Access To Grocery Stores Affects Food Shopping & Spending

Researchers believe that poor access to stores that sell a wide range of healthy and affordable foods results in poorer diet and diet-related health problems. Six percent (6%) of American households lack of access to supermarkets, which may mean that they rely more heavily on convenience stores or fast-food restaurants. A new USDA survey of how the local food environment influences where households get food and how much of their food budget is spent at various types of retailers reveals:

●    77% low-access households shopped at supermarket, superstore, large grocery store, or warehouse store compared to 87% percent for households with sufficient access.
●    Low-access households spend almost the same percentage of their weekly food expenditures at large stores as households with sufficient access.
●    Low-access households are less likely to buy food at a restaurant than households with sufficient access (69.5% compared with 85.8%) and spend less than half as much per person as households with sufficient access ($9.90 compared to $19.56).

Source: USDA, 10/17, Grocery Store Access

FoodXChange Draws 165 Hartford Residents

One hundred and sixty-five people attended the first ever FoodXChange program at the Hartford Public Library, SAND/Ropkins Branch on July 26, 2017. The event was a partnership of Foodshare’s Promise Zone Hunger Action Team, Hartford Public Library, Farrell Treatment Center, and the House of Bread. This pilot program invited community members to exchange their packaged, processed foods for fresh fruits generously donated by the House of Bread. Altogether, the event exchanged 301 servings of processed, prepackaged food for 653 servings of fresh produce! Most of the participants were parents and children.

In addition to providing participants with healthy food, the FoodXChange featured a number of activities like:

• Live music performed by two students and a teacher from the Charter Oak Cultural Center.
• A sugar demonstration and healthy recipe booklets provided by the UConn SNAP-Ed nutrition program.
• A kid's area with interactive games.

Thank you to all of the community partners and residents who helped make this event a success! 

Students Earn Their Passports to Nutrition

Recently, Stop & Shop of East Hartford ,volunteered at Robert J. O'Brien STEM Academy. Associates introduced students to nutrition facts through their Passport to Nutrition program. The program focuses on: what nutrients are, MyPlate and the 5 food groups, the importance of exercise and staying hydrated, the role of the senses in tasting food, how to read food labels, and portion control.

The children sampled low sodium cheese, whole wheat bread, apple slices, and organic cereal and had the opportunity to pet a lobster. They also received an activity book, some fruit, a juice box and a frisbee to take home.

Thank you Stop & Shop for sharing healthy eating habits and physical activity with the next generation!

Interested in joining a Hunger Action Team? View our website for more information. 

Healthy FoodXChange

Foodshare's Promise Zone Hunger Action Team (HAT) will be hosting a food exchange program at Hartford Public Library! See flyer below for more details.

Great American Milk Drive Returns!

Across Connecticut, 438,000 of our neighbors struggle to afford enough food, including basic staples like milk.

To help more of our food insecure neighbors access the essential nutrients they need, Price Chopper has partnered with Feeding America once again to host the Great American Milk Drive.

From June 1 to June 30 customers will have the opportunity to make a monetary gift while shopping at their local Price Chopper store.

All money collected will be used to purchase half-gallons of milk, which will be used to help local food banks like  Foodshare put milk on the table for local families. 

Celebrity Chef Seeks to End Hunger in USA

Rachel Martin of NPR's Morning Edition recently spoke with celebrity chef and hunger advocate,Tom Colicchio to discuss hunger related issues described below:

"An estimated 13.1 million kids live in homes with insufficient food, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the number of college students struggling with hunger has prompted more campuses to open food pantries.

Seniors and people with disabilities also suffer from hunger, and federal money for programs like Meals on Wheels may face cuts under President Trump's proposed budget."

Source: NPR, 5/1/17, Read More >

Wholesome Wave Expands Network For Better Access to Produce

"Wholesome Wave, the nonprofit behind the country’s largest prescription program for fruits and vegetables, just awarded $210,000 in grants for the sort of collaboration that doesn’t happen often in the philanthropy world: They’re financing nine partners, from farmers markets to community nonprofits and grocers to take their basic business model and the underlying lessons and technology that’s made it a success, and hopefully expand it.

Each grant recipient is a member of Wholesome Wave’s National Nutritional Incentive Network, which is backed by a several million dollar grant from the USDA’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program. The goal is to expand the concept more widely with partners who might already know how to best serve their communities, while at the same time providing coaching and a unified way to track spending, consumption, and consumer satisfaction and health benefits to show the program itself is working."

Source: Fast Company, 03/09/17, Learn More >

A New Prescription (Rx) Boosting Health Nationwide

"...for the last six years, Wholesome Wave has worked quietly on an equally ambitious initiative: getting healthcare providers to write prescriptions for produce, rather than just pills. It’s called FVRx (Fruit and Vegetable Rx) and its ready to storm the nation—starting with downtown LA."

FVRx primarily serves families that are living at or below the poverty line along with children who are obese/overweight. The majority of families that participate in this program are also SNAP recipients. Through SNAP each member of the family receives an average of four dollars per day, and as recipients of FVRx families would receive an additional four dollars per day which must be spent exclusively on produce. 

Source: Modern Farmer, 1/3/17, The Power of Produce Prescriptions

Programs Help CT Families Build Better Eating Habits

Connecticut doctors and health care workers are helping low-income families make healthier food choices and coaching busy parents on fast, but healthy ways to feed their children. Understanding the reality of life for low-income families is key to helping their kids get to a healthy weight, said Melissa Santos, a pediatric psychologist and assistant professor at UConn’s School of Medicine. Helping these families eat healthier is a process, according to Santos, because their lives are already overwhelming.

At Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Patricia Esposito, clinical nutrition manager, shows working parents how to pull together easy meals for busy days. She steers them to items like pre-washed salad greens and pre-cooked chicken—and stresses that though these may be among the pricier items in the grocery store, they end up being cheaper than fast food. In New Britain, PhotoVoice, a community grassroots project, is teaching young teens about healthy lifestyles, including making good food choices and incorporating exercise daily. For one project, teens took streetscape photos in their neighborhoods full of fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and torn-up sidewalks.

Source: New Haven Register, 1/27/17, Healthier Eating

SNAP Diet Needs An Update

In a recent report diet experts argue, that USDA needs to align SNAP with the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines  call for 75% of meals to focus on plant-based foods, and nutrition . 

A paper in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine recounts SNAP’s history, reviews its current state, and puts forth ideas to improve the program. “Since [SNAP] was first conceived, the food supply has grown much more complicated -- there are now many new ways to eat badly. There are many barriers to healthy food choices other than cost. And when food costs less, there is the risk that an excess will be eaten….” the report’s authors contend. 

They want USDA to fund and support state pilot programs that will help identify and provide solutions for a larger-scale federal alignment. In addition to improving the health of program participants, the recommendations could also lead to substantial financial savings, they assert.

Source: MedPage Today, 1/18/17, Read More...

ER Advice Boosts Healthy Eating for SNAP Particpants

Low-income families were more likely to use their SNAP benefits on nutritious food after learning that their dollars can be doubled for more fruits and vegetables, according to another article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

 A University of Michigan-led team conducted five-minute conversations in the waiting room of a health clinic. They spoke about  a program called Double Up Food Bucks , the program matches food assistance dollars spent on fruits and vegetables. This brief interaction prompted the rise of fruit and vegetable consumption and led to an almost four-fold increase in program use among families.

 Double Up, run by national nonprofit Fair Food Network, is now available at more than 200 farmers markets, grocery stores, and other retail outlets across Michigan. Up to $20 in SNAP funds spent per market visit are matched with free Double Up Food Bucks that can be used to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. Fruit and vegetable consumption increased among study participants by almost two-thirds of a serving per day - with the greatest increases among those who used Double Up the most.

Health Incentive programs such as Double Up, exist in approximately forty states throughout the U.S.

 Source: News-Medical.net, 1/19/17, ER Advice Works

CT Unveils First Food Waste-to-Energy Facility

"Quantum Biopower celebrated the completion of Connecticut’s first food waste to renewable energy facility in Southington with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 15. The ceremony, held on Connecticut Recycles Day, marked the completed construction of Connecticut’s first anaerobic digester.

The state of Connecticut’s food waste diversion mandate, which requires that certain food waste generators producing more than 2 tons of food waste per week or more separate out that waste from their other garbage and send it to a compost facility or digester for recycling, was a driving force in the development and completion of the digester."

Source: Renewable Energy From Waste, 12/20/16, Learn More...

Low-Income Babies Are Slimming Down

The percentage of overweight babies in poor families in the US may be declining, a new study suggests. Researchers found that fewer babies enrolled in the WIC program had a high "weight-for-length" in 2014, when compared with 2010. The percentage went from 14.5% to just over 12% in that period. High weight, even in infancy, has been linked to an increased risk of obesity later on, the study’s author said.

Changes to the WIC program are one likely reason the picture improved. During the study period, the program's food allocation package was revamped to fall in line with federal dietary guidelines, as well as infant feeding recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. These changes resulted in increased consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Source: Healthy Day, 12/13/16, Slimming Babies

The Cost of Malnutrition

According to the Alliance to Advance Patient Nutrition, 1 in every 3 patients arrives at a hospital malnourished. Elderly patients are particularly at risk. Experts suggest malnutrition has a significant negative impact on state budgets. A recent study found that direct medical costs caused by disease-associated malnutrition were between $36 and $65 per capita across the states—ranging from a total of $7 million in Alaska up to $492.5 million in California. The national overall annual cost of disease-associated malnutrition is more than $15.5 billion.

Malnourished patients are twice as likely to develop a pressure ulcer in the hospital and have three times the risk for surgical-site infection. But tool kits and protocols that provide evidence-based, high-quality, patient-driven malnutrition care for older adults can mitigate problems. For example, one recent study found that the Cleveland Clinic was able to reduce the length of stays, re-admissions, and costs of care after implementing a malnutrition protocol.


Source: Council of State Governments, 12/16, Malnutrition Costs

The Cultural Diversity of Food

Many thanks to Carissa, our Communications VISTA, who recently spent time with Mobile Foodshare, and had this insightful commentary to share:

"Gary and I visited the North End of Hartford at the Salvation Army, followed by the Church of the Most High God. One of the things that stood out to me most was that many people were deterred by certain food items--particularly butternut squash--either because they didn't know how to prepare it, or squash wasn't a part of their cultural diet. 

Upon hearing a volunteer share how to make butternut squash soup, a few people took her up on an offer to make them a batch. Other volunteers followed in suit, offering hesitant visitors new and different ways to prepare the vegetable, which resulted in even more people accepting the previously-abandoned food. 

I think it's important to understand the cultural and religious diversity of the people we serve, recognizing that not all households prepare meals in the same way, using the same types of foods. It could help us provide better options and more nutritious meals for people living in a particular community."

As a learning-organization, Foodshare is always discovering new and innovative ways to more effectively nourish our neighbors. Over the years we have developed recipe cards and forged relationships with UCONN Dietetics to promote healthier eating habits. But there is much more that can be done and experiences like the one Carissa shared can help us further explore this work.

Do you have a story to share? Become a Foodshare guest blogger and use your experience to help change lives.

YMCA Seeks Lifestyle Coach for Diabetes

The YMCA  in Hartford is currently seeking a part-time Lifestyle Coach to facilitate their Diabetes Prevention Program. The primary role of this position is to provide support and guidance to program participants, along with adhering to the program's curriculum. Anyone who is bilingual is encouraged to apply. Applicant will be required to go through a two-day training.
 Contact Tevonne Ellis with any questions.   

Job Overview

CT Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Make Apple Donation

Members of the CT Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics' NDTR Committee recently stopped by Foodshare to drop off a donation of fresh, orchard-picked apples in honor of Food Day. Food Day is observed every October 24, to celebrate real food as an essential ingredient of a healthier diet for all Americans, including those in need. NDTR Committee was pleased to donate 35 pounds of local apples to support Foodshare's mission for a hunger-free community.

Pictured left to right are: Paula Siebers, Foodshare Food Sourcing Manager; Julie Graham, NDTR; MaryAnn Martin, NDTR; and Cindy McAuliffe, NDTR

Long-Term Benefits of SNAP

While SNAP benefits average just $1.35 per person per meal for households with children, they have surprisingly important effects on children’s health, education, and long-term outcomes. SNAP enables families to spend more on food and frees up resources they can use to meet their health and other needs. Studies show that children receiving SNAP are less likely than other low-income children not receiving SNAP to be in fair or poor health or underweight, and their families are less likely to make tradeoffs between paying for health care and paying for other basic needs, like food and housing.

New findings on food insecurity and children

Much recent research links food insecurity with negative outcomes for children’s health, education, and other areas. Other research shows that programs like SNAP can have large and long-lasting benefits, especially when the benefits are received by mothers during pregnancy and by children at a young age.

A recent study that examines the impact of the rollout of the original Food Stamp Program in the late 1960s shows that receiving Food Stamps during pregnancy reduced the incidence of low birth weight by between five and 12%. The same researchers also found that among adults who grew up in disadvantaged households, access to Food Stamps in utero and early childhood led to: a 16 percentage-point decline in the likelihood of being obese as an adult and significant reductions in metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions associated with heart disease and diabetes); an 18 percentage-point increase in the likelihood of completing high school; and significant improvements in overall health and economic self-sufficiency among women.

Source: Food Research & Action Council, 8/3/16, Food Insecurity Research

CT Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Donates $535 to Foodshare!

Teresa Dotson, CT Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Fundraising Co-Chair, presents $535 donation to Foodshare's Al Marino, Fundraising Events Specialist and Mary Ann Martin, NDTR, Fundraising Assistant and CAND Food Security Co-Chair.

The Connecticut Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics presented a workshop for its members during National Nutrition Month in March to review the new dietary guidelines. All proceeds collected were designated for Foodshare and the Connecticut Food Bank to help in the fight against hunger. A combination of work between its National Nutrition Month, Food Security, and Fundraising committees made this donation possible.

The Connecticut Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics serves as the leading advocate of the dietetic profession in Connecticut, serving the public through promotion of optimal nutrition, health, and well-being. Their membership includes Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), Nutrition and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (NDTRs), students, and retirees of the profession. They are chartered by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, committed to serving the public in the state of Connecticut, while supporting activities at the national and international level.