February 2015 - The NPN Trumpet Special Edition

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February 2015 • New Orleans No Kid Hungry • Community Voices Orchestrating Change

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INSIDE • Inside the Levee: Using green infrastructure to boost resiliency • General Russel Honoré’s GreenARMY • Hit-and-run draws focus on road hazards and school safety • In the Neighborhoods: Mr. Boss’ Balloons • From Mary’s Front Porch: Public transit challenges of New Orleans East

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• NORDC’s Providing Healthy Meals for Kids in New Orleans • Why Cooking Matters • How Our Housing Authority is Working to End Childhood Hunger • Making Sure Every Kid Gets the Food They Need • Writing the Prescription to End Childhood Hunger in New Orleans

Neighborhoods Partnership Network’s (NPN) mission is to improve our quality of life by engaging New Orleanians in neighborhood revitalization and civic process.

A Letter From The Guest Editor Letter From — Rhonda M. Director Jackson, MSW The Executive Dear Trumpet Reader,

Rhonda M. Jackson, MSW & Mayor Mitch Landrieu

In November 2010, Share Our Strength joined with Mayor Mitch Landrieu to launch the New Orleans No Kid Hungry Campaign. Mayor Landrieu has made the commitment to end childhood hunger a priority and in doing so partnered with Share Our Strength, a national organization ending child hunger across America. The mission of the New Orleans No Kid Hungry Campaign is seemingly simple: Create a public-private partnership to end childhood hunger in New Orleans by feeding children where they live, learn and play.

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We started with the summer meals program. Schools, churches and community organizations provide the space, often we provide small grants to help with the process and organizations like Second Harvest, New Orleans Public Schools, Healthy School Collaborative or Fresh Food Factor provide the meals. It is a true partnership where every organization shares their strength. This year these partners and others provided more than 700,000 meals to kids throughout the city! And equally important many of the schools, community organizations and In a classroom of 25 parks that partner with us during the summer are The truth about childhood hunger also now providing aftershool meals throughout students, at least 5 of in New Orleans is shocking: the school year. those children may not • 85% of children in Orleans We have partnered with a number of our be able to adequately Parish schools are eligible for community’s charter schools to increase school breakfast participation. Many of our schools free or reduced priced lunch. concentrate and learn now offer alternative breakfast models including • One in five children in New because they may not breakfast in the classroom or grab and go Orleans are at risk for hunger. have had breakfast breakfasts so that everyone in the classroom has • New Orleans has the 8th a nutritious start to their day. With the hard work or even dinner the of our partners and the willingness of school highest rate of food hardship night before! administrators, New Orleans was one of the first for households with children major cities to reach the benchmark of 70% of among major metro areas in our kids in schools eating breakfast. the United States.

These are just a few examples of our work and our successes but there is still work to do. As you read these articles and learn more • One in five children in New Orleans are at a risk about our work, I hope that you the reader will join us in the fight to end for hunger. childhood hunger in New Orleans. Help us to improve access to nutrition programs that provide meals to children. Help us to make sure that That means if you are a teacher in a classroom of 25 students, at the schools, churches, non-profits and community leaders in your area least 5 of those children may not be able to adequately concentrate and are engaged and connected. You can help us by making sure kids and learn because they may not have had breakfast or even dinner the night families are aware of the various opportunities and ways to make sure before! that no child in New Orleans goes hungry.

Our children aren’t hungry because we lack food. Our children aren’t hungry because we lack food and nutrition programs. Our children are often hungry because they lack access to those programs. And so the To learn more about our work and how you can stay New Orleans No Kid Hungry Campaign began the work of increasing access by building partnerships with organizations, providing the connected visit our website: necessary tools, education and outreach to ensure that no kid in New http://neworleans.nokidhungry.org/ Orleans goes hungry. e accomplish this work by connecting kids to federal food and nutrition programs including school breakfast, summer meals, aftershool meals programs, and by teaching families how to cook healthy, low cost meals on a budget. In a city known for its delicious cuisine, the first challenge was to educate and inform our community about the plight of many children in our community face: childhood hunger.

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THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

N E I G H B O R H O O D S

P A R T N E R S H I P

Contents

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4 Friends, Food and Fun: NORDC’s Providing Healthy Meals for Kids in New Orleans

14 Why Cooking Matters?

The Connection Between Cooking and Ending Childhood Hunger

15 Promoting Partnership: How Our

Housing Authority is Working to

End Childhood Hunger 16 Second Harvest Food Bank:

Making Sure Every Kid Gets the

Food They Need 22 Fresh Food Factor is Ending

Childhood Hunger One Dish

at a Time

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6 Breakfast is Powerful

Teaching and Eating: Firstline School’s Approach to Health Education

NEIGHBORHOODS PARTNERSHIP NETWORK 3

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A Collaborative Approach: How The Healthy School Food Collaborative Works to End Childhood Hunger

Writing the Prescription to End Childhood Hunger in New Orleans

3321 Tulane Avenue New Orleans, LA 70119 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 thetrumpet@npnnola.com www.npnnola.com

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Friends, Food and Fun

NORDC’s Providing Healthy Meals for Kids in New Orleans

By Emma Hultgren, Guest Contributor

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very day aftershool, 30 kids make their way to Taylor Park where they play games, make crafts, spend time with their friends and receive a meal. This is one of the seven parks participating in New Orleans Recreation Development Commission’s aftershool meal program, Kids Cafe.

“NORDC is intrinsically linked to the youth of New Orleans, who gather at our playgrounds and recreation centers across the city,” said Victor N. Richard III, NORDC CEO. “I’m grateful to the leadership, commitment, and compassion of Second Harvest Food Bank and the Kids Café partnership. The program fills the nutritional gap which is critical for children to fully engage in recreation, education, and enrichment activities.

We value support from community members who volunteer their time to help care for our children.”

Every weekday, Second Harvest Food Bank delivers meals to parks throughout the New Orleans area which are then distributed to kids in need. From August to May, kids ages 18 years and younger are welcome to visit any of the seven locations including Comiskey Playground, Joe W. Brown Rec Center, Stallings Gentilly Playground, Treme Rec Center, and more, where they are given a meal composed of meat, rice, a vegetable, bread, fruit, milk, and juice.

The meals are key to increasing kids’ productivity. Usually, students have not eaten since school lunch, at 11 or 12 in the morning and more than likely, will not receive another meal until much later in the evening.

The aftershool meals provide the necessary nourishment for them to participate in aftershool activities and do their homework.

“We knew there was a need, we actually had an instance where one of the kids actually passed out because he hadn’t eaten in a while,” said “He passed out in the middle of one of our athletic activities, so that just reinforced the need for the [meal] program.”

The impact of this program is indispensable. Each week, the program supplies 1,200 meals. Not only are the children fed, but they learn about the importance of proper nutrition and about not wasting food. They have recently enacted a “3-bite rule” to ensure that kids try everything on their plate. Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of kids who eat their vegetables and give healthy food a chance.

NORDC’s meal program is not limited to the school year. This past summer, through their 52 summer camps, they were able to provide two meals a day to over 3,856 participants a day. Since many of the children rely on free or reduced meals at school, these camps are a great supplement for the summer months. It relieves great deal of stress from parents who are struggling to afford food or who are working and cannot find the time to prepare meals for their family.

NORDC’s biggest hope is to expand the program. They are planning on bringing the aftershool meals to four more parks in the near future. Their biggest challenge at the moment is trying to grow while working with a limited number of staff. They are really looking to the community to step-up and help them in their mission to end childhood hunger in New Orleans.

The involvement of parents and booster clubs would greatly increase the capacity of the program. If anyone is interested in volunteering or to help facilitate the program, they can contact local Park Supervisors and Rec Center Managers to inquire how they can get involved.

Every weekday, Second Harvest Food Bank delivers meals to parks throughout the New Orleans area which are then distributed to kids in need.

For more information, please visit NORDC’s website: http://www.nola.gov/nordc/youth-programs/free-meals/ or call (504) 658-3010.

Feel free to call your local Kids Café site to inquire on their meal times.

Any child who shows up will be served.

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THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Algiers Charter Schools (ACSA) Works to End Childhood Hunger

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ounded in 2005 the Algiers Charter School Association (ACSA) was one of the first educational options available following Hurricane Katrina. Today, ACSA serves over 4500 students across six schools on the Westbank in Algiers. It consists of four PreK-8 schools--Martin Behrman Charter School, Dwight Eisenhower Academy, William Fischer Accelerated Academy, and McDonogh 32 Literacy Charter School, and two high schools--Algiers Technology Academy and L.B. Landry-O.P. Walker High School. Students are offered breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner each and every day. With 91% of ACSA students receiving free and reduced lunch providing well balanced meals is an key way ACSA is tackling childhood hunger.

Over the years, ACSA has worked to fill the needs of student by making key changes to how meals are served. Traditionally, students receive their meals in the cafeteria. In recent years, changes have occurred to ensure all students receive an adequate and nutritious meal for breakfast, lunch, and in aftershool programs. At McDonogh 32 and Eisenhower some students receive breakfast with the grab and go

method. After getting off the school bus, students in kindergarten through fourth grade grab breakfast head for the classroom. The other grades eat breakfast in the cafeteria. Using multiple methods has allowed more students to eat breakfast and reduced childhood hunger.

L.B. Landry-O.P. Walker, the largest high school in the city of New Orleans, also works with Fit Nola, a NORDC aftershool program which encourages a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and fitness. Not only are these students eating breakfast and lunch, but they are also offered supper aftershool. In addition to this program, Landry-Walker feeds well over 300 students delicious, hot meals in other afterschool programs such as tutoring, football, basketball, band, and many other academic and athletic programs. We are currently in the process of working with Chartwells, ACSA’s Food Service Management Company, in testing how students like freshly mixed smoothies and by 2015 hope to offer them daily at Landry-Walker as well as in all schools in ACSA. ACSA is dedicated to using multiple strategies to implement child nutrition. The commitment to innovation and the implementation of multiple strategies are a few ways ACSA works to end childhood hunger.

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THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Breakfast is Powerful

By Kellogg Company Fund and Tyson Foods

Breakfast is powerful. That’s a fact we all know. What is often forgotten is that thousands of kids don’t get the powerful breakfast they need each day, many times because their parents can’t afford it. School breakfast programs help fill that gap. But even school breakfast programs regularly fall short of actually connecting kids with the food they need.

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hen breakfast is served before students are able to get to school, kids miss out. When students are too ashamed to walk into a cafeteria because it will label them “poor” or “different,” they miss out.

When students are stuck on a bus when breakfast is served, or waiting on their parents to drop them off in between jobs, they miss out.

Schools across New Orleans have decided it’s time to keep kids from missing out. They are working to fill the gap with new breakfast models that make sure kids can access the food that’s available. These models range from “grab n go” carts that deliver food to high school

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students as they walk in each morning to serving breakfast in the classroom at the start of each day.

These approaches work because they focus on getting the food to the student, and break down barriers that are often out of the student’s control.

Private partners like Tyson Foods and Kellogg Company Fund are working to support these innovative approaches through the No Kid Hungry campaign because we believe that every kid deserves a healthy breakfast every day. The investment is paying off. On average, kids who eat school breakfast have been shown to miss less school time, and score higher on standardized math tests.1

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Ethelyn Frezel, a kindergarten teacher in New Orleans, is a big supporter of breakfast in the classroom. “I think that the grades have certainly shown improvement since last year when we did not have breakfast in the classroom,” she said. “The children are alert at a quicker pace, so that helps us get going and get started early on.”

Principals support breakfast in the classroom, too. One New Orleans principal, Logan Crowe, decided to implement an alternative breakfast model earlier this year.

“When we were first thinking about breakfast in the classroom we had to weigh out the pros and cons. We had to feed 600 children in the morning in 30 minutes or less… it didn’t happen overnight. It’s something that we had to really push for but where we are now into this year we are seeing the benefits and it’s really paying off.”

With 24 percent of kids in Louisiana struggling with hunger, we know investments in programs that will give kids more access to food will help grow stronger communities.2 In the 2012-2013 school year alone, Tyson Foods, Kellogg Company Fund and other partners of the No Kid Hungry campaign helped invest more than $715,000 dollars in breakfast initiatives in over 190 schools across the nation.

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We’re just getting started. But by continuing to create partnerships between private organizations, nonprofits and schools, our investments will have the expertise and support to connect kids directly with the food they need. We know we can give kids greater access to food.

By growing alternative breakfast models, we move one step closer to finally ending childhood hunger.

1 Robin Augustine-Thottungal, John Kern, Jackie Key, Becca Sherman; “Ending Childhood Hunger: A social impact analysis.”

Deloitte LLP, Share Our Strength. 2013.

2 Feeding America, “Child Food Insecurity in the United States.”

2012.

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Teaching and Eating

Firstline School’s Approach to Health Education FirstLine Schools are on the forefront in implementing quality health and wellness education for their students. FirstLine Schools has an Edible Schoolyards at Arthur Ashe, Samuel J. Green, John Dibert and Langston Hughes and aeroponics garden system at Clark High School. An aeroponics garden allows plants to grow without having soil.

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n 2006, the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans was founded as a signature program at FirstLine Charter Schools. Edible schoolyards have gardens where students can learn how to compost, harvest, and grow seasonal foods. The edible schoolyards play an integral part of how students are able to understand the concepts of gardening and its importance to the environment. Interactive garden and cooking classes are held each day by educators and with the help of volunteers. These innovations are making a major impact in the fight to ending childhood hunger in New Orleans.

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Arthur Ashe and Samuel J. Green have state of the art teaching kitchens. Students (some who are only 6 years old) receive handson learning in both the garden and cooking classes. Fresh fruits and vegetables from the gardens are used in cooking classes for recipes created by the chef educators. In the garden classes learn the process of how food grows by garden educators. They also learn the importance of eating foods that are seasonal because of its nutritional value. Cooking classes are taught by chef educators who teach students how to turn unhealthy recipes to healthy ones. One example is mixing freshly squeezed orange juices with mineral water instead of

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

having a fruity soda. (cold drink) Students gain culinary skills and are exposed to new healthier ways of eating familiar foods.

Students are able to apply the lessons they learn in garden and cooking classes during Afterschool programs. The Budding Entrepreneurs Club teaches students how to create recipes from fruits and vegetables in their garden. Students then sell the products at local farmer’s markets. Not only does this give students the knowledge of how to create healthy recipes, it also teaches them social and marketing skills.

FirstLine Schools volunteers help to host special events such as family food night, open garden days, and parent cooking classes.

FirstLine Schools partner with local farmer’s markets to use local foods for many of these activities. Family food night gets parents involved with their children and teaches them how to cook seasonal foods in a healthy way. There are often fun filled activities involving food from the gardens and recipes that are taught which parents can re-create

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themselves. Open garden days occur monthly on Saturdays and feature gardens at a select school for the day. Members of the neighborhood community and school come together to participate in composting, gardening, harvesting, and of course tasting the local fruits and vegetables harvested for the day.

Over the years the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans program has grown and will to continue to grow. Creating innovative ways for students to have access to a garden is a part of the mission. The aeroponics towers are a garden grown without soil at Clark Prep and are unconventional, but ESYNOLA found a way to implement the herb garden just for students and staff. Involving the neighborhood community, students, and staff is the way the Edible Schoolyard program has successfully served over 2,800 students for one school year. Continuing to provide the students with quality hands-on learning and healthy, nutritious meals and snacks is the vision of ESYNOLA.

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

A Collaborative Approach

How The Healthy School Food Collaborative Works to End Childhood Hunger

By Sasha Gordan, Guest Contributor

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he Healthy School Food Collaborative was started in New Orleans to revive food service for the various charter schools in New Orleans. It has been going on for 3 years, and is now partnered with 48 different schools, serving over 18,000 students in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Collaborative strives to ensure that schools are not only meeting their requirements of serving a meal everyday, such as pizza (which is usually filled with refined flours, sodium, and fat), but that they are providing students with nutritious meals as well. The Collaborative aims to provide the students with nutritious meals inside the walls of the classroom and knowledge to make healthy food choices outside those walls as well.

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The Healthy School Food Collaborative understands that the importance of improving the academics of the students, so they always keep this in mind when deciding what food will be served, and in what way. For example, if schools need to have breakfast in the classroom, the Healthy School Food Collaborative would not only provide the schools with a nutritious breakfast, but would do it in a way that doesn’t interfere with the students’ learning, such as a grab and go, where students pick up a meal and bring it to class. This idea of maximizing the students’ learning is also why many of the charter schools have started “supper programs” that provide students with an additional nutritious meal or snack at the end of the day. With an additional nutritious meal or snack,

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

students can focus less on their hunger and more on the lesson being taught to them.

To provide all of these nutritious meals to the students, the Healthy School Food Collaborative revamped the food service in the charter schools they serve by making it so that each charter school could contract their own food vendor based on the needs of the school, rather than having one vendor for everyone. This way, each vendor meets the needs of the schools, and not the other way around. According to James Graham, the director of Healthy School Food Collaborate, “one size doesn’t necessarily fit all” when it comes to food vendors, as different charter schools have different needs.

Furthermore, the Healthy Food School Collaborative has partnered with the LPHI (Louisiana Public Health Institute) to create different evaluations regarding what the best practices are in the nation for serving food and food standards in schools. The LPHI also conducts different plate waste studies in the different schools which look at how much of the food provided is actually eaten by the students vs. how much is tossed in the garbage. Because of these studies, the Healthy School Food Collaborative can see what foods/food interventions the students are responding to best.

The Collaborative sees the importance of educating the students about the food they are eating to make things like eggplant and spinach less foreign to them. The Collaborative hosts various field trips to nearby farms, so the students can see that the foods that once seemed so foreign are actually being grown in their own communities. In addition, the Collaborative hosts focus groups at schools at the end of each month where students can share the pros and cons of the past month’s menu.

The Collaborative feels involving the students is critical for the their continued success.

The Healthy Food School Collaborative stresses the idea of familiarity in the foods that are being served because it understands that food is a part of someone’s culture (especially in NOLA). They believe it is important to maintain that culture without sacrificing the health of the people who consume those cultural dishes. To find the balance between maintaining the culture of various communities, and healthy eating, the Collaborative will often make healthier versions of students’ favorite dishes, such as red beans and rice, but with brown rice instead of white.

With these changes, the students can still enjoy the food they’re eating, and maybe even show these changes to the “chefs” in their own households!

The Healthy Food School Collaborative stresses the idea of familiarity in the foods that are being served because it understands that food is a part of someone’s culture (especially in NOLA).

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Any charter schools can participate in the program, by contacting the Director (James Graham) or Program Coordinator (Katie Mularz) of Healthy Food School Collaborative by the phone or email. James Graham’s phone number is 985-2851593 and his email is jgraham@kippneworleans. org. Katie Mularz’s phone number is 504-452-6975 and her email is kmularz@kippneworleans.org, The Healthy School Food Collaborative is always looking for new partnerships, as it realizes it takes the effort of many people to change the eating habits of students and fight childhood obesity.

THE TRUMPET | SHARE OUR STRENGTH | FEBRUARY 2015

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Why Cooking Matters?

The Connection Between Cooking and Ending Childhood Hunger NATIONAL SPONSOR

Second Harvest Food Bank’s Cooking Matters program has been working for two years to ensure that Louisiana families are not only fed, but also know how to nourish their families for a lifetime. We host the program here at the Second Harvest Food Bank because we understand that just giving out food is not enough to solve hunger. It is important to educate our clients and challenge them to take charge of their own health.

By Kate Mcdonald

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n the two years that I’ve been working with the Cooking Matters program, I have seen hunger firsthand. I’ve also met hundreds of people that wish to feed their families nutritious food but lack the knowledge to do so. Cooking Matters is crucial in the fight against hunger because it educates people about making the right decisions in the grocery store and in the kitchen while remaining on a tight budget. No one in our country should go hungry, and no one should not know what to do with the food they have.

The Cooking Matters program is a six-week cooking, nutrition, and food budgeting course for low-income families and individuals. During each class, nutrition education is made accessible through hands-on lessons that make nutrition ideas applicable to everyday life. We go to the grocery store and practice shopping on a budget, label reading, and meal planning. Participants learn how to make well-loved recipes healthier and are also exposed to new flavors and ideas. During each class we eat together as a community and every participant receives a bag of groceries to make the recipes again at home. The classes are participatory, client-centric, and effective. 91% of our graduates have improved their cooking skills and 67% are eating more vegetables.

However, Cooking Matters is not just a cooking and nutrition class.

Although our main objective is to teach people how to cook healthy foods on a budget, what we’re actually doing is building communities and empowering neighborhoods. It is our hope that through our courses, families and individuals can find a support system that will remain with them even after the six weeks are over. We believe that no one should go hungry, and that effort is only made stronger when friends and neighbors come together.

In a recent Cooking Matters for Families class graduation, one mother described how reluctant her teenage daughter was to attend the first class. In tears, she shared that her daughter was now not only regularly cooking for their immediate family, but also the neighborhood.

The mother described the pride she felt when she saw her daughter showing others the recipes they had learned throughout the course.

I am happy to say that this story is not unique for Cooking Matters. During each graduation, participants share what they will take away from the course and each time I hear uplifting stories. I believe this is a strong testament to the program and the people that continue to support it. In the past two years, we have seen over 600 participants graduate in over 60 six-week courses. However, until recently, only two full-time staff members at Second Harvest have supported these courses.

Cooking Matters would not have been possible without the efforts of our volunteers, and for that I am grateful.

Some of our volunteers are chefs and registered dietitians, but many others are passionate home cooks, nutrition enthusiasts, and food access advocates. Even a few of our Cooking Matters graduates are becoming trained to teach courses in their neighborhoods. I strongly believe that the grassroots nature of this program allows participants to connect, build relationships, and learn.

This program shows that healthy eating can and should be accessible to everyone and that everyone can and should share their knowledge.

During each graduation, participants share what they will take away from the course and each time I hear uplifting stories.

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If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact me at 504-729-2840 or kmcdonald@secondharvest.org THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Promoting Partnership

How Our Housing Authority is Working to End Childhood Hunger

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orking to end childhood hunger can mean bringing children the resources they need. At the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), that means bringing the food to the children, instead of bringing the children to the food. In 2014, for the first time, Share Our Strength supported HANO’s ability to pilot a summer meals program. As a result, youth participants attending HANO summer camps, located at The Estates received nutritious hot meals.

Dawn D. Domengeaux, HANO’s Director of Client Services recognized the need to approach childhood hunger from a different perspective immediately. “We were fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Share Our Strength.

Nutritious food is essential in the growth and success of children. It keeps them focused and energized.” Domengeaux stated. “At HANO we want people to know there are communities of children who are hungry to learn as well.”

HANO’s commitment translated into a partnership with Volunteers of America’s Fresh Food Factor. Fresh Food Factor focuses on providing fresh, healthy food as a staple instead of a rare treat. This critical core value reflects HANO’s continued commitment to provide excellent housing and supportive services for HANO’s program participants.

At The Estates, HANO Case Managers developed a summer camp filled with hands on learning opportunities. The summer camp included

a daily schedule of educational activities; reading, mathematics and arts. Providing a healthy meal was a natural extension. With the summer meals program, youth participants were exposed to new food and were surprisingly enthusiastic when trying something new. The friendly and safe environment created by HANO staff led to over 80 children receiving breakfast and lunch daily. The Estates also served as an open meals site, providing free meals to youth living in the community. Serving as an open site allows neighborhood kids who were not enrolled in the summer enrichment program to receive free breakfast and lunch.

Jerell Jenkins, Client Services Case Manager at The Estates stated, “To see the smile on a child’s face and the child tell you thank you is very rewarding and lets you know you’ve made a difference.” HANO is looking forward to continuing the summer meals program and our partnership with Share Our Strength and the

At The Estates, HANO Case Managers developed a summer camp filled with hands on learning opportunities.

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Volunteers of America Fresh Food Factor.

To learn more about how HANO is working to support our community call Client Services at 504.670.3434 or visit HANO’s website: www.hano.org

The Trumpet is New Orleans’ only community newspaper written by neighborhood residents for neighborhoods about New Orleans neighborhoods.

Email: thetrumpet@npnnola to advertise.

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Second Harvest Food Bank

Making Sure Every Kid Gets the Food They Need

By Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana

When trying to slay a dragon, it’s best to have an army that can attack from all sides. The same is true of our work to end childhood hunger in New Orleans. Second Harvest Food Bank has an array of tactics and volunteers we bring to this fight, and with the support of the community we will make sure every kid is getting the food they need.

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ne of our tactics is a Backpack Program, where children at risk of hunger are given a backpack full of food to take home on Friday afternoons.

This food sustains them over the weekend, when school breakfast, lunch and afterschool meals aren’t available.

Through the backpack program last school year, Second Harvest distributed more than 57,000 backpacks containing approximately 230,000 pounds of food.

In 2014, the need was so great there wasn’t always enough back-packs to go around.

Recognizing the shortage as an opportunity to help connect families to the assistance they need, Second Harvest launched the ‘School Mobile Pantry’ pilot program. This new program distributed three-to-five days of fresh and non-perishable food items to families in need currently enrolled at the host school. During the course of the 2013/2014 school year, the ‘School Mobile Pantry’ pilot program distributed over 104,000 pounds of food directly to children and their families. Fueled by the success of this pilot program, Second Harvest will be opened two new school pantry sites in Orleans Parish in November, 2014.

“It is so important to make sure the children are receiving three meals a day so that they have what they need to stay healthy and focus in school,” said Natalie Jayroe, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank. “We are so honored to be able to offer this program and hopefully we can grow the program in others area that are dealing with similar circumstances.”

The tactics don’t stop there. In the Community Kitchen, we prepare meals for children all throughout the year. Our Kid’s Café program provides afterschool meals and snacks to hungry kids across greater New Orleans. And through the Department of Education’s Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP), Second Harvest Food Bank is able to deliver free, hot meals and healthy snacks to thousands of kids who might not otherwise enjoy a balanced dinner. Last school year, were served over 2,000 children a total of more than 168,000 complete, nutritious meals. The menu is carefully crafted to appeal to the kids

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of our region, yet meets or exceeds the nutritional requirements of the USDA. Through the power of food, kids can come together in a nurturing environment and enjoy the benefits of a well-balanced meal.

Without the option of school breakfast or lunch, many children in our community are at risk of going hungry. That’s where Second Harvest Food Bank works to fill the void, delivering tasty, wholesome meals to children in need. Second Harvest Food Bank’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) offers summer camps, community centers and numerous other childcare facilities free, nutritious meals during the summer months. As one of the largest summer meals sponsors in Louisiana, we offer breakfast, lunch and healthy snacks to thousands of children every weekday. This past summer, we served more than 4,000 children over 210,000 meals at 66 locations throughout the region. All meals are prepared fresh and delivered, free of charge, to the children who need it most.

This past summer, we served more than 4,000 children over 210,000 meals at 66 locations throughout the region.

Our work isn’t done. The Community Kitchen at Second Harvest employs trained cooking professionals, but relies heavily on community volunteers to sustain these vital programs.

There are two regular volunteer shifts during the week, Monday- Friday, from 8:30-11:00 and 12-2:30, with extended hours in summer. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lauren Robinson at (504) 729-2849. No cooking experience is required! Together, we can slay this dragon and end hunger.

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Since 2010 Share Our Strength’s New Orleans No Kid Hungry Campaign Has Awarded 89 Community Organizations Over $300,000 to Support the End of Childhood Hunger We’d like to say thank you for your hard work!

A’s & Aces’ Abramson Elementary School Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund, Tulane University Community Health Center Akili Academy of New Orleans All Souls Community Center Algiers Charter Schools Association (ACSA) Algiers Technology Academy A.P. Tureaud Elementary School Arise Charter School Network Arise-Mildred Osborne Charter School Arthur Ashe Charter School Assurance for Tomorrows Leaders Youth Foundation, Inc. Carver Collegiate Academy Catholic Charities Archdiose Of New Orleans (Sojourner Truth Neighborhood Center) CDC 58:12, Inc. Central City Partnership Collegiate Academies Community Commitment Education Center Community Works of Louisiana, Inc. Crescent City Schools Directed Initiatives for Youth, Inc., dBA Excite All Stars Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy of Global Studies Edible Schoolyard New Orleans Friends of King School District - Joseph Craig School Greater New Home Baptist Church Greater New Orleans Afterschool Partnership Gert Town Community Development Center G.W. Carver Senior High School G.W. Carver Collegiate Academy G.W. Carver Preparatory Academy (Formerly ReNEW CAA) Harriet Tubman Charter School Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project, Inc. Healthy Lifestyle Choices (HLC) Hope Stone Kids New Orleans HYPE Academy James W Johnson Elementary School Joseph S. Clark Preparatory Senior High School Kedila Family Learning Center Kingsley House Kipp Believe Primary Cs Kipp Believe College Prep Kipp Renaissance High School Kipp Central City Academy Kipp Central City Primary Kipp Colton Middle School

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Kipp East Community Primary School Kipp McDonogh 15 Middle School Kipp McDonogh 15 Primary School Liberty City Community Development Corporation Lord Beaconsfield Landry-Oliver Perry Walker High Love Impact, Inc. Martin Behrman Charter Academy for Creative Arts and Sciences Mary Coghill Elementary School McDonogh #32 Literacy Charter School New Orleans Ballet Association New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation New Orleans Recreation Development Foundation Paul Habans Charter School People Working Together Community Development Corporation Pleasant Zion Missionary Baptist Church Recovery School District (RSD)-LDE RSD-Firstline Schools Inc. RSD-Broadmoor Charter School Board ReNEW Schaumburg ReNEW Dolores T. Aaron ReNEW Sci Tech Samuel J. Green Charter School Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana Schaumburg Elementary School Shack Brown Foundation Sci Academy Southern University at New Orleans Success Prep Academy (Formerly Sci Academy) The Benjamin Foundation The NHP Foundation-Operation Pathway Program The Sixth Baptist The Upperroom Bible Church Total Community Action Trinity Christian Community Trinity Episcopal Church Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VIET) Volunteers of America: Fresh Food Factor Volunteers of America Lighthouse Warren Easton School William J. Fischer Accelerated Academy Winn’s Discovery Center Young Audiences of Louisiana Young Men Olympian Junior Benevolent Association Youth Empowerment Project

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Writing the Prescription to End Childhood Hunger in New Orleans

By Dr. Eric Griggs

It’s easy to understand why New Orleans is known as the “Big Easy.” The food, the parties and revelry are what helped to put New Orleans on the world party, vacation and travel maps. New Orleans is an easy place to love. Sadly, the costs of such a reputation is that we are frequently found at the top of many “bad” lists (Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, etc...) and at the bottom of many “good” lists (Literacy, Income per capita, Life Expectancy, etc...). Through all of this though, we are known as a people that persevere. We rebound from whatever adversities present.

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THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

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s New Orleanians, we are a resilient and proud people that care deeply for one another and for the rich culture,heritage and traditions that we love so dearly.

We have resolved to be a healthier city, through the City Health Department’s programs like Fit NOLA, pledging to make New Orleans one of the top ten fittest cities in the United States.

Through collaborative partnerships, community outreach and education, we are well on our way.

My Wellness mantra is “Get checked. Get fit. Get moving!” I encourage all citizens to know their Family History, eat in moderation (lots of fruits and veggies!), drink water, and to exercise regularly.

This message shares many basic health principles with wellness plans and programs throughout the country. Over the last decade, conversations concerning wellness, health, exercise and healthy eating have increased as we move towards prevention rather than disease management. However, there has been one topic of conversation that has been merely a whisper, not quite forgotten, but barely heardChildhood Hunger. In New Orleans , it’s easy to think that this issue could never exist. The immediate question is, “In this city where food is everywhere, how could anyone be hungry— especially a child?”

We are known for taking care of our babies, and everyone else’s for that matter. But sadly, the reality is quite the contrary. The statistics are alarming.

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Here is a snap shot of hunger in Louisiana in 2011: • More than 245,000 children in Louisiana are at risk of hunger and not getting the food they need to lead healthy, active lives.

• More than 27% of children in Louisiana in poverty.

• About 29% of households in Louisiana with children struggled to afford enough food for themselves and their families in 2010.

This gives Louisiana the 7th highest rate of food hardship for households with children in the US.

Hunger is even more prevalent in New Orleans: • 30% of households with children suffered from food hardship in 2010,placing Greater New Orleans 8th among metropolitan statistical areas.

• Over 13,000 children (20.9%) in New Orleans are at risk of hunger.

• An astonishing 90% of children in Orleans Parish are incomeeligible for federal nutrition programs (incomes at or below 185% of the poverty line).

To say that these statistics and facts are alarming is clearly an understatement, but what is more alarming is the reason behind the numbers. The reason our kids are hungry is simply a lack of awareness.

The federal and state funded food and nutrition programs exist in abundance. There is neither lack of desire, lack of care nor lack of

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Prescription for the Week: “Get checked. Get fit. Get moving!™” Get involved in the life of a child and FEED them! Go to http://www.nola. gov/health-department/fit-nola/ and http://neworleans.nokidhungry. org/ to find out more about available resources and programs and SPREAD THE WORD!

food. At the root of the problem is the fact that those that are eligible for the programs and nutritional support do not enroll. For the 20102011 school year, of the nearly 32,000 low-income students in New Orleans that were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch each day during the school year, only about 6,500 participated in the Summer Meals Program. To be clear, the reason for such low enrollment has much less to do with apathy or lack of resources and much more to do with lack of awareness, transportation issues, cultural barriers and lack of procedural knowledge.

At the core of any health and wellness message is nutrition. We truly are what we eat. Hungry children are an issue for everyone. The fact that available resources and programs abundantly exist speaks volumes to the sincerity of our priorities, intentions, and our hearts. Our kids are our future, and we must continue to work to protect them. For 2015, I am committed to ending Child Hunger, and my commitment starts here. I am committed to spreading the message about programs and resources to eliminate this serious problem once and for all. Join me in this fight.

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Dr. Eric Griggs is a health and wellness ambassador for the city of New Orleans.

You can find out his weekly prescription for a better life by connecting with him on Twitter (@docgriggs1), Facebook (Doc Griggs) or online at www.docgriggs.com. He also shares his prescriptions on Thursday at 7:45 am on Fox 8 WVUE, Tuesday on 99.5 WRNO at 5:10 am and 7:10 am, Thursday at 1– 2 pm on 1230 AM WBOK and on Tuesday at 10 am – 11am at www.neworleanstalknetwork.com

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Fresh Food Factor is Ending Childhood Hunger One Dish at a Time

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ating healthy food shouldn’t mean sacrificing taste, especially if you’re committed to ending childhood hunger.

Volunteers of America Fresh Food Factor is devoted to providing tasty and nutritious breakfast, snacks and lunches to New Orleans school children. Right now they provide meals to eight schools and 13 summer camps.

95% of Fresh Food Factor’s meals are made from scratch. This commitment to quality is demonstrated by having a registered dietitian on staff who reviews all menu items. Having this expertise in house allows Fresh Food Factor to tailor their meals to satisfy children’s taste buds while still providing the healthy meals.

Understanding that children can be picky eaters hasn’t stopped Fresh Food Factor from trying new things. Fresh Food Factor recognized that one of the best ways to get children to try new foods is to make them familiar. In one school they started serving brown rice instead of white rice. Brown rice is high in fiber, rich in antioxidants and slowly release sugar (which helps increase energy). Moving from the familiar to the unfamiliar allowed Fresh Food Factor to eventually introduce couscous, a highly nutritious grain not typically associated with New Orleans cuisine!

Having a dietitian on staff allows them to tailor their menu, but the commitment to hearing feedback from the kids drives the decision to make meal changes. “Every person has the right to good food.” states Lawrence Dodds, Fresh Food Factor Director and Executive Chef. Mr. Dodds works hard to ensure he learns what students think about the dishes his staff serve. He takes that knowledge back into the kitchen.

“Creating a healthy meal that kids won’t eat doesn’t solve childhood hunger. Teaching kids about nutrition and cooking healthy meals that kids ask for will end childhood hunger.”

Fresh Food Factor is always interested in connecting with schools, head start programs, aftershool programs and summer camps interested in making sure that children have access to tasty, nutritious meals. To learn more about Volunteers of America Fresh Food Factor call 504.522.3063 or visit freshfoodfactor.org

3 Questions You Can Ask to Help End Childhood Hunger

By Charmel Gaulden

#1 How does this school serve breakfast?

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s the only city in the nation comprised entirely of charter schools there’s a great opportunity to customize so many aspects of the school breakfast experience. Studies have shown children who eat a good breakfast tend to perform better in school. Traditionally, school breakfast is served in the cafeteria. Students have to arrive on time to ensure they are served breakfast and there may also be a negative stigma attached to those kids who arrive early for breakfast.

The New Orleans No Kid Hungry Campaign supports providing alternative breakfast and supports local schools when they work to serve as many children breakfast as possible. There are a few types of alternative breakfast: grab and go, second chance breakfast or breakfast

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in the classroom. Grab and go usually means the student pick up breakfast when they arrive on campus and eat it in the classroom or a designated location. Second chance breakfast usually means that breakfast is served in homeroom or during 1st period. Breakfast in the classroom usually means that breakfast is delivered to the classroom and then served to the children usually during the homeroom period. With all of these models, all students are able to have a healthy start to their day, and because breakfast occurs immediately at the start of the day, usually during homeroom period, there is no loss of “time on task” learning. The New Orleans No Kid Hungry program provides technical assistance to help schools develop the best breakfast program based on the school’s needs. We also provide grant funds to help schools implement or improve breakfast program.

THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015

Ask your school’s principal if they’ve implemented a program to make sure children have a chance to eat healthy school breakfast.

school breakfast, it is a great way to facilitate the adoption of innovative breakfast models, such as Breakfast in the Classroom.

Community eligibility has a number of benefits to students and schools. It helps schools reduce administrative costs related to collecting and processing Free and Reduced Price lunch applications and tracking students based on meal eligibility status. Participating schools no longer have to collect payments during the meal service. It also helps students because families no longer have to complete meal applications and it can reduce stigma because all students are eating meals at no cost, regardless of their income status.

There is often a financial benefit to schools for implementing Community Eligibility Program. Share Our Strength and Deloitte Consulting have collaborated to create the No Kid Hungry School Calculator. This tool can help school administrators determine how providing universal breakfast, lunch and afterschool meals can also help the school’s bottom line. For more information, please visit us at www.bestpractices.nokidhungry.org and use the “No Kid Hungry School Calculator” to see how your school and students can benefit.

#2 How can we make sure every child in school can eat school breakfast?

#3 Where can children eat during the summer?

Programs like school breakfast help more kids get the healthy meals they need. But only about half of the students in the U.S. who eat a free or reduced-price school lunch are also eating school breakfast. The USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision helps close this gap.

Community eligibility provision (CEP) is a new, innovative program that makes it easier for high need schools to serve free meals - both breakfast and lunch - to all students by removing the need for schools to collect paper applications. Because implementing community eligibility means schools are serving universal free

During the school year most children have access to breakfast, lunch (and supper if they participate in afterschool program). During the summer, where do kids go to eat?

The New Orleans No Kid Hungry campaign works to make sure kids can continue to eat during the summer months by supporting summer camps and open meal sites. Many summer camps require registration and a fee or kids cannot participate in programs the entire summer. An open meal site is a place where any kid can go to get a lunch (and sometimes breakfast) at no cost.

Do you want to be a part of the solution? Your community group or church could host an open meal site. The meals would be delivered and the No Kid Hungry Campaign can provide you with support and tools to get started. Visit http://neworleans.nokidhungry.org/ to learn more about hosting an open meal site. Our website will also tell you where the open meal sites are in your neighborhood.

Follow the New Orleans No Kid Hungry Campaign

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THE TRUMPET | NEW ORLEANS NO KID HUNGRY | FEBRUARY 2015