Edward Everrett Elementary School Awarded with $20,000 Grant from the New England Patriots and MA Dairy Farm Families Award

Last Tuesday, December 16, 2014, the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with New England Dairy & Food Council (NEDFC), representing more than 150 dairy farm families in Massachusetts, awarded the Edward Everett Elementary School in Dorchester with a $20,000 ‘Hometown Grant’ to support nutrition and physical activity programs within the school. The school celebrated the grant with an event featuring New England Patriots players including wide receiver Julian Edelman, Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft and Massachusetts Dairy Farmer Marlow Duffy.

“We were excited to visit the Edward Everett School and present them with this Hometown grant,” said Kraft. “We can see the faculty and students passion for health and wellness and wanted to be able to show our support. It is our hope that this grant will help provide much needed equipment and renovations to help the students continue to play 60 minutes a day.”

Mayor Martin J. Walsh was particularly thrilled to learn of this grant, as he attended the Everett Elementary school as a student. “This contribution from the New England Patriots and Massachusetts Dairy Farm Families will help provide much needed programming for Boston Public Schools students,” said Mayor Walsh. “Our students should have unlimited access to physical activities and health initiatives to help them grow and thrive in the classroom. Both the Patriots and Dairy Farm Families have been longtime supporters of the City of Boston and the well-being of our youth, and I’d like to extend my gratitude to them.”

“We are honored to be presented with this grant and the opportunity to further strengthen our school’s wellness and physical activity programming for our 287 students,” said Laura Miceli, principal, Edward Everett Elementary School, Dorchester, MA.

During the event, the students heard from New England Patriots players, including wide receiver Julian Edelman, about the importance to being active for at least 60 minutes every day and fueling up with nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat and fat-free dairy.

Created in partnership by the National Football League and National Dairy Council, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fuel Up to Play 60 is the nation’s largest in-school wellness program creating real transformational change in nearly 74,000 schools nationwide, including more than 1,600 schools in Massachusetts. The program encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. The ultimate goal is to ensure changes made at school are sustainable, and to provide children with more opportunities to be physically active and choose tasty, nutrient-rich foods at school.

To learn more, visit http://www.FuelUpToPlay60.com.

 

Let’s Talk About Food Festival, September 27, 2014

Come to Copley Square on September 27th for the 3rd Annual Let’s Talk About Food Festival!

Looking for fresh ideas for family meals? Join Sally Sampson of Chop Chop magazine and former White House Chef Bill Yossesfor a cooking demonstration aimed at turning kids on to healthy foods and cooking.

Stop by the Chop Chop cooking tent for some hands-on fun! Kids assemble healthy after-school snacks.

Check out Project Bread’s School Food Fair, featuring cooking demonstrations and taste testing every hour on the hour with fresh, healthy, innovative school food dishes straight out of Project Bread’s school food cookbook.

If that’s not enough, free screenings of Fed Up! and Cafeteria Man, two of the year’s most important food-focused documentaries, both shining a light on children and food in Trinity Church.

Activities for kids and families throughout the day!
The Festival is FREE and open to all!

Check the festival website for full schedule details: http://www.boston.com/sponsored/extra/letstalkaboutfood/festival

 

Heart Healthy Valentines for American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, American Heart Month and fresh produce than by making Heart Healthy Valentines.

Try making fruit kabobs and yogurt dip or red pepper and humus for Valentine’s Day. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut my pineapple, but you can use any shape or fruit you like. Red peppers and white humus mimic Valentine’s Day colors, and are full of nutrients that promote a strong heart.

Give your sweetheart a healthy Valentine and keep their heart healthy all year long!

Fruit Kabobs with Fluffy Fruit Dip
6 servings

Ingredients for dip:
1 cup fruit-flavored, low-fat yogurt
1 cup fat-free whipped topping, thawed
1 teaspoon honey

Ingredients for kabobs:
6 to 8 pineapple chunks
6 to 8 whole strawberries
1 banana, cut into 1⁄2 chunks
6 to 8 red or green grapes
6 wooden skewers

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, make dip by mixing together yogurt, whipped topping and honey.
2. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
3. Thread one piece of each fruit onto a skewer.
4. Repeat until the fruit is gone or skewers are full.
5. Serve with dip.
Variation: Use any of your kids’ favorite fruits.
Serving size: 1/6 of recipe

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 64 Fat: 0.4 g Saturated fat: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 1.9 mg Sodium: 26 mg Carbohydrates: 16.5 g
Fiber: 1.1 g Protein: 2.5 g

Recipe provided courtesy of Eat Right Press, from Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight for Kids and Teens

 

It’s not too late to kick off 2014 with a healthy start!

Still thinking about making some new year’s resolutions? It’s not too late to kick off 2014 with a healthy start!

Here are some ideas for healthy new year’s resolutions:

–  Incorporate more whole grains into your weekly meals.
According to the Whole Grain Council, studies have shown that the consumption of whole grains may reduce the risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and help with maintaining a healthy weight.

– Commit to eating one more fruit or vegetable EVERY day.
Join America’s More Matters Pledge to Fight Obesity.  Besides being delicious and colorful additions to your plate,  fruits and vegetables provide your body with necessary dietary fibers that support a healthy digestive system, are packed with vitamins and minerals and can help your body reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers.

– Do something active for 30 minutes each day!
Whether it’s going for a walk or playing basketball, aim to get out there once a day!  For some ideas check out the Obesity Action Coalition’s Winter Fitness Fun Guide.

-Reduce your daily sugar intake.
Here’s an educational video that was shared on the Mother Nature Network about the effects of sugar on your brain.

What healthy habit are you committing to in 2014?

 

FFVP: Winter is Citrus Season!

When I say “winter”, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Perhaps you think of snow, the holidays, hot chocolate, cups of soup and warm slippers. But winter has a secret, citrus surprise. If you are a fresh fruit and vegetable enthusiast, winter is the best time to get your vitamin C boost. Blood oranges are blooming, lemons are lovely and if you are looking for a lime, look no further.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is taking full advantage of the winter citrus season. We are serving tangerines, clementines, minneolas, Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges and satsumas. Students are learning about the immune system boosting benefits of vitamin C and about how sailors ate citrus to prevent scurvy.

Eating winter citrus is one great way to get your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.  Tangerines, clementines and mandarins are small, sweet, and easy to peel. One medium orange is worth about  1 serving of fruit.

 

Connecting FFVP Snacks with Lessons in the Classroom

This spring, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is educating students about where their favorite snacks are grown. At the Condon Elementary School in South Boston, students and teachers decorated a map of the United States with images of the different fruits and vegetables that have been served through FFVP this year.  The map is helping students visualize where their snacks are coming from across the country. Similarly, students in Ms. Madden’s art class at the Russell Elementary School created 3-D images of their favorite snacks with decoupage and paper mache and mapped out where these fresh fruits and vegetables were grown.

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week here in Boston and we at BPS Food and Nutrition Services, recognize that distributing these healthy snacks during the school day may take extra time and effort from our educators. BPS’ FFVP would like to recognize teachers like Ms. Madden who have made sure their students are also learning about and trying these new fruits and veggies each week.  Teachers across the city are connecting FFVP snacks with lessons on healthy eating, discussions about seeds in fruits and vegetables, and persuasive writing exercises.

Thank you teachers and school staff for all you do to help make sure our students have increased access to healthy fresh fruits and vegetables each week!

 

National School Breakfast Week: Try a new fruit for breakfast!

This Thursday 3/7/13 all Boston Public Schools will feature Minneolas for breakfast in celebration of National School Breakfast Week.

What is a Minneola?

– Minneolas are a unique citrus fruit that are seasonally available during the winter months

– Minneolas, also known as Honeybells for their bell-like shape, are a hybrid between a grapefruit and a tangerine

– These citrus fruits are a good source of Dietary Fiber and an excellent source of Folate and Vitamin C

This easy to peel fruit has been well received in 27 schools through the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program this year, so we wanted to make them available to more students!

So come to school on Thursday and try a Minneola for Breakfast!

 

Free Summer Meals BBQ Kick Off

July 10, 2012 at the Lila Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester, BPS hosted an annual BBQ to kick off the free summer meals program in the City of Boston.  Special guest speakers included Mayor Menino, Miranda Miranda on behalf of USDA Northeast Regional Office, Sam Depina on behalf of BPS Superintendent Carol Johnson, Michael Peck, Director of BPS Food and Nutrition Services.

Over 250 kids, 18 and under, enjoyed a healthy lunch of grilled BBQ chicken, hot dogs, corn on the cob, watermelon, milk and juice.  USDA’s Power Panther mascot along with the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness’ (BCFF) mascot, Dougie the Apple and Get Fresh Crew also joined the festivities to encourage students to continue eating healthy through the summer.

FREE SUMMER MEALS are available for children and teens 18 and under at over 40 Boston Public School sites and over 100 community sites across the city.  No registration or ID is necessary.  Sites are open now through August 31^st and many offer full day programs with learning and entertainment opportunities. A full list of free summer meal sites is available on the web at: www.bostonpublicschools.org/meals

Come have lunch at a summer meal site near you!

 

Summer Food Service Program Launches June 25

Attention Boston parents and youth!  FREE MEALS (breakfast & lunch) are available this summer for children and teens under the age of 18.

No registration or ID required.  Over 140 sites across Boston.  The program operates from June 25th to August 31st.

To find a site near you, visit www.mealsforkids.org or call the Project Bread Hotline at 1-800-645-8333.

Please join us for the kick off barbecue, July 10th from 11:00am to 1:00pm at the Hyde Park Community Center.

The Summer Food Service Program is a partnership between The United States Department of Agriculture, Project Bread, the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Department of Food and Nutrition Services at Boston Public Schools.  

 

Cafeteria Manager Profile: Jennie Hall

Food and Nutrition Services is fortunate to have a slew of fantastic cafeteria managers, all of whom work tirelessly to serve fresh meals to 57,000 students across the district.  Today, I am turning the spotlight on one manager in particular, Jennie Hall, who leads a team of 8 employees at East Boston High School.

Jennie and her team serve between 1200 and 1300 lunches every day!  (Anyone who has ever made dinner for a crowd can appreciate the intense magnitude of this task.)  East Boston High is one of Boston Public Schools’ Provision 2  meal programs, meaning all students, regardless of their families’ income level, eat for free. 

Jennie has worked for Boston Public Schools Department of Food & Nutrition Services for 18 years, and is an East Boston native.  When she’s not serving up lunch, managing her staff, fielding emails and phone calls, and placing orders at East Boston High School, Jennie runs outside and works out at the local gym.  Talk about energy, right?

On a recent visit to EBH for lunch, Jennie, with assistance from Chef Kirk Conrad of the Project Bread Chefs in Schools Program, served up loaded chicken tacos, a homemade vegetable and garbanzo bean soup, whole wheat warps, and a BBQ chicken and baked potato dinner.  Students could also opt for the salad bar, with a variety of fresh vegetables, beans, protein, and cheese options.

After 18 years, what’s Jennie’s favorite item of the school lunch menu?  Straight up Italian comfort food: stuffed pasta shells with marinara sauce.

Thanks to Jennie & her team at EBH for all their hard work day in and day out.