Our-Blog

A Place at the Table

2013-04-23T15:11:54Z

Join us on Wednesday, May 1, at 5:30 p.m. at Three Rivers Community College in multi-purpose room F117, for a screening of the documentary film, A Place at the Table. CT Food Bank and The United Way of Southeastern CT are partnering to show the documentary, which will be followed by a panel discussion on hunger in our nation, and what we can do to make food accessible to all. For more information about the screening, see the CT Food Bank website. For more information about the film, see the official website.

Poetry and Daffodils

2013-03-04T16:58:46Z

From our friends at the Bozrah Farmers Market!

POETRY AND DAFFODILS

SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

On Saturday, April 6th, at the Homestead at Maple Farms Park in Bozrah will celebrate National Poetry Month, the coming of spring and the blooming of a thousand daffodils on the park grounds by holding a reading at the Homestead. The Homestead at Maples Farm Park is located at 45 Bozrah Street in Bozrah. The event runs from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM will feature Bozrah residents of all ages reading their favorite poems by other authors and telling the audience why these poems appeal to them. This part of the reading will be followed by a round-robin reading by a group of Connecticut poets. Refreshments will be served. The entire event should be considered a “family friendly” venue.

Potential poetry readers grade 6 through adult, as well as poets from other towns who wish to participate, should contact local poet and event organizer Mary Elizabeth Lang for more details or to volunteer at MaryElizabethLang@alum.Barnard.edu

Admission is free, donations to benefit Maples Farm Park & the Homestead will be gladly accepted.

In celebration of spring En Plein Air painting of the daffodils and alpacas from Six Paca Farm will also occur on April 6^th (rain date April 7th).Local plein air painters and plein air painters from all over CT are coming to Bozrah. John Kemp will be the event photographer. The Paint Out will occur from10am- 2pm at the Homestead, the public is welcome to observe. Please contact Lisa Sanders lisa.sanders@lmsanders.com for more information.

NOFA NY Conference

2013-02-06T20:01:06Z

Two weekends ago I was fortunate enough to attend the annual Northeast Organic Farming Association New York (NOFA NY) winter conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. There were farmers galore, delicious foods, music, and many interesting and informational workshops. The conference was held over three days, and I attended many workshops, two of which I found to be very helpful and pertinent to my work in the council.

My first workshop of the conference was on a Friday, and it was a Food Policy Council Forum. Various regional food policy council representatives, as well as the state policy council, gathered together to update each other on goings-on within the state of New York. The goal was to create a network of food policy councils within the state, to collaborate, bounce ideas off of each other, and to serve as a resource and information center. It was interesting to listen to the updates from different policy councils, in a different state, and to hear that very similar issues arise regardless of location, structure, etc. One of the most interesting presentations came from Samina Raja, an associate professor in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo. She spoke about the formation of the Buffalo Food Policy Council, and the Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP). They are doing some amazing things in Buffalo, and it showed that even a city with a rough past, in a tough situation can overcome obstacles to better the lives of its inhabitants. MAP is an organization devoted to educating youth about the benefits of local, healthy eating. They believe that everyone should have access to healthy, local, culturally appropriate food, and do so through their education programs and urban farm. Though the forum felt a bit disheveled at times, the passion was always there, and it got me energized knowing that I was not alone in changing how we eat in this country. I also saw that food policy councils are at the very least a place for people with similar concerns, ideas, and expertise to come together around an issue that affects us all, and help each other in a common agenda, making it easier for everyone to see success.

The other workshop that provided the most useful information was on Sunday, about integrating a school garden into a middle school curriculum. Wayne Gottlieb is a 7^th grade science teacher at DeWitt Middle School in Ithaca, NY. He helped build a 6,000 square foot garden at the school, which he incorporates into his classroom, along with other teachers, who incorporate it into everything from art to social studies. Wayne went through what it took to finance, build, gain support, and maintain the garden, giving helpful tips throughout on how we might build our own school garden and incorporate it into our local schools. He shared information on everything from who to get on board in the beginning to how he got the school cafeteria to buy the produce. He provided a timeline of work on the garden, what to do in winter, spring, summer, and fall. Aspects of his workshop could easily be replicated in schools throughout New London County. I truly believe that every school should have a garden, and hearing about the success of Wayne’s garden only solidified my belief, and the knowledge that is very doable.

I also attended workshops on urban farming in the United States and Cuba, on beginner farmers and the struggles and successes they face, and on living a life of resiliency in today’s world. All were brimming with information and people who are doing their part to make the world a better place through the food system. There’s nothing I like more than spending a weekend in a beautiful town with a group of foodies, changing the world, one bite and seed at a time.

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2013-01-14T18:14:50Z

Backpacks With Healthy Snacks!

2013-01-08T16:47:16Z

Every year, on the third Monday of January, we observe Martin Luther King Day, a national day of service to honor the late Dr. King's life and achievments. What better way to honor the legacy of Dr. King than by helping out those children in need in New London County? On Saturday, January 19, from 9am-5pm at the Madry Church parking lot, located at 25 Manwaring St., New London CT, Michelle Allen will be taking donations of unisex backpacks filled with healthy snacks for area children ages 7-12. Backpacks will be donated to the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center in New London for distribution at a later date. Start the new year off right by giving to those less fortunate, so that we may all have a happy, healthy start to 2013.

Hunger in CT and New London County

2012-12-19T14:25:14Z

Imagine a day when you weren’t sure if you or your family would have food on the table. Now imagine that day was every day. This is the reality for about one in seven Connecticut residents, and that number appears to be on the rise. The face of hunger is diverse, effecting children, single parents, seniors, working families, and so many more. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) estimated that 15% of Connecticut residents did not have enough money in the first half of 2012 to purchase the food that they needed. Why didn’t they have enough money for food? In a study done prior to the recent recession, 42% of Connecticut residents had to choose between food and utilities, 34% had to choose between food and rent, and 30% had to choose between food and medical care (CT Food Bank). What would you do if you had to choose between putting food on the table for your kids and risk being evicted because you couldn’t pay your rent? Would you keep your home for a little while longer but go hungry? This is a decision far too many people in Connecticut have to make on a daily basis. Hunger is happening right here in New London County, too. Approximately 12% of New London County residents are food insecure (Feeding America), and 54% of these people don’t qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Some of us won’t face these difficult choices in our lives, but chances are we know or will meet someone who does. So what can we do? The first thing to do is to remove any stereotypes or stigmas we associate with hunger, as these only make the situation worse and perpetuate the problem. Host a food drive, or encouraging your place of work to do so, and donate food to the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center in New London, CT. These are two great and simple ways you can help alleviate hunger in Connecticut. On December 29^th, the Gemma E. Moran Food Center will have a truck parked in front of the Garde Art’s Center in downtown New London, CT, and will be taking donations of non-perishable foods from 10am-10pm. Together we can help ease the hardships for those who are going hungry in Connecticut and New London County.

Child Hunger in New London County

2012-12-10T21:05:16Z

Child hunger is an issue that affects communities across the country – including our community of New London County. The statistics are startling. According to Connecticut Food Bank, 16.9% of New London County’s children, nearly 10,000 young individuals, were food insecure in 2011. This means that on a daily basis, 10,000 children did not know where their next meal, if one at all, would come from. But New London County’s children aren’t the only ones going hungry. In 2011, Connecticut had the 5^th highest increase in child poverty in the U.S. and more than 150,000 children throughout the state are currently food insecure (American Community Survey census and Child Food Insecurity 2012 Study).

How can you help? The first step for many of us is to acknowledge that these issues exist in our communities. We can all begin by starting to bring the issue of child hunger into more conversations, more frequently—because this issue affects all of us. Child hunger contributes to failure to thrive and poor performance in school. The repercussions of these outcomes can and do affect these individuals, destined to become our neighbors and coworkers, later in life. You can also help by hosting a food drive at your place of work, at a community center or at a local school. Then take the food items you receive during your drive to a local food pantry or food bank, like the Gemma E. Moran United Way Labor Food Center. We invite you to be a part of the solution every day of the year – and especially on December 29^th, the day of the Robert Irvine LIVE! event at the Garde Arts Center in New London. We are challenging the New London County community to fill United Way of Southeastern Connecticut’s brand new Mobile Food Pantry. This refrigerated truck will hit the roads of New London County beginning next year, offering fresh produce and shelf-stable pantry items to food insecure individuals and families throughout the county at no cost to them. The Mobile Food Pantry will be parked near the main entrance of the Garde Arts building and will be accepting donations of healthy, non-perishable food items from 10a.m. until 10p.m. on December 29^th. We hope to see you there! Together, we can take the necessary steps to end child hunger in our community.

Mobile Food Pantry and Robert Irvine Event

2012-12-03T13:57:42Z

On December 29, the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut is partnering with The Garde Arts Center in New London to introduce its new mobile food pantry to the community. United Way and the Garde will host a food drive to fill the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center’s new mobile pantry on December 29, from 10am - 10pm at the Garde Arts Center located at 325 State Street. We will be accepting donations of non-perishable food items. All food will go to the food center to help feed families in need throughout New London County.

The launch of the mobile food pantry is taking place the day that The Garde Arts Center is welcoming Chef Robert Irvine from the Food Networks television show, “Restaurant: Impossible”. “Robert Irvine Live!” will be an interactive culinary experience, with chances for audience participation that will create the experience of a TV show live on stage. The event will start go from 8-10pm, with a VIP seminar starting at 5:30. In the VIP seminar, Irvine will demonstrate a spontaneous cooking demonstration in the Oasis room of the Garde, for up to 50 people. In addition, both the food center and the New London County Food Policy Council will have tables set up inside providing information on the food policy council, how to run a food drive, and statistics on hunger in Connecticut and New London County. Check out the information tables before you head to the “Robert Irvine Live!” event to see how you can help fight hunger in New London County. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit The Garde Arts website.

It Takes a Community

2012-11-26T21:25:36Z

Joe and Ellen, AmeriCorps VISTAs serving the New London County Food Policy Council, helped pick up 50 turkeys at the Norwich Shop Rite last Tuesday. These turkeys were generously donated to the Gemma E. Moran United Way Labor Food Center by Dime Bank. An announcement was made mid-November stating that the Food Center would not have enough turkeys—2,300 total were requested by agencies throughout the county—to give to community members in need. Following this announcement, New London County residents, businesses and organizations responded with donations of turkeys, Thanksgiving food items and money. This coming together of community filled the gap and made it possible for the Food Center to distribute over 2,300 turkeys and traditional Thanksgiving meals items including stuffing, cranberry sauce, and fresh vegetables throughout the county. We are very grateful to be part of this caring and generous community! Tuesday’s turkey pick-up was an opportunity to take pause and remember this.

Eat Local Thanksgiving Results

2012-11-20T15:48:30Z

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and all that's left to do is digest the copious amounts of food eaten, and start planning for next years meal (which will be mostly local, right?).

Thanks to all of you who participated in this years Eat Local Thanksgiving Pledge. The results are in, and 24 of you pledged to include at least one local, Connecticut produced food item in your meal this year. Some of you even included more than one local food item. We had people purchasing their foods from places such as Davis Farm in Pawkatuck, Provider Farm in Salem, and Gracie Mae's Kitchen in Griswold. Some of the local food items included apples, cranberries, various herbs, produce, pies, and turkeys. I used local beets and eggs, as well as Dutch Cocoa from Fiddleheads in New London, to make a chocolate beet cake.

We'd like to hear what else you ate, and from where you got your local, CT food items. Let us know in the comment section below. If you didn't take the pledge, but still had a local food item or two for Thanksgiving, tell us about it! And remember, just because Thanksgiving is over, doesn't mean you need to stop eating local. Every day is a perfect day to eat a locally produced meal. Check out our eat local resources page, which is useful all winter long.