you visit us for one of our Food For Thought sessions, don’t worry that all of the staff are circling the building. We’re making a commitment to health while fighting hunger.

Remember that General Mills donates $.14 for each pound you pledge to lose through the Pound for Pound challenge. If you want to make your pledge or learn more please visit http://www.pfpchallenge.com/fl

We have also set up a group on facebook to update you with recipes, success stories and exercise tips. Don’t forget to join our group.

Brady Koch

Director of Agency Relations & Programs

January 12, 2010

Tough Choices

Author: Greg Higgerson

Like my friend and colleague Brady Koch, I too am taking the Pound for Pound Challenge to become healthier by losing weight in 2010.  And to help raise a few bucks for Second Harvest Food Bank.

And like most people who set out to shed excess weight, I’ve developed some personal strategies and goals around the process. Naturally, most of these involve changes in the choices that I make about both food and exercise. As I think about the changes I’m making in these two areas, I am reminded just how fortunate I am to be in an economic position that allows me to choose and purchase foods that are healthier for me.  

So many of our neighbors in Central Florida face extremely limited food choices based simply on their ability to pay. They must stretch their resources to buy the less-expensive, less-nutritious foods that we know can contribute to obesity and a wide range of associated health problems.  

 The University of Washington’s Center for Public Health Nutrition has conducted a number of fascinating studies on social and economic disparities in health and the links between obesity and poverty. 

One of these studies (2007) examined the price, calories, and relative nutritional value of more than 400 typical grocery items. For the items at the low-end of the nutritional scale (high sugar, starch, empty calories— think “junk” food), it was found that the average cost per 1,000 calories was $1.73. At the other end of that nutritional spectrum, the highly nutritious foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, dairy products, etc. averaged more than $17.00 per 1,000 calories. 

Since a typical family of four (two adults and two children) has a total weekly calorie need of somewhere around 50,000 calories, it’s not difficult to see how low-income families must make less healthy food choices just to meet the calorie need on the money they have. Instead of spending $4 on one red bell pepper, for example, they’ll use those same dollars to purchase 6 boxes of macaroni and cheese.  

Other studies have shown that people in low-income families often exercise up to 25% less than others in our population; a result of  living in neighborhoods that feel less than safe. Think “less time outdoors.” Instead of going out for a brisk walk, bike ride,or tennis, many people are inside their apartments with the doors locked.  

Why is it important to think about these things? Well, I believe it’s important because of the pervasiveness of the negative stereotypes that exist of obese people who live in poverty in our country. We sometimes hear sentiments along the lines of “How dare these people presume to ask me or anyone else for assistance with food, when they’re obviously eating too much already?”  

I understand the counterintuitive nature of this issue, but when the facts are examined, there is simply no question that millions of Americans don’t walk on the same playing field as others do when it comes to the nutritional quality of one of life’s most basic necessities. I hope that more people will take that into consideration before they pass a quick judgment.  

At Second Harvest Food Bank, we’re working hard to make certain that more low-income families than ever before have access to the high-nutrition type foods that they must routinely walk past in the supermarket. We have a long way to go in this regard, but like a familiar grocery retailer’s familiar slogan, we are definitely “getting better all the time.”     

Wish me luck on my weight transformation—I’m going to need it:).

Greg Higgerson
VP of Development

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