The Dirt

Have you seen the HBO documentary Weight of the Nation that was aired this week? So far I’ve only watched the first episode. I watched it with my husband and kids (10 and 12) on Monday night. I decided that this was a good opportunity to have my kids see for themselves why I say no to the variety of fast foods and junk foods that they inevitably ask for.

I’ve also read some of the commentary about this documentary, much of it focused on its failings and omissions. While I understand where these commentators are coming from, I have to give praise where praise is due. Kids don’t want to listen to their parents, but they’ll listen to that talking head on the TV. While that’s not always a good thing, in this case I’ve found it very helpful. I can point to the TV and say, “See, that’s why Mom says no when you ask for a soda,” and they get it.

This morning when I was driving my son to school he said, “Mom, can we watch the 2^nd part of that documentary tonight?”

“Of course, “ I replied, feeling rather pleased.

“I was going to say that we should eat pudding while we watched it, but that doesn’t really make sense, does it?” he continued. “I guess we’ll just skip dessert tonight.”

Say what you will about discrimination of overweight and obese people (a real problem) and the lack of conversation about food systems and policy change (which needs to increase), but in my small corner of the world, this documentary is starting a conversation and making a difference. And for that I am grateful.

Each year The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre™ Program hosts a Facilitator Appreciation Banquet for the 40+ Facilitators and their families. The Happy Kitchen Program would not be possible without the dedication of its Facilitators (and their supporting families!). The Happy Kitchen uses the peer-to-peer model to teach and distill cooking and nutrition information that help families make lasting dietary changes for generations to come. We are grateful for Congregation Beth Israel's generosity for letting us use their amazing space. Wheatsville Food Co-op catered the event and let's just say everyone was asking for the recipes afterwards!

Ida and Sandie serving up great food catered by Wheatsville Food Co-op.

Why are they called Facilitators and not teachers or instructors, you might ask? The Happy Kitchen Facilitators certainly do their share of teaching and instructing, however, they are called Facilitators because they facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills being shared in the class. The majority of the Facilitators were once Happy Kitchen participants themselves and are not formally trained chefs or nutritionists--they may not know all of the answers. However, multiple public health intervention studies have proven the power of peers  in helping their community adopt healthier lifestyles. Also, participants themselves are encouraged to share their knowledge and skills with their fellow participants and Facilitators. This kind of environment engages communities in a comfortable way to make behavior changes.

Amy, Navye, Jackie, Kathryn and Linda catching up. Navye, Jackie, Linda and Kathryn have all brought The Happy Kitchen to their churches.

We, as staff in The Happy Kitchen, also learn from our Facilitators. For example, Anne W. taught Katy how to break apart the bones in canned salmon to use in a more calcium-rich salmon patty. Melissa G. taught us not to use the green center part of garlic as it is oftentimes bitter. Who knew?? Adriana learned from Noemi R. that instead of adding a small amount of sugar to sweeten up strawberries, balsamic vinegar can be used!

This year, Facilitators will have dedicated over 2800 hours of their time teaching classes and workshops in Central Texas reaching more than 500 families. We are so thankful for our Facilitators and look forward to the years to come in helping all Central Texans cook and eat healthfully!

Lorena, Joy and Maria pose with their twins! Lorena and Maria have been facilitating for over 6 years!

Overview

Sustainable Food Center (SFC) cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. SFC’s Grow Local program offers the resources and education to enable children and adults in Central Texas to develop skills in organic food production, as well as an understanding of the importance of local food production for the health and well-being of themselves, their families and community, and the environment. SFC’s Sprouting Healthy Kids project is a farm-to-school and food systems education initiative that includes incorporation of locally grown fresh foods into school cafeterias, plus in-class and after-school gardening and cooking educational activities. We are looking for a dynamic, bilingual, relational individual to administer SFC’s train-the trainer Citizen Gardener gardening and volunteer program, and to organize community members in schools and neighborhoods for SFC’s Sprouting Healthy Kids middle school partners.

Position Description

The Education Coordinator & Community Health Organizer AmeriCorps*VISTA will oversee administration of Citizen Gardener classes and teacher trainings, as well as assist with administration of other Grow Local classes and trainings. Assistance will also be provided for Grow Local’s Spread the Harvest gardening and food-sharing program. The VISTA will also work through underserved middle schools in Austin to develop, support, and facilitate school wellness teams consisting of parents, teachers, and community leaders, and will connect these wellness teams to SFC’s Sprouting Healthy Kids programs and services.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate scheduling and logistics of Citizen Gardener classes and teacher trainings
• Prepare teacher materials and carry out Citizen Gardener class follow-up activities
• Oversee and track Citizen Gardener volunteer hours
• Assist with planning and logistics of Citizen Gardener graduation events
• Conduct outreach, material preparation, and follow-up for other Grow Local classes
• Manage Spread the Harvest participant database & assist with planning of resource give-away events
• Translate Grow Local class materials into Spanish as needed
• Assist middle school wellness teams with growing their stakeholder participation
• Provide support to wellness teams by assisting with school and community programming activities and connecting to SFC resources

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts or Sciences or appropriate experience
• MUST be bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in both English and Spanish
• Ability to relate to and connect with individuals and groups in low-income communities
• Must have community organizing skills and a familiarity with school settings
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Must be organized and detail oriented
• Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office (proficiency in Adobe InDesign & web application is a plus)
• Knowledge and experience with food gardening, farm-to-school, and healthy cooking preferred
• Ability to work a flexible schedule
• Reliable transportation

Compensation

Sustainable Food Center is an equal opportunity employer; women and people of color are encouraged to apply. This is a full-time (40 hours per week), one-year position. Serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member, you are eligible for the following: living allowance of $11,232 per year, health insurance, childcare assistance, professional development opportunities, student loan deferment, and, upon completion of the program, a choice of a $4,725 education award or a $1,200 cash stipend.

Application Instructions

To apply, email resume, cover letter, three references, and a Spanish/English writing sample (1 page) to Sari Albornoz, Grow Local Co-Director, at sari at sustainablefoodcenter dot org. Interested applicants MUST also apply through AmeriCorps at https://my.americorps.gov/.

No phone calls, por favor.

Resumes accepted until May 25, 2012. Position begins July 17, 2012.

To learn more about Sustainable Food Center, go to: www.sustainablefoodcenter.org. To learn more about VISTA, go to www.americorps.org/about/programs/vista.asp.

Overview

Sustainable Food Center (SFC) cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. Sustainable Food Center is hiring an individual through the Americorps*VISTA program of the Corporation for National and Community Service to organize school-based wellness teams that will plan and implement comprehensive health programming. SFC’s Sprouting Healthy Kids project is a farm-to-school and food-systems education initiative that includes incorporation of locally grown fresh foods into school cafeterias, plus in-class and after-school gardening and cooking educational activities. SFC partners with Marathon Kids, a free six-month endurance building running/walking and nutrition program for K-5th public, private and home-schooled children and their families. We are looking for a dynamic, bilingual, relational individual to organize community members in schools and neighborhoods for a Sustainable Food Center/Marathon Kids partnership project and provide capacity building support of SFC’s other program areas. Monthly living allowance and end-of-service stipend or education award provided through the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Position Description

The AmeriCorps*VISTA member will work through under-served middle and elementary schools in Austin to develop, support, and facilitate school wellness teams consisting of parents, teachers, and community leaders. VISTA will support the teams through the planning, implementation, and leadership development phases of a comprehensive school and community-based nutrition program, with a focus on local food systems efforts such as local food in cafeterias, community and school gardening, healthy cooking classes, and the Marathon Kids physical activity program. The AmeriCorps*VISTA member will also work with SFC Farmers’ Market staff to improve the capacity of the markets to serve lower-income clients and to meet environmental sustainability goals. Candidate must be fluent in Spanish and pass a written and oral fluency interview.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have an ability to relate to and connect with individuals and groups within the communities in which the work will be done. Candidate must be fluent in both English and Spanish, and must be able to commit to the Americorps*VISTA terms of service. The ideal candidate will have extensive community organizing skills and experience, a familiarity with both school settings and farmers’ markets, and knowledge of farm-to-school, community gardening, and healthy cooking. Bachelors degree preferred, but appropriate experience may be substituted. Applicants must be able to inspire school, neighborhood, and parent stakeholders to commit to building a program that addresses the fitness and nutrition needs of the community. Candidate must have their own transportation.

Primary Functions

• Identify and meet with potential leaders from among school stakeholders (current district and school program leaders, teachers, parents, neighbors, other community organizations) to identify those who will lead the nutrition/fitness program that includes elements of Marathon Kids and Sustainable Food Center’s Cultivating Healthy Communities initiative.
• Organize planning and training sessions with wellness teams on healthy food efforts, local food systems projects and physical activity programs.
• Connect wellness teams with SFC resources and other community resources to provide support and monitoring for school and neighborhood programming activities.
• Assist in the development and delivery of both formal and informal team leadership development training for wellness team members.
• Assist market staff with improving connections between SFC Farmers’ Market efforts and traditional underserved customers.
• Review current farmers’ market operations and develop recommendations for environmental sustainability.

Compensation

Sustainable Food Center is an equal opportunity employer; women and people of color are encouraged to apply. This is a full-time (40 hours per week), one-year position. Members of AmeriCorps*VISTA are eligible for a: living allowance of $11,232 per year, health insurance, childcare assistance, student loan deferment, and, upon completion of the program, a choice of a $4,725 education award or a $1,200 cash stipend.

Application Instructions

To apply, send by email a cover letter, resume, three references, and Spanish and English writing samples (1 page each) to Andrew W. Smiley, Projects Director, andrew@sustainablefoodcenter.org.

Interested applicants MUST also apply through AmeriCorps at https://my.americorps.gov

Applications accepted until May 25, 2012. Position begins July 17, 2012.

To learn more about Sustainable Food Center, go to: www.sustainablefoodcenter.org. To learn more about VISTA, go to www.americorps.org/about/programs/vista.asp.

On April 26th, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved their draft of the 2012 Farm Bill (the Agricultural Reform, Food and Jobs Act). This bill includes a substantial $23 billion in savings over 10 years, and does so by drastically cutting the budget from commodity programs as well as our critical conservation and nutrition programs.

Many of the priorities identified by SFC and our partners were included in the Senate Ag committee’s recent version. Our friends at the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) have issued an article detailing how many of our priorities fared. Please click here to read the full CFSC article.

The bill includes increased funding for:

• Farmers’ Market and Local Food Promotion Program
• Hunger-Free Community Incentive Grants
• Specialty Crop Block Grants
• Healthy Food Financing Initiative
• Improving ease of SNAP Redemption at Farmers’ Markets
• Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program

As the Farm Bill moves from the committee to the full Senate, SFC reminds you of how powerful a call to your lawmakers can be. We encourage you to call or email your Senators today to ask for their support for those priorities listed above. Consider this: If you’re not talking to Congress about food who is?

Detailed information on how to contact your representatives is included in our recent blog posting: http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/_blog/The_Dirt/post/Farm_Bill_2012_Update/

Saturday, April 28th, 25 community gardens throughout Austin opened their gates and welcomed visitors for the largest-yet Austin Community Gardening Tour, organized by the Coalition of Austin Community Gardens, SFC, and the City of Austin’s Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Community Garden (SUACG) program. On what turned out to be a gorgeous spring day, visitors had the opportunity to participate in gardener-led tours, free educational talks (on topics like medicinal plants and rainwater harvesting), and gardener workdays.

To close out the day, gardeners and visitors convened at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard (a music venue and community green space in East Austin, managed by DiverseArts Culture Works) for a Celebration of Community Gardens. Over a local-food potluck, Coalition members and the City’s Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Community Garden Coordinator shared updates about the progress in our local community gardening movement, and invited everyone to get involved. For more information about the CACG or the annual Community Gardening tour, visit www.communitygardensaustin.org. To learn more about the Austin SUACG program, visit www.austintexas.gov/austingrows.

Grow Local recently wrapped up a successful round of spring classes, including four Basic Organic Gardening series, five Citizen Gardener trainings, and two School Garden Leadership trainings. Grow Local’s Basic Organic Gardening & Citizen Gardener classes are taught by some amazing community members who love gardening and are inspired to share this knowledge with others. Classes took place at a variety of locations, including several under-served elementary schools, faith-based centers, and an eldercare center. Hundreds of participants gained new knowledge and skills about how to grow their own healthy, local food, and were inspired to start gardening.

The next Grow Local class will be a Community Garden Leadership training on Saturday, June 16, which explains how to start and sustain a successful community garden project – look for more details and registration information coming soon on SFC’s Events page. The next round of Basic Organic Gardening, Citizen Gardener, and School Garden Leadership trainings will start up in the fall, so check our Events page this summer for details about those.

On April 17, over 100 kindergarten students, parents, and staff from Jordan Elementary took a fieldtrip to the SFC Farmers’ Market East, located just a mile and a half from the school. The group was greeted by an energetic farmers’ market crew and started out the day by participating in an interactive educational activity tracing products such as jam and pickles to their original ingredients – strawberries and cucumbers. Then, they watched a cooking demonstration for a “Green Goddess Dressing” from the SFC cookbook and eagerly dipped radishes and cucumbers into the final product. Kid-approved! Afterward, they toured the market and talked to farmers, learning about fruits, vegetables, pecans, honey, and other local products. Students asked questions such as, “Does that carrot taste good?” to “Do the bees like their own honey?” They especially liked sampling sweet, ripe strawberries from Naeglin Farms. The group ended the fieldtrip with a picnic lunch and playtime on the nearby playground. One teacher followed up in an email saying, “The kids had a great time at the farmers’ market. Some even said they enjoyed it more than the rodeo, and that’s a big compliment!”