AUGUST NEWS
YAROCH AND PINARD ATTENDED
FARM TO CAFETERIA CONFERENCE
Drs. Amy Yaroch and Courtney Pinard attended the “Diggin’ In” Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Burlington, Vt. from August 2 through 5.
Pinard and Yaroch, along with Dr. Carmen Byker of Montana State University, presented a workshop titled “Farm to School Across Three Different Educational Entities: Unique Assets and Challenges.” Experiences from three different Farm to School educational settings were shared and their commonalities and differences discussed.
In addition, Dr. Yaroch is part of the national
Farm to Preschool subcommittee and participated in a workshop titled “Farm to Preschool: Taking Root Across the Nation.” Check out
this artwork representing results from a recent Farm to Preschool national survey.
Farm to Cafeteria connects farm-fresh foods with K-12 schools, pre-schools, childcare settings, colleges, universities, hospitals, prisons and other types of institutions. The conference brought together food service professionals, farmers, educators, policy makers, representatives from government agencies and nonprofits, entrepreneurs, students and others who are breaking down barriers and expanding the impact of Farm to Cafeteria.
CORPORATE FARM STANDS BEGIN
“FARM TO INSTITUTION” WORK
In March 2012, the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition finished a two-year Farm to School project that was funded through Communities Putting Prevention to Work. Currently, the Center is a partner on a new Community Transformation Grant to work on Farm to Institution efforts through a healthy food access affinity group. Both grants were awarded to the Douglas County Health Department by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The goal of the Farm to Institution project is to increase healthy food consumption in worksites and other institutions throughout Douglas County.
As a first phase in this process, farm stands are being made available for employees and the general public by Omaha-area employers. Two farm stands are currently held each week at C&A Industries, 13609 California Street, featuring produce from Wenninghoff’s and in the Miracle Hills Plaza just north of 114th and Dodge featuring Meadowbrook Farms. Both markets are held on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. through August.
Participating employers must be a partner in Partners for a Healthy City. For more details, contact Mary Chapman at (402) 556-5506 or mchapman@centerfornutrition.org.
ISSUES OF FOOD INSECURITY AND OBESITY CANNOT BE SOLVED SEPARATELY
Over the past two years, staff members at the Center have been actively engaged in efforts surrounding food insecurity and obesity. Addressing these issues in tandem has recently been gaining attention, including the recent article "Paths of convergence for agriculture, health, and wealth" in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
CARPENTER TO GRADUATE
Congratulations to Graduate Assistant Leah Carpenter on her graduation this month from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health. Carpenter will receive her Master of Public Health degree with a Community Health Education concentration. Her thesis project focused on adolescent injury prevention, especially involving bike and pedestrian safety in school communities in Lincoln, Neb. She has worked with the Center since January 2011 on projects such as Farm to School and Fresco: Fresh Menu for Kids, and has conducted various graduate assistant duties. She is currently a project manager for several grants.
The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition aids in survey development and evaluation for national organizations and others. If you are interested in finding out more about these services, please contact Dr. Amy Yaroch, executive director, at ayaroch@centerfornutrition.org.
