Although I was unable to watch the documentary this week, I watched the trailer for it and read some of the posts on the "GROW!" blog. I think it is incredibly moving that young, educated individuals are seeing the need for farmers in our country and are devoting their lives to it. I hope that at some point this summer I will be able to watch the film.
On another note, I am meeting a few of the refugees from one of our partners "Us Together" tomorrow at the garden. They planted the garden earlier in the spring and Joan and I have been maintaining it because it is difficult for them to get transporation to the garden other than Saturday mornings. After watering today, I noticed that a few things can be harvested tomorrow including onions and peppers! We are so excited for the progress!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
You Want Me to Eat What?!?
I just finished reading some posts and it seems a lot of you are frustrated that people are not making healthy food choices, and instead are choosing processed foods even when the healthy stuff is available for free or at cost. So how do we change it?? Do you think people who are making these bad choices know exactly what the processed, chemical-filled foods are doing to their body? How do we educate them, do you think they will learn from handouts and a brief class?
The OCC Summer Associates bring up a good point, that if you've eaten fast food and processed food over and over again that it tastes better than the bland foods that come directly from a garden. Here is an article that backs up this point: http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-stupidest-habits-you-develop-growing-up-poor/. It was sent to me by one of our yearlong VISTAs and has stuck with me for the last several months.
Ironically, here are some pics from the 6th Street community garden in Newark :)
~Brenna
The OCC Summer Associates bring up a good point, that if you've eaten fast food and processed food over and over again that it tastes better than the bland foods that come directly from a garden. Here is an article that backs up this point: http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-stupidest-habits-you-develop-growing-up-poor/. It was sent to me by one of our yearlong VISTAs and has stuck with me for the last several months.
Ironically, here are some pics from the 6th Street community garden in Newark :)
~Brenna
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The Reality of Poverty
This article strikes a cord with me because it is the bind I am currently witnessing at my own organization, the Ely Chapman Education Foundation. When making up the daily food menu for children, there are many concerns that need to be taken into account. The first is price. Fresh, healthy food tends to be more expensive. While Ely Chapman works hard to pinpoint foods on sale, the reality is that sometimes the nonprofit must purchase cheaper food. Second, the food bought must be able to be mass produced for about 150 students in the span of an hour and a half. This places a limit on the ability to use too many fresh ingredients. Third, the food must be something that the students will agree to eat, because if the students do not eat the healthy food that is put in front of them, then the whole thing loses its purpose. Finally, the food must be as healthy as is possible, taking in to consideration the restraints mentioned before.Facing such multifaceted concerns, it is easy to see how organizations and individual families can choose to prioritize elements other than nutrition. These complex considerations is why our country is facing the twin problems of obesity and hunger.
Having experienced this situation at Ely Chapman, I can imagine the struggle a low-income family must go through when deciding upon dinner. A McDouble at McDonald's costs one dollar. What would a parent choose when faced with the reality of cheap, unhealthy, but filling food, or expensive, but healthy, selections that will most likely mean less to eat? I cannot say what even I, an informed and educated individual would do if placed in such a situation. While I remain unsure about what exactly to do to solve this problem, I do know that something must be done to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Healthy foods must see a price reduction, so that impoverish families can provide their children, and themselves, with the nutrition they need, without having to use their entire months paycheck to do so.
Having experienced this situation at Ely Chapman, I can imagine the struggle a low-income family must go through when deciding upon dinner. A McDouble at McDonald's costs one dollar. What would a parent choose when faced with the reality of cheap, unhealthy, but filling food, or expensive, but healthy, selections that will most likely mean less to eat? I cannot say what even I, an informed and educated individual would do if placed in such a situation. While I remain unsure about what exactly to do to solve this problem, I do know that something must be done to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Healthy foods must see a price reduction, so that impoverish families can provide their children, and themselves, with the nutrition they need, without having to use their entire months paycheck to do so.
Monday, June 25, 2012
We have seen the enemy...
When I helped collect fresh produce from the local farmer's market to bring to the Salvation Army, I was excited. I thought we were doing something great for the people of Newark who lack access to good, healthy food. However, a week later when I saw the same produce still sitting in a fridge at the Salvation Army, I saw that there was still a problem. Yes, you can give people food, and it can even be the right food, but unless they have the tools and the knowledge to prepare it, you aren't doing enough. The volunteers we work with at the farmer's market are well-intentioned, but they do not realize that the work they do still falls short of meeting the needs of the community.
When families show up to the food pantry, they skip right over the vegetables and head straight for the pizza donated from Pizza Hut and donuts leftover from a local bakery. This frustrated me at first because I didn't understand why they would turn down the better quality foods when it was available to them. 'I collected that swiss chard this morning!' I thought, 'and I would gladly take it home with me.' But then I realized that most of these people didn't know how to prepare swiss chard, or turnips, and, why I don't even know how to eat kohlrabi! And even if they did know how to make these foods, as the article suggests, they may lack the stove to cook it or the fridge to store it.
We recently met a man here in Newark who has a vision of how to alleviate poverty in this area. Chris Ramsey works with Sparta Cafe and Bridges Out of Poverty, and he told us that there are three philosophies of how to help people. There is the 'give a man a fish' method, or in this case, the method in which well-to-do folks feel they are helping society by donating pretentious foods like kohlrabi to the local food pantry. Then there is the 'teach a man to fish' method, in which the impoverished are taught how to prepare these foods and how to get access to them on their own. And there is the third method which most people never stop to think about: instead of giving a man a fish or teaching him how to fish, ask him if he even wants fish at all. Ask him what he needs and how you can help him. Most people who volunteer their time or resources are so busy thinking about what a good person they are for helping out, that they never stop to wonder wether they are really providing the assistance that is needed or wanted.
What we need to do then, is ask the people we encounter what they need. What kinds of foods would they like to see donated? Do they need cooking instructions? Do they need a kitchen in which to cook it? Perhaps it would be more beneficial for the Salvation Army not to hand out junk food and put the vegetables in the back, but to lend out their appliances for people to use so that they can actually eat the healthier foods.
Programs such as SNAP may be well-meaning, but they certainly haven't put a dent in the issues of poverty or healthy food access in America. Instead of telling the people what they need, government officials should simply ask them, as we are beginning to do here in Licking County at our local food pantry.
When families show up to the food pantry, they skip right over the vegetables and head straight for the pizza donated from Pizza Hut and donuts leftover from a local bakery. This frustrated me at first because I didn't understand why they would turn down the better quality foods when it was available to them. 'I collected that swiss chard this morning!' I thought, 'and I would gladly take it home with me.' But then I realized that most of these people didn't know how to prepare swiss chard, or turnips, and, why I don't even know how to eat kohlrabi! And even if they did know how to make these foods, as the article suggests, they may lack the stove to cook it or the fridge to store it.
We recently met a man here in Newark who has a vision of how to alleviate poverty in this area. Chris Ramsey works with Sparta Cafe and Bridges Out of Poverty, and he told us that there are three philosophies of how to help people. There is the 'give a man a fish' method, or in this case, the method in which well-to-do folks feel they are helping society by donating pretentious foods like kohlrabi to the local food pantry. Then there is the 'teach a man to fish' method, in which the impoverished are taught how to prepare these foods and how to get access to them on their own. And there is the third method which most people never stop to think about: instead of giving a man a fish or teaching him how to fish, ask him if he even wants fish at all. Ask him what he needs and how you can help him. Most people who volunteer their time or resources are so busy thinking about what a good person they are for helping out, that they never stop to wonder wether they are really providing the assistance that is needed or wanted.
What we need to do then, is ask the people we encounter what they need. What kinds of foods would they like to see donated? Do they need cooking instructions? Do they need a kitchen in which to cook it? Perhaps it would be more beneficial for the Salvation Army not to hand out junk food and put the vegetables in the back, but to lend out their appliances for people to use so that they can actually eat the healthier foods.
Programs such as SNAP may be well-meaning, but they certainly haven't put a dent in the issues of poverty or healthy food access in America. Instead of telling the people what they need, government officials should simply ask them, as we are beginning to do here in Licking County at our local food pantry.
The Sad Truth
Reading this week's article was sad, but not very enlightening. Over the past three weeks, Lia, Glenn, and I have been faced, time and time again, with the truth that processed foods are easier to come by, easier to prepare, and are cheaper. It's not surprising that low-income families buy processed foods that are high in sodium and sugar. For them, it's economical.
Working at the Salvation Army in Newark, Ohio, it's become quite clear to me what the poor in this country eat. The food pantry is stocked with boxes of Mac' and Cheese and canned soups and vegetables. There are shelves of cookies and Ramen. There are frozen pizzas and peanut butter. All of this food is high in artificial preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and all have a decided lack of nutrition. And so when low-income individuals or families come in, they are faced with shelves and shelves of boxed, processed foods.
The most depressing thing for me to watch, however, is not the accumulation of the massive pile of boxed goods in the pantry. It's when a family comes in and is offered fresh carrots, or a head of lettuce... and they decline the offer. Just last week I watched a mother turn down a bag of apples, but load up on mac' and cheese. I can't seem to understand how or why fresh food is not as appealing as processed. It's sad, and it needs to change.
Part of the problem that I see is the inevitable addiction that comes with regularly consuming fast foods or processed foods--foods that are pumped so full of chemically engineered flavors that they have no counterpart in nature. I've eaten a Big Mac, I've eaten chicken fingers--they taste good. But consistently eating flavors that have no natural source is bound to make fresh produce taste bland. Consistently eating foods high in sodium and sugar is going to make fresh foods taste flavorless. Those engineered flavors, salt, and sugar will become the norm, and anything less than that will be uninteresting. And it's awful that those fake tastes are coming to be the norm in our country.
It's not ok to be providing our poor with only unhealthy foods. It's hard to change an entire system, but we need to find a way to promote fresh foods among the lower-income classes. We can't rely so much on giving out "filler foods" (to borrow a phrase from Amy Barger)--we need to start promoting fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats. We need to change prices in stores so that the cheap foods are the healthy ones. We need to start thinking about what we put into our bodies, and what the long term effects of those choices are. It's fantastic that 750 farmer's markets accept SNAP credits... but only 750?!? We have a domestic population of over 300 million people (census.gov)! That's one farmer's market for every 400,000 people! It's a start, but it's not enough. We need to push these changes. We can start locally. Every person makes a difference. And together, all of our small local changes will show. We can make a difference.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Let them Eat Junk
" All but 23 of the U.S.’s 436 congressional districts (counting D.C.) have a food hardship rate of 10 percent or higher. " I found this interesting but I was not shocked by these numbers. Before I started working for the Westerville Kids Lunch Club (through the W.A.R.M) I assumed that poverty and hunger was not a problem whatsoever in our community. I thought Westerville was an "upity" town with a higher middle class community. But now through seeing and talking with the residents I see how it really is and how programs to help those below the poverty line are important to have everywhere. Even some of the best suburbs, small towns and cities in America have problems with food hardships according to this data. It is important to not just look at the upper middle class as I described before and actually recognize those who are in need of help.
"But the hunger problems of many real SNAP participants are multifaceted. Eating healthily on a low income might be feasible for those with vehicles, stoves, refrigerators, and accessible supermarkets—but such conveniences aren’t necessarily standard below the poverty line." I never really had thought about the luxuries of stoves and fridges because mine had just always been there. It's true though; having the ability to keep things fresh and store leftovers is very necessary to not being wastefully and in the end saving money. Some people who qualify for SNAP I'm sure do a fine job of budgeting their food and making the most of it. I always found it annoying when people would come into UDF where I worked last summer and buy junk food with their SNAP or EBT allowment. I understand now, that it was a cheap fix but I wish there was a way to educate and help them understand the better decisions they could make. The 2012 Farm Bill would be a great way to lower the costs of more nutritious meals for those everywhere in America. But then comes back to how do they get the food and can they store it. There are organizations that help feed and keep food on the table; maybe there should be a program to trully help educate the people and give them stoves, ovens, or refrigerators so they can be as efficent and possible with their allowences.
"But the hunger problems of many real SNAP participants are multifaceted. Eating healthily on a low income might be feasible for those with vehicles, stoves, refrigerators, and accessible supermarkets—but such conveniences aren’t necessarily standard below the poverty line." I never really had thought about the luxuries of stoves and fridges because mine had just always been there. It's true though; having the ability to keep things fresh and store leftovers is very necessary to not being wastefully and in the end saving money. Some people who qualify for SNAP I'm sure do a fine job of budgeting their food and making the most of it. I always found it annoying when people would come into UDF where I worked last summer and buy junk food with their SNAP or EBT allowment. I understand now, that it was a cheap fix but I wish there was a way to educate and help them understand the better decisions they could make. The 2012 Farm Bill would be a great way to lower the costs of more nutritious meals for those everywhere in America. But then comes back to how do they get the food and can they store it. There are organizations that help feed and keep food on the table; maybe there should be a program to trully help educate the people and give them stoves, ovens, or refrigerators so they can be as efficent and possible with their allowences.
Eat well. Live well.
The transition of fast food from home cooked meals and cheaper foods being less nutritious has led to a great deal of our health and obesity problems in America. The 2012 Farm Bill shows that due to government policies the wrong or less healthy sugary food are more easily accessible and cheaper. The recognition of this bill is important because it could help change the prices and availability of fruits and vegetables and help those in poverty to make better decisions regarding their checkbook and diet. Through my lunch program, I think that our resources' communities give to those in poverty do well in regarding hunger especially to children.
Children are blessings but I think one thing that leads to a lot of poverty is adults having children at a young age before the are financially stable and fully educated. A child can lead to stress and puts pressure on money for the parent. This can result in buying the cheaper unhealthy food which could lead to obesity and an never ending cycle of poverty in a family.
Children are blessings but I think one thing that leads to a lot of poverty is adults having children at a young age before the are financially stable and fully educated. A child can lead to stress and puts pressure on money for the parent. This can result in buying the cheaper unhealthy food which could lead to obesity and an never ending cycle of poverty in a family.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Food Insecurity Article
What is also impactful is addressing the food we are feeding the hungry, the homeless and the food insecure, those who do not have a consistent source of food. I literally was in tears bringing my first harvest to a food pantry not because of the affect I knew I had on the local families I shared the good food with, but because of the sky-high piles of unhealthy, processed, sugary and salty foods being provided to an impoverished uneducated population as donations. It made me truly cry for them. It is not acceptable to me. I am glad to be in the position to provide what we do, but policy-wise we can't accept these donations as acceptable to feed our poor if they are items we don't consider healthy. It is not ethical.
Just today I had a meeting with a leading Pastor in our area, rural Clermont County. We discussed the problem of food insecurity and how there are now being developed programs to help bridge gaps for these individuals and trying to also address the types of foods being provided. With my donations I have made it an effort to provide a recipe and a nutritious component so that everyone understands the benefit of the good fruit/vegetable they are getting the joy of taking home with them.
Today we also discussed how there are categories of individuals who are not in the radar of government programming and when most of the voting public considers things "being taken care of" they are not truly considering the unmet needs here. There are many in the population, which by no fault of their own have ended up uninsured in this country and are also ineligible for benefits. Forget not making benefits work. The problem is so much greater than the scope of a small blog article can address. But it's great to begin the conversations, to network with those in positions of power, community leaders, etc. to influence and affect change and to propose effective solutions to make it happen. Let's not see these things happen and just say it needs to change. It's our job to make it happen!
What is also impactful is addressing the food we are feeding the hungry, the homeless and the food insecure, those who do not have a consistent source of food. I literally was in tears bringing my first harvest to a food pantry not because of the affect I knew I had on the local families I shared the good food with, but because of the sky-high piles of unhealthy, processed, sugary and salty foods being provided to an impoverished uneducated population as donations. It made me truly cry for them. It is not acceptable to me. I am glad to be in the position to provide what we do, but policy-wise we can't accept these donations as acceptable to feed our poor if they are items we don't consider healthy. It is not ethical.
Just today I had a meeting with a leading Pastor in our area, rural Clermont County. We discussed the problem of food insecurity and how there are now being developed programs to help bridge gaps for these individuals and trying to also address the types of foods being provided. With my donations I have made it an effort to provide a recipe and a nutritious component so that everyone understands the benefit of the good fruit/vegetable they are getting the joy of taking home with them.
Today we also discussed how there are categories of individuals who are not in the radar of government programming and when most of the voting public considers things "being taken care of" they are not truly considering the unmet needs here. There are many in the population, which by no fault of their own have ended up uninsured in this country and are also ineligible for benefits. Forget not making benefits work. The problem is so much greater than the scope of a small blog article can address. But it's great to begin the conversations, to network with those in positions of power, community leaders, etc. to influence and affect change and to propose effective solutions to make it happen. Let's not see these things happen and just say it needs to change. It's our job to make it happen!
Let Them Eat Junk
I really enjoyed reading this week's article "Let Them Eat Junk." There were two quotes in the article that really struck me and I felt the corresponded accurately to the work I'm doing this summer.
Quote #1: "And poor nutrition often accompanies this hunger, as low-income families adopt eating strategies that fill rather than nourish."
Councilman Joe Cimperman, one of my school's community partners, has a quote that pertains to this acricle and my work this summer. In Cleveland, he says, it is 5x easier to get a Big Mac than a banana. Availability is key to ensuring those below the poverty line eat healthier. Cleveland is working to get a community garden within every 5 city blocks and we are hoping that our work this summer can get the city closer to that goal.
Quote #2: "Eating healthily on a low income migh tbe feasible for those with vehicles, stoves, refrigerators, and accessible supermarkets--but such conveniences aren't necessarily standard below the poverty line."
At the Heights Emergency Food Center, 3 days worth of groceries per person, are provided to families each time they visit (which can be up to once per month). Athough a majority of the items are canned goods and boxed products, the center is able to provide fresh produce to the families when it is available. The produce from one of our gardens on campus is donated to the center. One of our ideas for the summer is to work on a way to teach the clients that visit the center ways to prepare the foods we provide to them in a healthy way, considering they might not have accessibility to a supermarket or even a refrigerator.
Quote #1: "And poor nutrition often accompanies this hunger, as low-income families adopt eating strategies that fill rather than nourish."
Councilman Joe Cimperman, one of my school's community partners, has a quote that pertains to this acricle and my work this summer. In Cleveland, he says, it is 5x easier to get a Big Mac than a banana. Availability is key to ensuring those below the poverty line eat healthier. Cleveland is working to get a community garden within every 5 city blocks and we are hoping that our work this summer can get the city closer to that goal.
Quote #2: "Eating healthily on a low income migh tbe feasible for those with vehicles, stoves, refrigerators, and accessible supermarkets--but such conveniences aren't necessarily standard below the poverty line."
At the Heights Emergency Food Center, 3 days worth of groceries per person, are provided to families each time they visit (which can be up to once per month). Athough a majority of the items are canned goods and boxed products, the center is able to provide fresh produce to the families when it is available. The produce from one of our gardens on campus is donated to the center. One of our ideas for the summer is to work on a way to teach the clients that visit the center ways to prepare the foods we provide to them in a healthy way, considering they might not have accessibility to a supermarket or even a refrigerator.
Eating Healthy, Living Longer
Since working as a Vista Associate
for the Booker T. Washington Community Center, it has been so evident to me the
struggle for the poor to eat healthy. Everyday when I come to work, I can
expect at least 10 kids to tell me that they are hungry and at least another 15
kids to tell me that all they ate that day was donuts or some other sugar
filled food item. These children have
limited access to fresh food options and if given the choice, they would still
probably choose an unhealthy option due to their lack of knowledge of a better
choice.
Many people who never had to
struggle financially take for granted the knowledge of healthy food
options. In most impoverished
neighborhoods, there are no farmer markets or healthy groceries stores.
Oftentimes, the only stores to get food from are corner stores that sell cheap,
high sodium and high fat foods. These
children are only exposed to Maruchan ramen noodles, hot dogs, and chips, which
become apart of their daily diets. It’s no wonder then why poor children
usually wind up with serious health risks in the future.
While reading Sojourners’ article
on increasing healthy food options, the author made some very good points. They
stated that although it is good for Americans to recognize the hunger problem
in our country, it’s our subsequence action that matters in solving the issue.
It’s not enough anymore to just talk about the issue; rather, we have to make
forward progress and take strategic steps to decrease hunger. The government barely
gives families enough food stamps to survive the month, let alone to eat healthier
foods. I was happy to read that farmer markets are starting to take food stamps
and fresh foods are becoming more affordable. Businesses are starting to team up with local
neighborhoods to deliver fresh food the community members and various CDC’s are
beginning to plant gardens for its residents.
However, issuing food stamps and given away fresh food alone will not
significantly decrease the issue. We
have to educate people on benefits of having fresh food and different ways to
cook it. Having fresh food and no idea
of how to make it, helps no one.
If we want
to make a change for a healthy lifestyle, we have to start now and with our
youth. We need to make efforts to not just provide food and money, but to
educate about healthier living. The cycle of unhealthy eating habits is a tough
one to break, but it is not impossible if we stay committed and determined to
change it.
The Hunger Issue
While I am no longer surprised about the unfortunate situation regarding the lack of food (especially healthy food) in this country, I don't think I will ever be comfortable with it. When I look at this article and think about the children that I interact with on a daily basis, I feel like there is something that we can do.
Knowing that more farmer's markets are accepting SNAP as a form of payment is a great step in the right direction. They are combating the rat race of feeding impoverished families unhealthy foods. As the article suggests, the most affordable foods are the ones that are not good for you. They come pre-packaged and loaded with sodium, mostly for preservation purposes. Realistically, it is difficult for a family of four to eat well-balanced meals everyday with $200 in food stamps if they are buying fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. It is more economical for them to buy the unhealthy inferior goods.
Aside from cost and accessibility to these foods, there is another issue that plagues some families regarding healthy eating options and that is time for preparation. Many families below the poverty line have parent(s), sibling(s), guardian(s), etc. that must work long hours which doesn't provide much time to prepare a quality meal. After 12 hours of work it is quicker (and quite frankly a lot easier) to throw a TV dinner in a microwave than to actually cook a full meal. Quick dinners, frozen foods, packaged foods, and processed foods serve as a relief to many families as it saves time and energy.
The solution to this problem is multifaceted. As a start, healthy foods should continue to become more accessible. Once families know that they can get it, they may begin to consider other food options. After they know that it is there, we have to make it affordable. That means either give out more SNAP to families that receive it or lower prices of the foods that they should eat. Given the state of our economy, option 2 is probably more likely.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Hello from Mount Union!
Ahoy! Names Matt Miller and I'm an incoming senior here at Mount Union. I'm a Geology major and a Political Science minor. I'm a member of Mount's cross country and track teams, and I'm also the President of fraternities Sigma Nu chapter. I would the outdoors-camping, hiking, biking, RUNNING, I love it all. It is essentially why I decided to major in Geology at first. It's a career that requires you to be outside a lot working with the Earth.
I got recommending for the VISTA position by one of my fraternities alumni. I interviewed and got it, not really knowing all what it entailed at first. Once I started to look more into it all, I can't even began to tell you how excited I was and still am. Mount Union is in a small town called Alliance, a town that really thrives off the university. The poverty levels are unfortunately staggering here. 90% of kids in grades K-12 qualify for reduced lunches here, which is a total family income under 42,000. 30% qualify for free lunch and are at poverty level. Which is I believe less than 28,000? Anyway you get the idea.
I would the opportunity of being able to help this town out. I've started managing a project in conjunction with our already in place Alliance Farmer's Market, a community garden awareness day. Last Saturday in July, it will be a community wide event that bring everyone together (especially the children) to learn about where the community gardens are in Alliance, what you can use them for, recipes for foods grown in them etc.
I've rambled enough! Good luck to everyone!
-Matt
I got recommending for the VISTA position by one of my fraternities alumni. I interviewed and got it, not really knowing all what it entailed at first. Once I started to look more into it all, I can't even began to tell you how excited I was and still am. Mount Union is in a small town called Alliance, a town that really thrives off the university. The poverty levels are unfortunately staggering here. 90% of kids in grades K-12 qualify for reduced lunches here, which is a total family income under 42,000. 30% qualify for free lunch and are at poverty level. Which is I believe less than 28,000? Anyway you get the idea.
I would the opportunity of being able to help this town out. I've started managing a project in conjunction with our already in place Alliance Farmer's Market, a community garden awareness day. Last Saturday in July, it will be a community wide event that bring everyone together (especially the children) to learn about where the community gardens are in Alliance, what you can use them for, recipes for foods grown in them etc.
I've rambled enough! Good luck to everyone!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Good Luck From Otterbein!
Hey Guys and Gals,
My name is Andy Hufford and I am a student at Otterbein University (Westerville, OH) studying Actuarial Science. I love being active and working outside and this job makes me be able to fulfill both. I chose to be a VISTA Summer Associate because as an Actuarial Science Major I figured I'd be working in the business world the rest of my life, so for the summer I wanted to do something to give back to the local community, and put some cash in my pocket for schooling and for play. So far it has been very rewarding.
Good luck and thanks,
Andy Hufford
My name is Andy Hufford and I am a student at Otterbein University (Westerville, OH) studying Actuarial Science. I love being active and working outside and this job makes me be able to fulfill both. I chose to be a VISTA Summer Associate because as an Actuarial Science Major I figured I'd be working in the business world the rest of my life, so for the summer I wanted to do something to give back to the local community, and put some cash in my pocket for schooling and for play. So far it has been very rewarding.
Good luck and thanks,
Andy Hufford
Complexity at its Worst: Solution Education
Today, America faces such a complexity of interconnected issues that solutions, or even the beginning to solutions, seem far from reach.With poverty and obesity living side by side, it seems difficult to pinpoint the underlying problems that could cause what seems to be two vastly different issues. However, in my opinion, the core problem at fault lies within America's broken and rapidly failing education system.
While education may seem to be the easy answer that everyone throws out, I believe this is because education is the foundation of any country, and our country is currently facing problems of great magnitude, requiring an especially educated populace. Academics can correlate the industrialization and development of countries directly with education levels, particularly the education levels of women. As the general education level for a country's populace rises, so does the infrastructure, business successes, and economic prosperity of that country. While America is certainly well-developed, it is my opinion that our educational curriculum no longer produces truly educated citizens, but instead pushes the masses through an entirely too standardized and faulty system. This system is what needs to be revamped if our country is to successfully address the issues of poverty and obesity.
Thoughts and feelings about education need to be shifted and the attitude about its purpose reemphasized. Many see education as a necessity (which it is, in a way), something that needs to be accomplished in order to gain a piece of paper that allows students to move on with their lives. In the pursuit of this piece of paper, students lose the value of simply understanding the who, what, when, where, and why's of life. Students cram information into their heads the day before a test, regurgitate that information, and then allow it to slip from their ears. Worst yet, teachers not only allow this to happen, but in fact some teachers even base tests and quizzes upon this expectation. However, this blame cannot solely rest upon the shoulders of students and teachers, but must also fall upon the system, which requires certain subjects to be focused upon at the expense of others in order to achieve high results on standardized tests. Education should instead focus its attention on providing well-rounded opportunities. Students should be able to learn calculus, read poems, make a shelf in wood shop, take apart a computer to see how it works, study the human body, and learn to cook in FCS classes. Education should provided ways for students to find their niches, to learn what they love to do, and be inspired to do it, all while equipping them with the fundamental knowledge and skills to break the cycle of poverty and understand the dangers of obesity.
The solution is not simply. It will take a considerably amount of time, effort, and support to closely examine the current educational system from top-down and ensure that our schools are the flexible, supportive environments necessary to allow informed citizens to enter the workforce and make a positive difference in the world, big or small. However, as education improves, ideas will form, and eventually, solutions will bloom to address the many issues our nation, and our world, faces.
While education may seem to be the easy answer that everyone throws out, I believe this is because education is the foundation of any country, and our country is currently facing problems of great magnitude, requiring an especially educated populace. Academics can correlate the industrialization and development of countries directly with education levels, particularly the education levels of women. As the general education level for a country's populace rises, so does the infrastructure, business successes, and economic prosperity of that country. While America is certainly well-developed, it is my opinion that our educational curriculum no longer produces truly educated citizens, but instead pushes the masses through an entirely too standardized and faulty system. This system is what needs to be revamped if our country is to successfully address the issues of poverty and obesity.
Thoughts and feelings about education need to be shifted and the attitude about its purpose reemphasized. Many see education as a necessity (which it is, in a way), something that needs to be accomplished in order to gain a piece of paper that allows students to move on with their lives. In the pursuit of this piece of paper, students lose the value of simply understanding the who, what, when, where, and why's of life. Students cram information into their heads the day before a test, regurgitate that information, and then allow it to slip from their ears. Worst yet, teachers not only allow this to happen, but in fact some teachers even base tests and quizzes upon this expectation. However, this blame cannot solely rest upon the shoulders of students and teachers, but must also fall upon the system, which requires certain subjects to be focused upon at the expense of others in order to achieve high results on standardized tests. Education should instead focus its attention on providing well-rounded opportunities. Students should be able to learn calculus, read poems, make a shelf in wood shop, take apart a computer to see how it works, study the human body, and learn to cook in FCS classes. Education should provided ways for students to find their niches, to learn what they love to do, and be inspired to do it, all while equipping them with the fundamental knowledge and skills to break the cycle of poverty and understand the dangers of obesity.
The solution is not simply. It will take a considerably amount of time, effort, and support to closely examine the current educational system from top-down and ensure that our schools are the flexible, supportive environments necessary to allow informed citizens to enter the workforce and make a positive difference in the world, big or small. However, as education improves, ideas will form, and eventually, solutions will bloom to address the many issues our nation, and our world, faces.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Our First Greens
For the Sake of Our Future
The biggest threats to our country's future are 1) the easy
access to and low prices of fast food, and 2) the lack of sufficient education for
all. As many before me have mentioned, fast food is simply an easy and cheap
way to quell hunger pains, though terrible for the body. The lack of education
is also a huge setback for many, and definitely contributes to the amount of
poverty, hunger, and obesity in our country.
The proliferation of fast food has grown into probably the
scariest problem in our country. As work days become longer and longer, and
single-parent homes become more common, it has become easier for parents to
quickly stop by a McDonalds or a Burger King on the way home from work to pick
up dinner. Time is valuable, and cooking a healthy meal after coming home from
a 10- or 12-hour work day takes time. It's easier just to stop for a burger and
fries. There's no hassle, no clean-up, and no fight with the kids about eating
vegetables. It's convenient.
But convenience has a price. Those fast-food meals usually
have more calories in one meal than is recommended for an entire day. Those
sodas, which come in sizes like large, extra-large, and giant (or the more
glamourous tall, grande, and venti favored by Starbucks) have loads and
chemicals and sugar. And increasingly, parents are feeding this crap to their
children, pumping them full of low-nutrition, genetically-modified food and
chemicals, all for the sake of convenience.
However, I'd like to dispel the notion that all this is the
fault of the parents. No, this cycle of work and poor-nutrition is one that is
uniquely American, one that is supported by corporate America. According to
Lawrence Jeff Johnson, the chief labor market economist for the International
Labor Organization (ILO), "Workers in the United States are putting in
more hours than anyone else in the industrialized world" (CNN.com). The
more hours parents put in at work, the fewer they have at home to spend with
their families, preparing and eating a healthy dinner. In the few off-hours
that the drones of corporate America get, they fuel their bodies (and those of
their families) with fast-food--"foods" criminally low in nutrition
and high in chemicals, processed flavors, and hydrogenated oils.
And here, the lack of education proves to be a problem. The
majority of un- or under-educated people work more hours in low paying jobs to
trying to make ends meet. While America frequently touts her position as leader
of the civilized world, she has fallen to the bottom of international academic
rankings. According to The Broad Foundation for Education, "American
students rank 25th in math and 21st in science when compared to students in 30
industrialized countries" (broadeducation.org). We are among the bottom 5
surveyed industrialized countries in the world for math! Close to 70 percent of
American 8th graders cannot read at a proficient level. Most of them will not
catch up. 1.1 million American high school seniors drop out of school each
year. At the end of World War II, America had the number one graduation rate
among industrialized nations. Today we are 21st (broadeducation.org). What
happened?!
Poorly educated children grow into poorly educated adults.
These citizens cannot obtain good jobs, cannot contribute significantly to the
labor force, and according to American employers, "lack the basic skills
to do even the simplest jobs" (broadeducation.org). Poor education
domestically leads to jobs being outsourced abroad, and American workers being
demoted to menial jobs for insignificant pay. This leads to adults spending
less time at home with their families--less time cooking, and less time
promoting healthy foods and healthy lifestyles for their children. Parents
without education cannot hope to educate their children outside of school--whether
academically, or otherwise. The cycle is vicious, and it continues.
So this begs the question: what do we do? The roots of
America are crumbling under our feet and instead of trying to stop it, we're
running away. What can be done?
The most important change that we need
to make is to move away from large fast food corporations to small, locally
grown produce as our primary source of food. We also need to begin to
focus again on education for children. The government needs to put more funding
into education—let’s hire more teachers, build and fund more schools, and focus
more on personalized learning. Not all children are the same. Perhaps if the
United States prioritized education rather than promoting the interests of
large corporations, we could begin to fight both poverty and obesity, while
promoting healthy food choices. Let’s support local produce. Let’s take a
greater interest in educating our children. It’s as easy as buying from a local
farmer’s market rather than from a big-box store. It’s as easy as helping our
children and brothers and sisters with their homework. It’s as easy as taking a
stand and asking questions. It’s our future in the balance, so let’s make a
difference.
The internet is the future
Why do you think our
country is in the state it is, regarding hunger, health, obesity and
poverty? What major or underlying issues do you feel are the ones we
need to address to help eliminate poverty?
There are too man reasons for the current state of our country, but there is no way to "solve" the problems of hunger or poverty. Poverty is an issue that results from human nature. People are naturally social, but also greedy. Greed causes a social divide, and an impoverished group emerges. Communes often don't have poverty, but communes also do not work on a large scale, as they are based around suppressing part of human nature. When it comes to health and obesity, these problems have not been around forever, but in our country these problems require a great deal more self-motivation than most are willing to accept. Yes, obesity is linked to poverty, but poverty is not the only cause of obesity. Education is not a solution here because the well-educated can be, and often are, just as obese as any poor mother. Rather, there must be a change to our food system. Education will not change how many calories each meal has, but government intervention will. If we stop subsidizing the wrong areas of the food industry, the cheap meals will be the healthier ones. The reason we enjoy sugars so much is because they provide so much energy, but they also require more energy to create. If we return to a more natural agricultural system, we will not overproduce sugary foods while neglecting healthier, less energy-intensive crops.
As for education, we may have the man-power to educate everyone on the ways in which cheap, unhealthy foods affect their long-term health, and can actually keep them in poverty. Instead of trying to force-feed everyone this message, though, it would be easier and better for our country if we simply provided even greater access to this information. Rather than using our energy on education, which is an outdated system in itself that discourages some people who don't learn best in the "standard" way, we could work towards finding a better way to get the information out to everyone where they will find it. The full potential of the internet is still largely undiscovered, but I think that the solutions to many problems such as obesity in our country could be fixed by innovating new methods of information sharing on the internet and ensuring access to everyone. When everyone understands the problems of our nation better, democracy will work better, and change will happen both in people's daily routines and in the government.
There are too man reasons for the current state of our country, but there is no way to "solve" the problems of hunger or poverty. Poverty is an issue that results from human nature. People are naturally social, but also greedy. Greed causes a social divide, and an impoverished group emerges. Communes often don't have poverty, but communes also do not work on a large scale, as they are based around suppressing part of human nature. When it comes to health and obesity, these problems have not been around forever, but in our country these problems require a great deal more self-motivation than most are willing to accept. Yes, obesity is linked to poverty, but poverty is not the only cause of obesity. Education is not a solution here because the well-educated can be, and often are, just as obese as any poor mother. Rather, there must be a change to our food system. Education will not change how many calories each meal has, but government intervention will. If we stop subsidizing the wrong areas of the food industry, the cheap meals will be the healthier ones. The reason we enjoy sugars so much is because they provide so much energy, but they also require more energy to create. If we return to a more natural agricultural system, we will not overproduce sugary foods while neglecting healthier, less energy-intensive crops.
As for education, we may have the man-power to educate everyone on the ways in which cheap, unhealthy foods affect their long-term health, and can actually keep them in poverty. Instead of trying to force-feed everyone this message, though, it would be easier and better for our country if we simply provided even greater access to this information. Rather than using our energy on education, which is an outdated system in itself that discourages some people who don't learn best in the "standard" way, we could work towards finding a better way to get the information out to everyone where they will find it. The full potential of the internet is still largely undiscovered, but I think that the solutions to many problems such as obesity in our country could be fixed by innovating new methods of information sharing on the internet and ensuring access to everyone. When everyone understands the problems of our nation better, democracy will work better, and change will happen both in people's daily routines and in the government.
What is our problem?
My grandparents describe the America they grew up in as a place filled with hard work, neighborliness, and family value. People worked honestly, taught their children good virtues, and helped one another when someone was in need. Somewhere along the way, this image of America has faded. It has become a society in which people feel they are in competition with their neighbors, that they must work harder and longer to keep up or ahead of everyone else. Money has taken precedent, and rather than a privilege, people now view it as a necessary component of daily life. Working is so important that other values fall by the wayside in sacrifice, such as time with our children, to relax, and to even eat a decent meal. In this new model, fast food, which was once a luxury, has become a sad and cheap replacement to sitting down at the table with your family and discussing your day.
Middle class Americans have replaced the happy emotions of family and relaxation with comfort food that comes from a drive-thru. Fast food is making people depressed and unhealthy because it lacks nutrition. Health issues arise and bills fuel longer hours of working to pay them off. Longer hours means more fast food, creating an endless cycle.
If people in the middle class are being sucked into this vortex, how are people in poverty ever supposed to avoid it, when fast food is so much cheaper than healthy food? Even if they had the time to prepare healthy meals for their families, how would they ever afford it? Again, this leads to illness and disease, which this time they cannot pay off, squelching any possibility of rising up out of poverty. What has happened to the sense of neighborliness that America once knew? Where is the society that my grandparents grew up in?
If the classes could work together, they could provide a system in which healthy food was more accessible to the masses, and fast food was not the preferred option. In order for this happen, the food industry needs a serious revision to their work ethic. They need to put people, rather than prices, first. The government must stop subsidizing companies that use genetically modified ingredients and start putting money into real, healthy foods so that these can become more affordable. Farmers should be motivated to grow organic vegetables to sell at farmer's markets. What can you do until this happens? Vote. Support your local farmers. Get out there and volunteer to help a neighbor in need. We can slowly bring back the America that my grandparents once knew.
If people in the middle class are being sucked into this vortex, how are people in poverty ever supposed to avoid it, when fast food is so much cheaper than healthy food? Even if they had the time to prepare healthy meals for their families, how would they ever afford it? Again, this leads to illness and disease, which this time they cannot pay off, squelching any possibility of rising up out of poverty. What has happened to the sense of neighborliness that America once knew? Where is the society that my grandparents grew up in?
If the classes could work together, they could provide a system in which healthy food was more accessible to the masses, and fast food was not the preferred option. In order for this happen, the food industry needs a serious revision to their work ethic. They need to put people, rather than prices, first. The government must stop subsidizing companies that use genetically modified ingredients and start putting money into real, healthy foods so that these can become more affordable. Farmers should be motivated to grow organic vegetables to sell at farmer's markets. What can you do until this happens? Vote. Support your local farmers. Get out there and volunteer to help a neighbor in need. We can slowly bring back the America that my grandparents once knew.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Have a Great Summer!!
Hey guys my name is Stephen Gale and I am going to be a senior at Otterbein University this upcoming school year. I am a history education major looking to teach in high school. This job so far this year has been a great and I love every part of the job. I am working at Otterbein's Community Garden with general mantinence and helping out with camps. I am also working with Westerville Area Resource Ministry for a Summer Lunch Program. Through this program we serve children under 18 no matter criteria and now through John Kasich's new bill we are serving all weekend meals.
This has been the most rewarding job that I have and I am so excited to see the growth in the children and co-workers through the summer. I am so happy that I decided to apply for the position and have been granted the opportunity to work with such great programs.
This has been the most rewarding job that I have and I am so excited to see the growth in the children and co-workers through the summer. I am so happy that I decided to apply for the position and have been granted the opportunity to work with such great programs.
SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Why do you think our country is in the state it is, regarding hunger, health, obesity and poverty? What major or underlying issues do you feel are the ones we need to address to help eliminate poverty?
I think that one of the major problems of our country is that our lifestyle is simply on the fast-track to death. We now value the things that should not matter; we spend too much time on the run, unable to appreciate the small things in life. I think that this poem sums up our current state of the country...
shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend
more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and
smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more
degrees but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet
more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too
little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired,
read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have
multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love
too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years
to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We
conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not
better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the
atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more,
but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build
more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than
ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men and small
character; steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days
of two incomes but more divorce; fancier houses but broken homes. These
are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer,
to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom
window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this
letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this
insight, or to just hit delete.
When traveling to different countries, I was asked many times why Americans like to work so much, and why they love fast food so much.. I could not come up with an answer, because I had simply never known another way of life. I think that our fast-paced lifestyle is one of the main reasons why we have such big problems pertaining to health and obesity.
I also think that education about nutrition should be enhanced in schools and to the general public as well. The media does an incredible job of advertising unhealthy snack options, and perhaps these should be banned from the media, or at least children's shows. Additionally, I think that there should be more availability of healthy food options, such as market fresh fruits and vegetables. Many live in areas where there are not a lot of farms, and where there are McDonalds on every corner. If availability of fresh food options were increased, there would be an increase in overall health and wellness. A wise professor once recited an old quotation to me with a little twist on the end. He said, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish you can feed him for a lifetime. BUT, you must also help provide access to the resources of a lake. THIS is sustainability; providing access to the resources is SOCIAL JUSTICE.
I think that one of the major problems of our country is that our lifestyle is simply on the fast-track to death. We now value the things that should not matter; we spend too much time on the run, unable to appreciate the small things in life. I think that this poem sums up our current state of the country...
THE PARADOX OF OUR TIME
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings butshorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend
more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and
smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more
degrees but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet
more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too
little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired,
read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have
multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love
too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years
to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We
conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not
better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the
atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more,
but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build
more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than
ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men and small
character; steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days
of two incomes but more divorce; fancier houses but broken homes. These
are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer,
to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom
window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this
letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this
insight, or to just hit delete.
When traveling to different countries, I was asked many times why Americans like to work so much, and why they love fast food so much.. I could not come up with an answer, because I had simply never known another way of life. I think that our fast-paced lifestyle is one of the main reasons why we have such big problems pertaining to health and obesity.
I also think that education about nutrition should be enhanced in schools and to the general public as well. The media does an incredible job of advertising unhealthy snack options, and perhaps these should be banned from the media, or at least children's shows. Additionally, I think that there should be more availability of healthy food options, such as market fresh fruits and vegetables. Many live in areas where there are not a lot of farms, and where there are McDonalds on every corner. If availability of fresh food options were increased, there would be an increase in overall health and wellness. A wise professor once recited an old quotation to me with a little twist on the end. He said, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish you can feed him for a lifetime. BUT, you must also help provide access to the resources of a lake. THIS is sustainability; providing access to the resources is SOCIAL JUSTICE.
Back to the Basics:A Proper Education
Why is there a huge gap between the
rich and the poor? Why is that gap
continuously growing larger despite various initiatives to lessen it? Why does
22% of US children live in poverty?
There is one common answer to all of these questions: lack of education.
The problem
with the educational system throughout the US is astounding. Not only is our
system not nationally uniform, intrastate educational systems are drastically
different between cities. I am firm
believer that without proper education, it becomes increasing difficult for an
individual to survive in the present day economy.
In order to
even begin eliminating poverty, we have to start with educating the public. If there are parents who haven’t passed
middle school or are on a 3rd
grade reading level, how can we expect them to be able to find decent paying jobs to support their
families or to understand different health issues that might arise? How are they supposed to educate their own
children if they have not been educated themselves? Education is not something that just happens
inside of a classroom, but every experience that one has counts.
It goes
without saying that learning how to read and write is essential to living a
successful life. However, everyday low-income and minority children are
discriminated against by an education system set in place for them to
fail. Everyday these students face
isolation and segregation when they attend schools that don’t have enough books
for everyone or lack funding for good teachers. These same children usually
have single parents that didn’t finish school and have low paying jobs. Because of lack of funding, parents don’t
have enough money to buy healthy food and result to buying unhealthy and sodium
filled foods. Most times these children live in impoverished neighborhoods and
wind up becoming adults who end up in the same predicaments as their
parents. This type of lifestyle becomes
a cycle that is hard to break and transcends generations.
However,
let’s rewind this scenario. Let’s
imagine that the school system if good and students all have books and good
teachers. These children are proficient in reading and math and have
extracurricular activities in the school that lets the students explore various
arts and fitness activities. Although
they still live in a impoverished neighborhood,
they are at least eating healthy breakfasts and lunches at school and
are aware of healthier food options.
These children graduate high school and are able to go on to college. They
receive degrees and are able to give back to their communities. The cycle of
poverty is broken for those families.
Of course
every story is not that easy and every situation is different. However the
foundation is the same: proper education.
All Roads Lead To Education
Although I do not know the exact
numbers, I do know that the overwhelming majority of people in poverty have
less education than those above the poverty line. This discrepancy is more
exaggerated when we look at upper-middle and upper-class families. There seems
to be a direct (though not perfect) correlation between education and wealth,
which is what leads me to the conclusion that the lack of quality education in
some places is a huge contributor to poverty.
When people are impoverished, food is
one of the first things that suffer. There are so many inexpensive foods that
are bad if consumed consistently. When money is tight, people rely on a value
menu at a fast-food restaurant or a sodium-filled pack of noodles. Fresh
produce and healthy meats tend to be expensive and hard to come by in some
neighborhoods. All too often, children see cheap candy and chips more that they
see a fresh salad throughout their entire childhood. Consuming foods from the
smallest portion of the food pyramid will eventually have its effects.
Diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure are only a few of the health
issues that accompany obesity, especially in low-income areas.
The health issue can be solved if
businesses started to relocate to the high-need areas. They could easily make
healthy foods accessible and affordable. The reality is that we live in a
capitalistic society. The chances of a corporation investing in a place where
the profit is minimal is slim-to-none. Besides, that would merely put a bandage
on the issue, not fix it.
The true solution lies in education. If
our children are educated, they can not only afford to live in places where
these foods exist, but they would also afford to buy them. The unhealthy
inferior goods will no longer be a regular meal for these people. The first
steps to fixing the education system is in funding, resources (including human
capital), and facilities. Once the ball gets rolling on education, I insist
that the number of unhealthy individuals would drop dramatically.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Hey Everyone!!!
Hello everybody!!! My name is Sara Harp and I just graduated from Marietta College this spring. I was a Political Science major, with minors in Leadership and Organizational Communications. While I love my previous major, I intend to go on to graduate school this fall at Ohio University, where I will obtain my Masters degree in Education, particularly higher education. While there, I have a graduate assistantship in the Greek Life Office. I'm very very excited for that step in my life! I intend to become either an admissions counselor or to work for the Academic Resource Centers of various colleges.
But before I go on to graduate school, I am so excited to have this opportunity to add a new chapter of service to my experiences in Marietta! I chose to be an AmeriCorp VISTA Summer Associate because my best friend did so last summer and kept telling me that I HAD to do it! After hearing about her experiences, I knew that this program would give me the perfect opportunity to both serve others and grow as an individual. I am working with Ely Chapman Education Foundation for the summer, a nonprofit that I have volunteered with before and therefore have a great working relationship already established! I will be helping with the free summer food kitchen that Ely Chapman provides in the morning, and then giving nutrition and health lessons to students in the afternoons. So far, I have loved it!!! I look forward to continuing this experience, and seeing where this summer takes me.
But before I go on to graduate school, I am so excited to have this opportunity to add a new chapter of service to my experiences in Marietta! I chose to be an AmeriCorp VISTA Summer Associate because my best friend did so last summer and kept telling me that I HAD to do it! After hearing about her experiences, I knew that this program would give me the perfect opportunity to both serve others and grow as an individual. I am working with Ely Chapman Education Foundation for the summer, a nonprofit that I have volunteered with before and therefore have a great working relationship already established! I will be helping with the free summer food kitchen that Ely Chapman provides in the morning, and then giving nutrition and health lessons to students in the afternoons. So far, I have loved it!!! I look forward to continuing this experience, and seeing where this summer takes me.
My name is Glenn Sutula, I just graduated from Denison University. I double majored in Math and Environmental Studies, and have been primarily interested in using the environmental side of my education. When I learned about this job I was very excited about the chance to help build and maintain community gardens, and was lucky enough to get it on the same day all the Summer Associates started (I was still applying online while everyone else was being introduced to the program).
Eating (and living) healthy is very important in my family; my sisters are vegan, and my parents and I are vegetarian. I've learned a lot about the lack of access that poor communities have to healthy foods, and community gardens are one way to help alleviate the problem.
Lia, Kyra, and I are working with the 6th Street Garden, the Western Garden, CTEC, Garden on the Square, the Granville Farmer's Markets, the Croton Community Garden, the Salvation Army, and the Licking County Health Department to educate residents about how to eat healthier and provide them with healthy food.
Eating (and living) healthy is very important in my family; my sisters are vegan, and my parents and I are vegetarian. I've learned a lot about the lack of access that poor communities have to healthy foods, and community gardens are one way to help alleviate the problem.
Lia, Kyra, and I are working with the 6th Street Garden, the Western Garden, CTEC, Garden on the Square, the Granville Farmer's Markets, the Croton Community Garden, the Salvation Army, and the Licking County Health Department to educate residents about how to eat healthier and provide them with healthy food.
My First Week as an OCC VISTA Summer Associate...
Hello, my name is Lia Crosby and I will be a senior at Denison University in the fall. I just returned from a semester abroad in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, where I was in an environmental program that helped rural farmers become more sustainable. We also taught groups of locals the benefits of owning cooperative businesses, such as restaurants and operations making solar cookers, homemade foods and cosmetics. I am an Environmental Studies major and a Sociology minor, so like my trip abroad, this position with AmeriCorps combines the two things I love working with the most: the environment and communities.
I am looking forward to teaching community members the positive impacts a garden can provide, and in the short two weeks we've been woking, I have already begun to see the changes we are facilitating as VISTA interns. Kyra, Glenn and I have spent time volunteering at the Salvation Army making lunches for kids, getting our hands dirty at the Croton Community Center Garden pulling out weeds, and collecting donations from our local farmer's market to bring to the food pantry. We've met many generous people who devote their time to improving the surrounding neighborhoods, and I can't wait to work with them to expand these programs that are clearly doing so much good for this area of Ohio.
I am looking forward to teaching community members the positive impacts a garden can provide, and in the short two weeks we've been woking, I have already begun to see the changes we are facilitating as VISTA interns. Kyra, Glenn and I have spent time volunteering at the Salvation Army making lunches for kids, getting our hands dirty at the Croton Community Center Garden pulling out weeds, and collecting donations from our local farmer's market to bring to the food pantry. We've met many generous people who devote their time to improving the surrounding neighborhoods, and I can't wait to work with them to expand these programs that are clearly doing so much good for this area of Ohio.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
...New Beginnings
Hello! My name is Reba Leonard and I live in Marietta, Ohio. I have a few more classes to take at Marietta College until I can graduate with a degree in Health Science and Psychology. I run cross country and track for the college and am very passionate about running as well as health, nutrition, and the outdoors.
I have been looking into going into the AmeriCorps or PeaceCorps upon graduation because nothing makes me happier than to serve people and make a difference in their lives.When I heard about this opportunity to serve disadvantaged children lunches, I knew it was the program for me. I have always been very interested in nutrition and in assisting those who have a lack of food and have volunteered numerous times at a soup kitchen in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio. It was a wonderful experience and I have vowed to continue to serve others for the rest of my life. In addition to loving to serve, I also love children, so this program seemed like a perfect fit to my interests. After completing my first week, I still believe so. I think that this is a great chance to help others and to learn a bit as well. I am ready to begin a new life of service and am very excited to see what is to come over the next 9 weeks!
I have been looking into going into the AmeriCorps or PeaceCorps upon graduation because nothing makes me happier than to serve people and make a difference in their lives.When I heard about this opportunity to serve disadvantaged children lunches, I knew it was the program for me. I have always been very interested in nutrition and in assisting those who have a lack of food and have volunteered numerous times at a soup kitchen in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio. It was a wonderful experience and I have vowed to continue to serve others for the rest of my life. In addition to loving to serve, I also love children, so this program seemed like a perfect fit to my interests. After completing my first week, I still believe so. I think that this is a great chance to help others and to learn a bit as well. I am ready to begin a new life of service and am very excited to see what is to come over the next 9 weeks!
Bring on the summer! VISTA 2012
AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate 2012
My name is Sam Thomas, and I am a rising senior at Marietta College majoring in Psychology and minoring in French. I participate in a variety of different activities on campus such as Student Senate, Circle K International, Rotaract, and the Ultimate Frisbee team. My plans after graduation are far from concrete... Right now I am contemplating grad school for Speech Pathology or Public Health, or possibly serving with the Peace Corps.
One of the main reasons I chose to serve with VISTA Summer Associates
was because of my study abroad experience. After traveling around the world and
taking part in service projects with Semester at Sea, I knew that I needed to
keep making a difference regardless how big or small. One particular
influential experience that I had was in Cape Town, South Africa. I volunteered
with a non-profit called Operation Hunger. We helped serve food to children in
Khayelitsha Township, and it was such as eye-opening experience. Even though
these children barely had the necessities to survive, they could still laugh
and play on the playground like any other privileged child. I left that
township with a renewed sense to give back to my own community and improve the
living standards of those who were not privileged. I am able to do so by being
an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate.
 |
| Lunchtime in Khayelitsha Township |
Monday, June 11, 2012
Yummy fresh veggies!
Some recent pics from the 6th Street and Growing community garden in Newark, Ohio.
Being a VISTA
Hi everyone! I couldn't be more excited to be working as a VISTA with OCC this summer! I just graduated with a BS in Hospitality Management from Kent State University with a minor in Design. I became interested in continuing to work with the community and hunger awareness after spending the last year and a half working with The Campus Kitchen Project.
This summer myself and Jess will be working with local shelters and The Campus Kitchen Project to help recycle leftover food to create meals for those in need, bring in food to support a student grocery program. We will also work with the farmers market to help promote products by holding food demos at the market. We will also hold nutrition outreach programs for the youth in the area and hopefully many more exciting things!
This summer myself and Jess will be working with local shelters and The Campus Kitchen Project to help recycle leftover food to create meals for those in need, bring in food to support a student grocery program. We will also work with the farmers market to help promote products by holding food demos at the market. We will also hold nutrition outreach programs for the youth in the area and hopefully many more exciting things!
Starting Ideas
My name is Kyra Lammers and I'll be a senior at Denison University in the fall. I'm majoring in English literature and minoring in economics and bluegrass (music). Originally, I'm from New Jersey, but home for me is now a large farm in Kutztown, PA.
Living on a farm is what originally got me interested in working with Ohio Campus Compact this summer. My family is very dedicated to pursuing green initiatives and we recently installed a large solar array. We're now at net zero energy use! We also have a large garden, and I cannot overstate how much I love having fresh fruits and vegetables to eat every day. Because of my own experience with (and love of) fresh fruits and vegetables, working with community partners to initiate programs to educate low-income communities about the importance of healthy food was an immediate draw to the VISTA program. I can't wait to work more closely with our partners to grow, prepare, and educate!
Lia, Glenn, and I (the three VISTA summer associates here at Denison University in Granville) will be working with quite a few community partners to expand local healthy food programs and community gardens. They include the 6th Street Garden, the Western Garden, CTEC and the Garden on the Square (all in Newark), the First Presbyterian Church in Granville and the Granville Farmer's Markets, the United Methodist Church and Community Garden in Croton, and the Salvation Army in Newark. We'll be doing hands-on work in most of the gardens, particularly in Croton, which is pretty under-developed. We're also working to expand the USDA Summer Lunch program that the Salvation Army has in place, and we're hoping to get some of those children involved in local gardens, as well. We face a lot of challenges, but with hard work and perseverance, we'll be successful!
Living on a farm is what originally got me interested in working with Ohio Campus Compact this summer. My family is very dedicated to pursuing green initiatives and we recently installed a large solar array. We're now at net zero energy use! We also have a large garden, and I cannot overstate how much I love having fresh fruits and vegetables to eat every day. Because of my own experience with (and love of) fresh fruits and vegetables, working with community partners to initiate programs to educate low-income communities about the importance of healthy food was an immediate draw to the VISTA program. I can't wait to work more closely with our partners to grow, prepare, and educate!
Lia, Glenn, and I (the three VISTA summer associates here at Denison University in Granville) will be working with quite a few community partners to expand local healthy food programs and community gardens. They include the 6th Street Garden, the Western Garden, CTEC and the Garden on the Square (all in Newark), the First Presbyterian Church in Granville and the Granville Farmer's Markets, the United Methodist Church and Community Garden in Croton, and the Salvation Army in Newark. We'll be doing hands-on work in most of the gardens, particularly in Croton, which is pretty under-developed. We're also working to expand the USDA Summer Lunch program that the Salvation Army has in place, and we're hoping to get some of those children involved in local gardens, as well. We face a lot of challenges, but with hard work and perseverance, we'll be successful!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Summer of Service, Summer of VISTA
Growing up in rural Northwest Ohio, I was constantly exposed to healthy, fresh and organic foods. It was common practice for me to simply go out to the garden and gather the food needed for dinner. Knowing exactly where my food came from and even who grew it was something that was simply expected, and no one thought anything of it. When I came to Cleveland for school, I realized that I had taken these experiences for granted. I realized that eating healthy and organic food is not as easy as it should be for many living in the city. Serving as a VISTA seems to be a natural extension for my passion for helping others and my views on providing healthy food for others living in poverty.
I will be working with Caitlin Hearn, so I will also be working at the Case Western Reserve University Farm and also for Refugee Response's urban farm at Ohio City. I will also be spending time helping with Cleveland Crops, a group of urban farms that provides work and training for adults with developmental disabilities. I am very excited to be helping serve others in the Cleveland community, and I hope that my work as a VISTA will have a lasting impact on some community members. I hope to instill the passion that I have for healthy foods into others, and I want to help make sure that even though community members may be living in poverty, that they have the same opportunities as those outside of poverty for these resources.
Musings of a new VISTA
I joined AmeriCorps VISTA because I was looking for
something different to do with my summer. I was looking for something other
than a lab environment. I have been involved in community service in Cleveland
for the past three years, and I wanted to continue to serve my adopted city. I
was drawn to the VISTA program because it would allow me to see the inner
workings of nonprofit organizations while still giving me the chance to
directly serve people in the community. One of the careers I am considering is nonprofit
management, so I think this program will be a great way to see how several
different nonprofits function. I also feel that I have lived in the bubble of
my university for too long, and being a VISTA will give me the chance to
experience Cleveland in a way that is closer to that of most of the people
living here.
I’ll be working with three
different organizations this summer: the Case Western Reserve University Farm,
GreenCorps, and the Refugee Response. At the Case Farm, I’ll be harvesting food
and running a weekly farmer’s market on campus with the food that is grown on
the farm. I’ll also be working on a presentation about CSA programs.
GreenCorps, a nonprofit affiliated with the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, is a
work-study program that employs around 80 low-income high school students each
summer. The students work on one of five urban farms. They learn about
planting, harvesting, leadership, teamwork, business, and
entrepreneurship. Finally, the Refugee Response
is an organization that helps refugees in Cleveland with education, housing,
employment, and many other aspects of life. I will be working on their urban farm,
at which some of the refugees work.
This summer, my main goal is to
increase the number of people who are aware of the many urban farming programs
around Cleveland. The more people know about these programs, the more likely
they are to buy fresh produce from them and tell others about them. However,
this goal is pretty vague, so I have a more specific one: to hold an open-house event, to which everyone in the surrounding communities would be
invited, at at least two of the urban farms. I would like to have speakers
about the work the farms do, educational materials on nutrition and healthy
eating, and of course, samples of the food grown at the farms. I hope that
events like these will help get the word out about the benefits of urban
farming and healthy eating.
I'm really excited to be an AmeriCorps VISTA, and I can't wait to see all the amazing work everyone will do this summer!
Friday, June 8, 2012
To be or not to be… a Vista Summer Associate
My choice to become an AmeriCorps Vista Summer associate was not really a choice at all; it was an expectation. It seemed to be the next course of action after I had taken a class that focused on social injustices in impoverished neighborhoods. My professor for the class was also an AmeriCorps Vista member told me about this opportunity to work at Booker T. Washington Community Center. I was informed about the issues that plagued the community and how vital it was for the community center to remain open and successful. Therefore, it was only natural that I find a way to be apart of service to the community. Since the best way was to be of service was to be a summer associate and work at the center, I applied for the position.
I have done service for AmeriCorps before, but this is the first time that I am working with the Vista program. This is quite exciting because it will definitely give me a feel of the community that I work in and how the residents in this area live on a daily basis. It will also give me a chance to connect with residents on a totally different level and really get a sense of how they feel. I am sure that this experience will be enlightening and full of lessons that will definitely open my mind to new perspectives.
A Little Bit About Me
Hi everyone! My name's Alyssa and I am going to be a junior in the fall at John Carroll University. I am a double major in Political Science and Communications and I am originially from Pittsburgh, PA!
This summer I will be living in Cleveland and working closely with two community partners and two gardens. Joe Cimperman is a city counsilman in Cleveland and is spearheading the Healthy Cleveland Initiative. The initiative works to ensure food security and healthy living for all members of the greater Cleveland area.
I will also be working with the Heights Emergency Food Center to help raise awareness of the center and gain more volunteers. I am going to work on promoting healthy eating through the center.
I will also be tending to two community gardens on John Carroll's campus that provide fresh produce to the HEFC.
I am looking forward to being a summer associate and making a lasting impact on the community.
This summer I will be living in Cleveland and working closely with two community partners and two gardens. Joe Cimperman is a city counsilman in Cleveland and is spearheading the Healthy Cleveland Initiative. The initiative works to ensure food security and healthy living for all members of the greater Cleveland area.
I will also be working with the Heights Emergency Food Center to help raise awareness of the center and gain more volunteers. I am going to work on promoting healthy eating through the center.
I will also be tending to two community gardens on John Carroll's campus that provide fresh produce to the HEFC.
I am looking forward to being a summer associate and making a lasting impact on the community.
Me, Myself, and Booker T!
HEY PEOPLE!! I am extremely excited to be a part of OCC this summer. I just finished 5 long years of undergraduate work at Miami University as an Education major. I actually decided to postpone my grad classes that I was registered for to work here. I know that working here will enhance my program that I start in the fall, which is Curriculum and Teacher Leadership.
Working at Booker T. Washington Community Center for these 10 weeks will offer me a unique experience. Ww are working at a site that is new and not much is set up. While this may be intimidating to some, this is what I love. I can't wait to jump in and start operating with all of the children in the neighborhood. By the end of the summer, I would love to see Booker T have regular programming (which it is currently lacking), a steady flow of children, more food offered, and a full fledged community garden (which we started to plant yesterday).
Again, I have been working and learning about children for years through my education, so if you have questions on programming, how to get kids involved, or even how to manage people, feel free to contact me!
Working at Booker T. Washington Community Center for these 10 weeks will offer me a unique experience. Ww are working at a site that is new and not much is set up. While this may be intimidating to some, this is what I love. I can't wait to jump in and start operating with all of the children in the neighborhood. By the end of the summer, I would love to see Booker T have regular programming (which it is currently lacking), a steady flow of children, more food offered, and a full fledged community garden (which we started to plant yesterday).
Again, I have been working and learning about children for years through my education, so if you have questions on programming, how to get kids involved, or even how to manage people, feel free to contact me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)