Food & Health Network June Newsletter

Find Local Food This Summer!

Pictured Above: Binghamton Farm Share Options from the Binghamton Urban Farm & North Windsor Berries.

From Farmers' Markets to CSAs, cheese and beer trails, to u-pick farms, there are so many ways to take advantage of the local food our region has to offer! Here are a few resources to get you started. You can also find local farms and food businesses by visiting our website listing of members and sponsors.

2015 Guide to Foods Produced in the Southern Tier & Finger Lakes
CCE-Tompkins and South Central NY Agriculture Team
Explore the guide here.

2015 Guide to Pure Catskills Products
Watershed Agricultural Council
Discover food & farms of the Catskills here.

2015 Local and Organic Farm Guide
Northeast Organic Farming Association of NY (NOFA-NY)
View the guide here.

Cornell Cooperative Extension
Visit your local cooperative extension website for information on farmers' markets, u-pick, restaurants and stores serving local food, and more.

Sponsor Spotlight: United Health Services
Stay Healthy Kids’ Rex and Roxy encourage healthy food choices

Greater Binghamton children and their parents can learn everything they need to know about making healthy food choices when they sign up for a free program from the UHS healthcare system. "UHS Stay Healthy Kids" offers presentations in four sessions that are designed to teach youngsters ages 5 to 18 how to eat well and stay active.

Emphasizing the importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet, the program employs Rex and Roxy, characters developed by “B.C.” cartooist Mason Mastroianni, to bring home the message. Families get tips on how nutritious food can taste good, help a young person feel better and do better in sports, and lead to greater well-being for life.

“When children learn healthy habits at an early age, they’re more likely to keep them for the rest of their lives,” said registered nurse Leah Miller, one of the coordinators of the program administered by UHS’ Stay Healthy Center at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City. “That’s the foundation for Stay Healthy Kids.”

The program follows the guidelines of the State of Maine’s pioneering "Let’s Go!" approach, which emphasizes the eating of five fruits and vegetables every day, as well as two hours or less of recreational screen time, one hour or more of physical activity and zero consumption of sugary drinks. It also recommends turning off screens during family mealtimes, keeping TVs and computers out of the bedroom and no screen time before age 2.

After signing up, parents and their children or teenagers attend a series of four free sessions that provide tips on eating right, staying active and achieving overall wellness. Parents learn how to prepare healthy choices at mealtime, eat the same foods as their children to set a good example, and discover physical activities that can be enjoyed as a family.

Each family gets individualized sessions tailored to their specific needs, including any allergies or dietary restrictions, and follow-up calls from Stay Healthy staff are made to the home for the rest of the year.

“I believe the program is very important right now, due to the rising rates of childhood obesity,” said registered nurse Megan Farmer, another of the program's coordinators. “We redesigned the program in 2015 to attract more families and children. We want everyone, whatever their weight or body mass index, to learn all they can about healthy eating, activity and limiting the amount of time they sit in front of a screen - whether TV or computer."

Read more about UHS Stay Healthy Kids on the Food for Thought Blog.

Policy Update: Sign on to Support Two Child Nutrition Bills by July 15th

Two bicameral bills—the Summer Meals Act of 2015 (S. 613 / H.R. 1728), introduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives Don Young (R-AK) and Rick Larsen (D-WA) and the Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2015 (S. 1539, H.R. 2715) introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Susan Davis (D-CA)—have the potential to reduce hunger during summer vacation.

They both outline important provisions to be included in the upcoming Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization (CNR). Learn more about these bills at FRAC’s Legislative Action Center, and sign on to join a growing list of NYS organizations who endorse these bills by July 15th.

There is still time to take advantage of a special 2015 sponsorship challenge for farm and food businesses! When you contribute $25 as a FaHN Sponsor, an additional $75 will be matched by an anonymous donor to reach the Seedling sponsor level.

You can learn more by visiting our website here, or viewing the sponsor form here. We are also inviting new individual and organizational members.

For more information on how to take advantage of this opportunity contact:

Erin Summerlee, FaHN Coordinator
607-692-7669 or fahncoordinator@rhnscny.org.