Summer Food Service Program Kicks Off in Milford

A collaborative project with the Milford Area Humanitarian Coalition,

the Milford Public Schools Food Services and the Hockomock Area YMCA

The Milford Area Humanitarian Coalition is presenting the Milford Summer Food Service Program, sponsored by the Hockomock Area YMCA in collaboration with the Milford Public Schools Food Services team. The program begins on Thursday, June 23rd and will end on Tuesday, August 30th.

The program is being offered at three locations in Milford, MA including Memorial Elementary School located at 12 Walnut Street; The Milford Youth Center located at 24 Pearl Street; and the Trinity Episcopal Church located at 17 Congress Street.

The Summer Food Service Program in Milford will be serving nutritious lunches for all children who would like to participate (ages 18 and under) Monday through Friday between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Participants must remain onsite while eating and enjoying the meal. Each site will also offer fun, interactive activities after the lunch each weekday. This program is free and open to all. No advanced sign-up or paperwork required. In addition to the free lunch, an afternoon snack is available at the Milford Youth Center from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. each week day.

“We are proud that our Y is a place where community comes together to make a difference when we engage in initiatives like the Milford Summer Food Service Program,” said Ed Hurley, president of the Hockomock Area YMCA. “Our partnership with the Milford Area Humanitarian Coalition and the Milford Public Schools will positively impact hundreds of Milford children and families. Collectively we are working to ensure that more kids have the nourishment they need to grow and thrive this summer.”

A pilot program was launched last summer in Milford by the Milford Area Humanitarian Coalition (MAHC). The program served 2,200 meals to children over the course of the summer. "Last summer’s lunch program was a huge success. We used private funding to test out the pilot program. The good news is that every child who comes to one of the three lunch sites will be fed each week day this summer. We anticipate 300 to 500 kids a day. The bad news is that there are over 1,400 children in the Milford school system who depend on the school for their meals (reduced price and free) over the course of the school year. Let’s make sure that no child goes to bed hungry this summer,” said Rev. William MacDonald Murray, who is also the rector at Trinity Episcopal Church and leads the Milford Area Humanitarian Coalition.

Kevin McIntyre, incoming Superintendent of Milford Public Schools said, "We are very excited to partner with the Milford Area Humanitarian Coalition and the Hockomock Area YMCA for the Summer Food Service Program. This supports a clear need in the community and will provide meals to our students throughout the summer. I look forward to this being an annual partnership because of the vital need this fills when school is out of session."

For more information or to be a program volunteer, email mealprograms@hockymca.org. Information can also be found on Facebook (Milford Summer Food Service Program) and Twitter (@Milford_SFSP). As well as on the website: hockymca.org.

Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or ability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

Thank you to the following sponsors who have supported this program with grants or donations of over $250 dollars: The Walmart Foundation, The Episcopal Churches of Central and Western Massachusetts, The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, CHNA 6, Project Bread, Unibank, Bright Insurance, Trinity Episcopal Church, First Congregational Church, Milford Federal Saving and Loan, Milford National Bank and Trust, Partners by Design, Commission on Disability, Imperial Ford, Law Offices of Michael M. Kaplan P.C., Harold and Marcia Rhodes, and the Milford Rotary Club.

Milford Summer Food Service Program, sponsored by the Hockomock Area YMCA

Halloween safety tips and the Teal Pumpkin Project

1 - Halloween safety tips

From the MA.gov blog we find this timely post on Halloween safety tips. Be safe trick or treating!

"Whether you’re still a trick-or-treater or you never lost your love of ghouls and goblins, Halloween is frightful fun for everyone. 

But even if you aren’t afraid of the dark, with more people out in the moonlight, there can be a scary side to this holiday. Watch out for dangers as you celebrate this year. 

The Department of Public Health (DPH), Department of Fire Services (DFS), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provide resources to ensure you have a safe and happy Halloween. Check out the tips below and for a full list, read DFS’s Halloween Safety and DPH’s Halloween Safety Tips brochures."

Continue reading the article online here
http://blog.mass.gov/blog/home/halloween-safety-tips-for-trick-or-treaters-and-adults/

one of the several "Pumpkins in the Park" - in Franklin

2 - What is the Teal Pumpkin Project?

"Join FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project™ to help us create a safer, happier Halloween for all! 

Launched as a national campaign by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) in 2014, the Teal Pumpkin Project™ raises awareness of food allergies and promotes inclusion of all trick-or-treaters throughout the Halloween season."

Teal Pumpkin Project

For more information on the Teal Pumpkin project visit them online

http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project#.VjSjr7erTIU

GBFB presented the Franklin Food Pantry with a $10,000 capacity grant

Shopping local has its rewards. The Franklin Food Pantry buys fresh produce from two local farms (Akin-Bak Farm and Hoffman Farm). As a reward the Greater Boston Food Bank has awarded the Food Pantry a $10,000 grant.

Franklin Food Pantry, located in the Rockland Trust
parking lot in downtown Franklin

GBFB presented the Franklin Food Pantry with a $10,000 capacity grant that will help them increase families' access to the most nutritional foods! 

Specifically, the grant will fund equipment needs for their mobile pantry, food transportation, and their Healthy Futures Market, which offers fresh produce weekly from June to October from nearby Hoffmann Farm and Akin Bak Farm, LLC.

GBFB presenting the check to Erin Lynch

You can contribute to the Greater Boston Food Bank via their webpage
http://www.gbfb.org/


You can contribute and find more about the Franklin Food Pantry via their webpage  http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

Food Revolution Petition Update

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Hello Food Revolutionary! We have some exciting news to share with you. As a signatory of Jamie Oliver's first Food Revolution petition, we wanted to reach out and update you on this petition and Food Revolution Day 2015. AN INCREDIBLE 812,000 of you signed the 2010/11 petition to stand up for our united belief that kids need better food at school and better health prospects - THANK YOU! We're so grateful for your support, and delighted you all agree action needs to be taken. YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE. With your support, this uprising led to a truly global movement, with the launch of Food Revolution Day in 2012. The same year the Ambassador Programme was also launched -  a growing group of thousands of passionate volunteers in over 100 countries. It has also grown an active, empowered and noisy community online and put pressure on leaders who can help us create positive change and begin to reverse the obesity epidemic through improved food education, food quality and security. While the Food Revolution has continued to grow, we've still got work to do. With 42 million children across the world under the age of five either overweight or obese, the next generation will live shorter lives than their parents if nothing is done to rectify these alarming statistics. That's why for this Food Revolution Day Jamie has launched a global petition calling on leaders and governments of the G20 to make practical food education compulsory at school. It's essential that we arm future generations with the life skills they urgently need in order to lead healthier, happier, more productive lives and we passionately believe that it is every child's human right. Food education will make a difference to the lives of the next generation. So please continue your support by signing this petition and sharing change.org/jamieoliver on facebook and twitter to help spread the word, we can't do it without you. SIGN JAMIE'S FOOD REVOLUTION DAY PETITION We've already gathered an amazing 600,000 signatures from over 160 countries, but to create a movement powerful enough to force all G20 governments to take action, we need to get to millions! Thank you very much for your support. @FoodRev | Facebook Food Revolution Community     Share your images and stories with us! #FoodRevolutionDay

Starbucks: Another chemical dumped (almost...)

Given the recent hype about the new Starbucks, this seems appropriate to share. Caveat emptor!

Hi from New York City! 

I can't believe we did it again. We are bending policies of multi-billion dollar companies overnight. It really blows my mind! 

In this latest post, I reveal the email exchanges I had with the Starbucks PR team leading up to last week, including what happened after they invited me to their headquarters in Seattle.  

And…because of what you did last week, their stance completely changed. 

Watch me talking about this issue on national TV this morning & read the latest news HERE. 

At the end of this post, I have one little favor to ask. Even though Starbucks has agreed to some of our requests, they have a lot more work to do. Millions of people are still drinking these chemicals as I am typing! 

None of these changes could become a reality without you and your unwavering determination to improve the quality and safety of our food. 

I hope you are proud of yourself. I certainly am. 

Thank you for standing with me and for your continued love and support.

Xo,
Vani 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

P.O. Box 31521 Charlotte, NC 28231

Drink Starbucks? Wake Up And Smell The Chemicals!

"the wrong type of butter can secretly ruin your health"

Vani Hari, the Food Babe, writes:

Land O’ Lakes was a staple in my household growing up. We’d use the whipped butter like it was nobody’s business – my mom would use it on her infamous parathas (Indian stuffed flat bread), in countless desserts and to make homemade ghee. Once I found out what was really happening at Land O’Lakes, my Mom and I had a little chat. I explained to her that Land O’Lakes is owned by a pro-GMO company called Dean Foods. Land O’Lakes co-developed genetically engineered alfalfa, directly contributing to the GMO animal feed supply. I also explained that Land O’Lakes contributed nearly $100,000 to the “No on I-522 Lobby” – the bill to label GMOs in Washington State. This is all on top of the fact that Land O’Lakes is not organic, raises their cows with growth hormones linked to cancer, antibiotics and harmful pesticide ridden GMO feed. I told my Mom she has to stop buying Land O’Lakes if we are going to change this world!  

Knowing all these facts, plus the health risks of consuming GMOs, my Mom finally asked “what butter can I buy?” Well there are many brands out there that are light years ahead of Land O’Lakes. Here’s a Butter Buying Guide that will help you (and my Mama) navigate the butter aisle next time you hit the market

Food Babe: Butter Choices

Click through to view the product choices for healthy butter
http://foodbabe.com/2014/01/20/is-butter-secretly-ruining-your-health/

Land O'Lakes has been a brand staple in my household so we'll be shopping for a new brand

Vani Hari aka the Food Babe, Takes On The Industry

Jonathan Fields is running a series of videos called the Good Life Project. He interviews a variety of really interesting folks to find out more about them, what they do and what they think a good life means. In this segment, he talks with Vani Hari, the Food Babe, who is doing some really good work in understanding what we are eating and what that 'food' is really doing to us. Watching the interview is well worth the 35 minutes to find out about Vani's story, what got her into this food research, then you can go to her website or Facebook page for the details on what to do (or not do).

"The guests preferred the old cans ‘by an overwhelming majority"

That’s the key word in discussing expiration dates: “fresh.” A new report released by the Natural Resource Defense Council and the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic yesterday, titled “The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America,” lays bare the illogical, patchwork of sometimes meaningless dating requirements for food products. Even the dates printed on milk, the heart of expired-food fear that lurks in the back of the fridge, hold little meaning.

Read the full article here -> 
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/09/19/food-expirations-dates-are-meaningless

A place at the table

Myth: SNAP recipients are inner-city minorities. 

Fact: Food insecurity is neither an urban issue nor an ethnic issue. Nearly one in six people faces food insecurity, and they live in every county in the nation. In addition, 76 percent of SNAP households include a child, an elderly person or a disabled person.

Read more in this op-ed by Trish Henley






For more about the film, A Place at the Table you can visit the webpage
http://www.takepart.com/place-at-the-table

"just $31.50 a week, $4.50 a day, or $1.50 a meal"

Secretary John Polanowicz kicked off the SNAP Challenge this week with a shopping trip at Save-A-Lot in Springfield to highlight the importance of this benefit as a front line defense against hunger. The Secretary is joining his family, Congressman James McGovern, Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Stacey Monahan, Senator Jamie Eldridge and participants across the country in taking the challenge from June 13-19. Participants must live on a total food budget of $31.50 for the week, or the average, per-person federal SNAP benefit. 

“While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low income families week after week, and month after month, it does provide those who take the challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding,” said Secretary Polanowicz.

Read more about the SNAP Challenge here
http://hhs.blog.state.ma.us/blog/2013/06/hhs-secretary-polanowicz-and-commissioner-monahan-kick-off-the-snap-challenge-.html

The Franklin Food Pantry is able to help those in our community receiving SNAP by supplementing with other food and non-food items. Your contributions help make this happen.  Whether you contribute time (by volunteering), goods (food and non-food items) or money, it goes to help your neighbors.

Could there be an Incredible Edible Franklin?

Pam Warhurst explains how they started:

We tried to answer this simple question: Can you find a unifying language that cuts across age and income and culture that will help people themselves find a new way of living, see spaces around them differently, think about the resources they use differently, interact differently? Can we find that language? And then, can we replicate those actions? And the answer would appear to be yes, and the language would appear to be food.

Food, ah yes. We all need to eat to live. This TED Talk describes how the community of Todmorden is working to change what they eat and how they eat. The Incredible Edible Todmorden is a story worth replicating.





We have the basics of this underway already in Franklin with the Community Garden. We just need to get more folks involved.

For more information on Todmorden, visit their webpage here
http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/

Reading for Friday: Focus on food

Misleading Food Product Roundup II: Don’t Be Fooled

by Lisa

Today I am once again posting a "roundup" of the misleading food products I frequently share on Facebook...just in case you missed some of these or need a friendly reminder (or simply don't use Facebook)

The horsemeat scandal–an object lesson in food politics

by Marion

The unfolding drama around Europe’s horsemeat scandal is a case study in food politics and the politics of cultural identity.
Cultural identity?  They (other people) eat horsemeat.  We don’t. 

Mrs. Fields Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Nicole

Ever wish you could have your favorite Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies now that you’re gluten free? Now you can, with this easy gluten free copycat recipe. Mrs. Fields Who?

A Campaign to Build School Gardens

by Elena

Every day, Alex works with teachers and students in Lynn to use their gardens as classrooms for traditional subjects such as language arts, social studies, math, and science. Garden-based lessons help teachers to reinforce lessons that meet state standards and learning goals. In addition, gardens provide a forum for hands-on, alternative engagement that gets children excited about the lessons and forms a strong connection to fresh, healthy food.

Sunday Reading suggestions

With snow swirling again, pull up a cuppa something warm, settle into your comfy chair and click through to read a few articles on local government, interesting free tools used in schools and deceptive ingredients in common branded foods.

Boston Fed Highlights Regional Consolidation as Opportunity for Local Governments to Reduce Costs, Improve Service Quality

from Boston Fed News

New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's New England Public Policy Center is prompting state and municipal officials to take a second look at a familiar proposal: regional consolidation. Motivated by the prospect of continuing strain on local government finances, this research examines the extent to which joint service provision could potentially reduce costs.

Student Oral Reports with School Hallway Dioramas via AudioBoo

by Wesley Fryer

I took the following photographs today in the hallway at Independence Elementary School in Yukon, Oklahoma. The GT teacher, Dawn Dukes, has helped students create audio narrations (powered by AudioBoo) linked via QR codes for independent study projects students completed recently. It’s a high-tech museum-like audio tour, in the hallways of IES in Yukon. What a great use of educational technology tools to help students practice their oral language skills as required by the Common Core State Standards! It’s especially cool since the library at IES has iPod Touches for students to check out, pre-loaded with QR Code reader apps like i-Nigma so students can listen to their peers share their reports

Food Babe Investigates: How Food Companies Exploit Americans with Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

by Food Babe

Thoughts of outrage, unfairness, disbelief, and ultimately grief consumed me while I was doing this investigation. A list of ingredients that are banned across the globe but still allowed for use here in the American food supply recently made news. While I have written about some of those ingredients before, this list inspired me to look a little deeper and find out how pervasive this issue is for us. Are these banned ingredients contributing to the higher mortality and disease rates in the U.S.? . . . → Read More: Food Babe Investigates: How Food Companies Exploit Americans with Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

Just Label It

The start of the New Year usually brings about a new diet or resolution to improve one's health. This video lays out the issues with food labels, or lack there of and what action can be taken to get better labeled food.

One step to better health!




Additional info can be found on the Just Label It website  http://justlabelit.org/

One of many ways to eat healthy is to go with "Clean Eating"
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/

Do you have a diet or process you follow to eat healthy? Please share

8% of Franklin children

With your help, the Franklin Food Pantry has an opportunity to do more. Given the numbers here, we may not be serving all of these children. There may be several reasons why. So you can help in two ways:

1 - If you know of a family that is being challenged to provide meals, let them know that the Food Pantry is available to help them. Awareness of the Pantry and its operation is a good first step to serving all that we should.

2 - You can contribute food and non-food items, volunteer your time, or make a financial contribution to help the Pantry serve your neighbors. Visit the Food Pantry website to sign up to volunteer or to make a contribution.  http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

In the News: fuel assistance, food pantry

Cold forecast for fuel assistance this winter

by Laura Krantz/Daily News staff

Bare shelves, more demand at area food pantries

by Derek McLean/Daily News staff

School meals, KIDS COUNT data, and other MassBudget updates

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. MassBudget Updates Over the last few weeks, MassBudget has completed a number of different projects... Are free and reduced-price school meals getting to all the kids who need them? That's the question that motivated Breakfast and Lunch Participation in Massachusetts Schools--part of a joint project involving MassBudget, the Center for Social Policy at UMass Boston, and the Mass Law Reform Institute, supported by the EOS foundation. Our online chartpack summarizes the major findings. A complete diagram of the food assistance programs in Massachusetts shows: who is eligible for them, who runs them, where they get their funding, and how people can gain access. The KIDS COUNT data center has been updated to include a breakdown of low income students by city and town based on eligibility for free and reduced-price lunch. In a brief analysis of funding for children through the Department of Children and Families, we found a significant cut over the last four years--amounting to roughly $130 million. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

Introducing "Food Chain" (video)

There is more interest in food now than at any point in our nation’s history. We have more standards with which to make conscious food choices than ever before. Yet while people want to know where their food is grown, how it’s grown, and when it was harvested, no one is really asking any questions beginning with “who”. Despite this tremendous interest in food, there is almost no interest in the people that pick it.

Found on the Civil Eats website
http://civileats.com/2012/05/02/meet-your-food-chain/

Ensuring Food Stamp Integrity

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Ensuring Food Stamp Integrity

via USDA Blog by Kevin Concannon, Undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, USDA on 3/8/12

Cross posted from Politico:
As agriculture undersecretary and a former director of state Health and Human Services departments in Maine, Oregon and Iowa, I know the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. In today's difficult economic times, this vital program helps families across the nation put food on the table.

Despite a rash of recent stories about food stamp fraud, the facts are that the Agriculture Department has a zero tolerance policy on this. We aggressively pursue those trying to take advantage of America's compassion for people in need.

First-quarter results of our anti-fraud efforts demonstrate this commitment. From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2011, we penalized — with fines or temporary disqualifications — more than 225 stores that violated program rules and permanently disqualified more than 350 stores caught trafficking food stamp benefits.

We're now stepping up our efforts. I announced in December new anti-fraud initiatives. We awarded a 10-year contract to SRA International to develop the next generation of fraud-detection systems.

We plan even stronger penalties for retailers that misuse the program. We recently updated our policies to clarify that advertising the sale of benefits through social media is a violation and can result in disqualification from the food stamp program.

In addition, we're finalizing rules to deter the practice of buying and discarding food to get money-back deposits; or reselling and exchanging products bought with food stamp benefits to obtain cash or other noneligible items.

The Agriculture Department's efforts to combat SNAP trafficking have been particularly successful. Trafficking — the sale or purchase of benefits for cash — is an illegal activity punishable by criminal prosecution. Over the past 15 years, department and state agencies administering the program have sharply reduced such trafficking — from 4 percent to 1 percent.

But we cannot be content with that success — the people taking unfair advantage constantly change their tactics. We remain vigilant, working to stay ahead of these new forms of program abuse. We have stepped up documentation requirements and background checks on retailers who participate, or seek to participate, in food stamps. Stores that falsify information will be denied or disqualified and may face a $10,000 fine or imprisonment for as long as five years, or both.

The Agriculture Department recently launched a website (www.fns.usda.gov/fightingsnapfraud) to get the word out about our efforts to deter fraudulent food stamp activity and enlist the public's help in fighting it. We will continue to use all tools available, including the latest technology, to combat fraud.

Some perspective on this is crucial. There are 46 million eligible Americans who depend on food stamps, largely because of income, age, disability or job circumstances. Nearly half are children, 8 percent are elderly and 20 percent of food stamp households include a person who is disabled. The great majority abide by program rules.

The fact is fraud is a limited problem in SNAP — though no amount is acceptable. Stores violating the program represent less than one-half of 1 percent of the more than 230,000 food stores authorized to redeem benefits. And the recent fraud stories indicate enforcement efforts are working — as those who would abuse the program are being caught and prosecuted.

This is good news for all U.S. taxpayers and good news for those who use the program — including millions of children and older Americans — who depend on food stamps. Which, in turn, is why the Agriculture Department is committed to assuring the integrity of this vital program.

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What's a GMO?

Do you know?

Food for thought: