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NEWSLETTER
November 2010

BAAV 2

IN THIS ISSUE
LATEST NEWS
SCHOOL FOOD
COMMUNITY FOOD
ACTIVE LIVING
YOUTH
GRANTS AND FUNDING
EVENTS

LATEST NEWS
 
NYC Food & Fitness Partnership's New Community Development Manager

NYC Food and Fitness Partnership welcomes Sharon Wong as its new Community Development Manager!  Sharon was previously the Project Manager of Catholic Charities NY's Emergency Food Services and brings with her experience in and knowledge of: meeting the health needs of residents living in underserved communities; improving our current food system through community supported agriculture and gardening programs; best practices in youth development that include incorporating nutrition activities, outdoor education, and advocacy. Sharon also is currently the Program Director of Turf (an Open Space Institute project) that works to improve the quality of food in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx. Sharon will be working to develop new partnerships in Central Brooklyn to help neighborhoods access fresh food and engage more in active living.  Welcome Sharon


BAAV


Brooklyn Artists Against Violence

In response to the increased number of youth shootings, robberies and gun violence on the Malcolm X Blvd. corridor in Bedford Stuyvesant, local artists and our partners at Brooklyn Rescue Mission worked together this summer to bring together residents and businesses to increase the safety of streets in the community. With support from Citizens Committee for NYC and NYC Food & Fitness Partnership, Brooklyn Artists Against Violence produced an outdoor art making station at the Malcolm X Farmers Market. Youth and adults created masks that were displayed along the boulevard and filled it with artwork and positive messaging created by the youth and adults (pictured above). The impact of this event included more foot traffic along the street, use of the market space for positive interactions and increased activity in the neighboring park. It is the Partnership's hope that this kind of community collaboration to address safety issues in Bedford Stuyvesant and other communities will continue.

 

FoodWorks

On November 22, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will release FoodWorks - New York City's first comprehensive plan to use the city's food system to create jobs, improve public health and protect the environment. FoodWorks was first announced in December 2009 and the plan will be released at an event at the Food & Finance High School, located at 525 West 50th, Room 173 in Manhattan, at 10am (doors open at 9:30am). To attend, please RSVP by November 17 by email or 212-788-6871.


Congressional Quarterly: Preventing Obesity

The latest research report from Congressional Quarterly surveys the latest research and debate about the obesity epidemic, its history and public health impact, the obstacles to healthy eating, as well as different perspective on the role the U.S. government should play. Click here to download the report.


SCHOOL FOOD
 
Ways for Parents to Improve School Food 

Worried about what your kids are eating in school?  Want healthier school food to support your child's success? Join together with other parents who want to improve school food! The Brooklyn Food Coalition, City Harvest, Food Bank for New York City, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Brooklyn District Public Health Office Healthy Schools Initiative and the NYC Food & Fitness Partnership are sponsoring a series of parent advocacy workshops. Workshops are schedule for the following dates and locations:

  • Brownsville: Nov. 10, 6-8pm at PS 73 Thomas S. Boyland School, 251 McDougall St, Bklyn
  • Bedford Stuyvesant: Nov. 16, 6-8pm at La Cima Charter School, 800 Gates Ave, Bklyn
  • Bedford Stuyvesant: Nov. 18, 6-8pm at Brooklyn Brownstone, 272 Macdonough St, Bklyn
  • Bushwick: Date TBD!

We also want parents to share success stories on how they have changed school food for the better in their schools.  To RSVP, please call or email Audrey Castillo at 646-253-5709 with the date and location of the training that you want to attend and the number of spots you want to reserve. We will be serving dinner, providing childcare for children over 3 years old, and offering homework help!

 

Rethinking School Lunch Guide
In recognition of National Farm to School Week, the Center for Ecoliteracy has released its latest resource for transforming school lunch programs. The Rethinking School Lunch Guide is designed for use by parents, educators, community members, and concerned citizens, outlining dozens of pathways to action for those outside the food program who want to support innovation and improvement in school meals. 

Lunch Line Redesign

New York Times, Brian Wansink, David R. Just and Joe McKendry, 10/21/2010
Experiments done in cafeterias at high schools, middle schools and summer camp programs, as well as in laboratories, have revealed many ways to use behavioral psychology to coax children to eat better. Here are a dozen such strategies that work without requiring drastic or expensive changes in school menus. Read more
here.

 

School Garden Lessons, Activities and Curricula
A
great blog site with ideas for your school!


COMMUNITY FOOD
 
City Harvest Opens New Mobile Market in Brooklyn
City Harvest recently opened a new Mobile Market in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn as part of their Healthy Neighborhoods initiative. The market, hosted by Groundwork, serves more than 100 clients at the Sumner Houses Community Center and will be offering residents nutritious free produce twice a month. Mobile Markets are bimonthly distributions of fresh fruits and vegetables free of charge to residents at sites in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. The markets include cooking demonstrations using the food available at the market, as well as nutrition tips for clients.

 

Farm School NYC

Farm School NYC aims to increase the self-reliance of communities and inspire positive local action around issues of food access and social, economic and racial justice by providing comprehensive professional training in urban agriculture for NYC residents. The school will offer a unique, community-based certificate program with enrollment beginning in January 2011. Learn more about Farm School NYC here

 

US Composting Council Invites You to Take Part in the 2011 International Compost Awareness Week Poster Contest

The US Composting Council Board of Directors, the organizational group behind International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) in the United States, is proud to announce a call for entries for its 2011 ICAW Poster Contest.  The contest will run until November 30, 2010 and is open to anyone who wants to help celebrate composting and promote the benefits of composting and compost use.  The winning poster will serve as the 2011 International Compost Awareness Week promotional media piece. View registration forms and rules

 

Inaugural Issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development now available
The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Developmentis an online, peer-reviewed, international publication of applied research and policy analysis for organizations, agencies, and academics interested in expanding local and regional food systems. The first issue of JAFSD is available to download online for free. 


ACTIVE LIVING
 
The Rider Rebellion Sends Albany a Message

In late October, in preparation for November 2nd elections, Transportation Alternatives and the Reverend Al Sharpton joined together in a rally at Union Square Park to remind candidates that voters want New York State to provide funding for a livable and sustainable transportation system. Candidates and their political parties were invited to share their plans to improve transit. More than a hundred bus and subways riders attended the rally.

 

This rally is part of Transportation Alternatives' Rider Rebellion Campaign which is organizing transit riders in support of affordable fares, better service and the end of service cuts. The Rebellion will put pressure on State and City elected officials to support riders and pedestrians and provide long term funding for subways, buses, and safe streets. Join the Rebellion now! 

 

Play Streets:  How Food and Active Living Programs Can Address Health Disparities in  Underserved Communities

Harvest Home Farmers' Market, Transportation Alternatives, and Strategic Alliance for Health, collaboratively developed the Harvest Home Play Street program and implemented two Play Streets in July and August 2010 - one in East Harlem and one in the South Bronx. Play Streets are regular streets that are officially closed to traffic for use by the community and feature a variety of activities from organized physical activities to arts & crafts and other educational programs. The Harvest Home Play Streets were held in the free and empty street space available during regular Harvest Home Farmers' Market days. Over 1,200 youth attended the two play street locations during the summer and were primarily engaged in physical or educational activities. The program was monitored and evaluated by New York Academy of Medicine. One of the key findings from the evaluation showed that Play Streets promote physical activity. 64% of attendees reported that they would have been engaged in sedentary activity if they were not at the play street. To read the full report, click here.

  

Death of a Cyclist Spurs Community Leaders Fight to Create Legislation to Protect Cyclists

Last month, Jasmine Herron was killed on her bicycle on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue after a blindly opened car door threw her into the path of the B45 bus. The 77th Precinct, Community Board 8, City Council Member Letitia James led a prayer vigil in remembrance of Jasmine and efforts are underway to ensure that these types of senseless death of cyclists no longer occur. Captain Cappoci of the 77th Precinct began a Committee for Bicycle Safety, a pilot program to improve how police can make cyclists safe and Senator Eric Adams introduced legislation to mandate cyclist awareness in motorist education classes. 

 

Rally in Support of New Prospect Park West

In October, 350 Prospect Part West residents, advocates, and cyclists meet at Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park West to support the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) new design of Prospect Park West. The redesign includes a removal of one of the three travel lanes, the implement of a parking-protected two-way bike path, large pedestrian refuge areas, and new pick-up and drop off zones. There was some opposition to the new design, which sparked this rally. However, a preliminary findings from DOT found that the new design has had a positive impact on street safety and bicyclist behavior and the big turnout proves that there is great support for the new design. For more information, click here.

 

New York City's Push for Bicycle Infrastructure
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer recently released Respect the Lane/Clear the Path, a report that includes 1700 infractions involving motorists, pedestrians and cyclists misusing bicycles lanes. The most common infractions included motor vehicle obstruction, pedestrians blocking the lanes and cyclists going in the wrong direction. Reports such as these are important to the City and groups such as NYC Food & Fitness Partnership to increase efforts to respect the bike lane and to push for policies to improve transportation in the city. Read more about the Manhattan BP's report and a recent article in the New York Times.


YOUTH
 
Film: What's on your Plate?
This fun and informative film follows two 11-year-old girls - Sadie and Safiyah - as they delve into the issue surrounding their food choices, school food programs, and eating healthy in New York City. Through the process of making the film Sadie and Safiyah uncover many of the challenges and opportunities in promoting urban sustainability and healthy eating, and by doing so inspire hope and active engagement in others. The film has recently been released on DVD. Learn more or order the film here.

 

Youth Have an Opportunity to Work With a Green Roof!

Sustainable South Bronx partners with Alfred E. Smith Career & Technical Education High School to install a 1,400 square foot green roof on their school. The green roof will be used to supplement classroom instruction in (but not limited to) the sciences, mathematics and Career & Technical Education curricula and provide a unique hands on learning environment. The green roof will be registered with Green Thumb to create a community garden. The goal of this project is to create more than a green roof and community garden - by transforming an underutilized area of the school they aim to establish a green learning laboratory to increase the environmental literacy of all students. See a NY1 Video & student interview.


GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
 

Are you a School Breakfast Hero? 

Deadline: Nov. 15, 2010
The "got breakfast?" Foundation recently announced its third round of Silent Hero Grants to award grants of up to $5,000 each to public schools, non-profit private schools and non-profit organizations participating in the national School Breakfast Program. More information is available here.

 

$25 million available for Healthy Food Financing Initiative 
Deadline: Nov. 19, 2010
The Treasury Department recently announced a $25 million "Notice of Funds Availability" for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative within the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Program for the FY 2011 funding round. This is the amount that has been requested in President Obama's FY 2011 budget for HFFI. Learn more here.

 

New York Farm Bureau offers scholarships

Deadline: Nov. 19, 2010
New York Farm Bureau is encouraging high school seniors who have been involved with agriculture and plan on continuing studies in this field to apply for the New York Farm Bureau Agricultural Youth Scholarship sponsored by the New York Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee. Scholarship awards are $1,500 for first place, $1,200 for second and $1,000 for third place. The first-place winner will be invited to present their essay at a NYFB Spring event. To request information
or an application, call 1-800-342-4143 or visit their website, under Farm Essentials.

 

New York Agriculture in the Classroom Grants Available
Deadline: Dec. 3, 2010

NYAITC Kids Growing Food Grant (I & II) applications are available. KGF I is a mini-grant program to aid schools in developing a garden. KGF II is a continuation grant for previous KGF recipients. For more information, visit the NYAITC website.

 

National Gardening Association and Jamba Juice Invite Schools to Apply for Fruit Trees Grant

Deadline: Nov. 29, 2010

The National Gardening Association is accepting applications from U.S. schools for Jamba Juice "It's All About the Fruit" grants, which will provide selected schools with fruit trees to create engaging nutrition and gardening experiences. The grant is open to schools and community garden programs in the United States with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. Click here for more information.

   

General Mills Foundation 2011 Champions for Healthy Kids Grant Program

Deadline: Dec. 15, 2010

The General Mills Foundation, in partnership with the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President's Council on Physical Fitness, is accepting applications for the 2011 Champions for Healthy Kids grant program. This national program annually awards 50 grants of $10,000 each to community-based groups that develop creative ways to help youth adopt a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle. The target audience must be youth between the ages of 2 and 18.  For more information, click here

 

Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge
Deadline: Dec. 30, 2010
As part of the Let's Move! campaign, the USDA is offering cash prizes for winning student teams who submit original recipes that meet the whole grain foods, dark green and/or orange vegetables, and dry beans and peas (legumes) nutrition requirements for school meals. Go to the Recipes for Healthy Kids website
for more information about how to enter and win.

  

NCR-SARE 2010 Call for Proposals
Deadline: Jan. 14, 2011
Proposals are now being accepted for the 2010 North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Youth and Youth Educator GrantsQuestions? Contact Joan Benjamin at 402-472-0809 or 1-800-529-1342.

 

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Peaceful Pathways 
Deadline: Jan. 15, 2011
The Peaceful Pathways: Reducing Exposure to Violence grant seeks to fund projects aimed at reducing violence in traditionally underserved communities that are defined by race, ethnicity, tribe, gender, sexual identity or rural/frontier location. For more information and to apply for this funding, click here.

 

Welch's Harvest Grants - Harvest Grants Program

Deadline: Feb. 11, 2011
Welch's is partnering with Scholastic Publishing Company and the National Gardening Association to offer grants to support school garden programs in the belief that hands-on experiences with planting, tending, and growing gardens provide a dynamic setting for learning and benefit kids of all ages.
For more information, click here.   

EVENTS
 
Lopate & Locavores

Dates:  November 7-9

Just Food and FoodKarma Projects have teamed up with WNYC's Leonard Lopate to bring you a three-day food festival in The Greene Space at WNYC to explore the locavore movement, urban farming, vegetables, cheesemaking and chickens. With demonstrations, live music and wine! For more information, please click here.

 

The Walkable (& Rollable) City: Transportation, Health & Delight
Date: November 10

Location: Proshansky Auditiorium at CUNY's Graduate Center

Join panelists who will address some of the most important questions regarding active design and the city's approach to supporting transportation that does not rely on fossil fuel. To register, visit the MAS website

 

Hattie Carthan Farmy Folks Soiree Fundraiser

Date: November 13, 6pm - 10pm

Location: Clifton Place at Marcy Avenue (next to Hattie Carthan Garden).

The Hattie Carthan Community Farmers' Market is hosting its first annual Hattie Carthan Market Farmy Folks Soiree that will bring together local food lovers, urban gardeners, urban farmers, food justice advocates, volunteers and neighbors to raise funds to support the market's community revitalization work in the Central Brooklyn food desert. Tickets are $25 and buy them here. Email for more information.

  

Stop Speeding Summit

Date: November 19, 8:30am - 5pm

Location: Puck Building, 295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012

Transportation Alternatives is proud to host a groundbreaking summit to address the pervasive effect speeding has on myriad aspects of New Yorkers' lives, from the health of children precluded from outdoor play to the billions of dollars these crashes cost society in medical, emergency services, rehabilitation, property damage and travel delay costs every year. This full-day summit will bring together elected officials and leaders in the fields of transportation policy, public health, medicine, traffic safety and enforcement. Interactive panel discussions and presentations will cover the extent and impact of speed-related crashes and best practices in enforcement and policing. Register online here.

Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners Conference: Growing Wealth, Health and Justice in Our Communities
Dates: November 19 - 21
Location: Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY 

Join your neighbors from across the nation and honorable keynote speaker Will Allen, founder and CEO of Growing Power, Inc., for the first annual Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference. The conference will convene concerned citizens from variety of backgrounds-educators, food activists, gardeners, chefs, community leaders, health professionals and more. For more information on volunteering, sponsoring or facilitating workshops, visit their website.

 

It Take A Region - 2010: A Conference To Build Our Northeast Food System

Dates: November 11-13

Location: Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Albany, NY

Register now for NESAWG's 18th conference and annual meeting for food system advocates, policymakers, planners, researchers, extension and other educators, farm groups and support organizations, food supply chain businesses, consumer groups, youth, students and young food system professionals. Plenary presentation: Re-regionalizing the Food System for Public Health and Sustainability by Columbia University's Urban Design Lab. Learn more about the conference here.

 

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