http://www.freshwise.com/Education.html

Stop by your local Valero and donate today to Foodlink! Thank you all for your support!

Rochester area educators, food service professionals, and administrators are invited to participate in an evening of brainstorming and collaboration to address and work on creative solutions to a problem that is relatively unique to this generation: how to empower our children to make informed food choices. Teachers from the Rochester area are invited to meet from 4 to 6:30pm on Thursday, February 17th at Rochester Contemporary Art Center (137 East Avenue, between Scio & Gibbs Sts) to engage in a guided brainstorming session to tackle this issue. We want to hear your voice!

Please RSVP to Derek Crowe (contact below) no later than Feb. 8th if you plan on attending.

THIS EVENT IS BEING SUBMITTED THROUGH THE RCSD HEALTH DEPTARTMENT TO COUNT TOWARD YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HOURS, PENDING REVIEW.

<< What is this?

Freshwise Farms, a social enterprise of Foodlink, is interested in establishing a farm to school program with Rochester area schools. Farm to school is a nation-wide movement that encourages small-scale, local action by bridging gaps between local farms and schools. It unites the community, cafeteria, and classroom by bringing students and lessons to farms while encouraging healthy eating by helping schools source food from local farmers.

We recognize that your input is necessary – this program cannot succeed without it. In the end, it will be the students who design and shape their farm to school program, so the first step in this process is hearing from you; the guardians of their education. You need no prior understanding of farm to school to participate in this evening. Your perspective as an educational professional is what we’re looking for – we need your expertise regarding current educational standards and ideal best practices for integrating agriculture, nutrition, and food systems awareness into our children’s education.

<< What to Expect

• You will be required to commit to attend the event on February 17th from 4:00 to 6:30pm.
• You will be invited to eat some delicious hors d’oeuvres.
• We will ask that you fill out a short bio sheet.  (to be distributed upon RSVP)
• You will be divided into teams of 6.
• You will experience the process of ideation, details of which will be explained soon! (it’s exciting, we promise)
• Your team will create a SHORT presentation outlining the problem as you see it and some of your ideas to be presented to the group.

<< Why Participate?

• Your ideas will have a real impact with social, educational, political and radical results. This evening is the initial phase in a long term plan for building a farm to school program in Rochester.  We will use your input to shape the next event; a charrette in which your students will have the opportunity to design the farm to school program.
• Tackle a real-world problem in a unique way.
• Hear farmers and farm-to-school experts from around the region talk about the problem.
• Be part of shaping the future of this region.
• Work with professionals from other schools in the area.
• Earn professional development hours. (pending review)

If you are interested in learning more, watch this video to explore more about farm to school or contact:

Derek Crowe at dcrowe@foodlinkny.org or (585) 328-3380 x157.

Be sure to watch this site for more updates! Also, if you have ideas or feedback for this event, just email Derek!

This event is called a charrette (pronounced [shuh-ret]), and consists of an intense design-based collaborative project. Charrettes serve as a way of quickly generating a design solution through interdisciplinary collaborative work, integrating the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people. You can go to http://www.vimeo.com/9541807 to access a video documenting a previous charrette on which this meeting structure/form will be based, hosted by COLAB at Syracuse University. *note: this video serves to outline the structiure of a charrette, we will not be discussing ‘bright flight’ at this event.

I was running down my checklist and making sure the Foodlink staff knew their duties for the day as the first bus filled with excited children arrived at Marina Auto Park. This was one of many buses to drop off loads of school aged children to the home of the Rochester Rhinos for our Summer Meals Kick off on July 1^st.

The Summer Meals Program was created to ensure that children in lower-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during summer vacation, when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast. Although millions of children depend on nutritious free and reduced-price meals and snacks at school for nine months out of the year, just a fraction of them receive the free meals provided by the Summer Food Service Program during the summer months. Foodlink’s Summer Meals Program provides over 2,300 meals to 57 sites in Rochester. Children receive well-balanced meals that go beyond state requirements. Meals include whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meat and low-fat white milk.

The kick off is an annual event that we invite all of our summer meals sites to attend; it’s a day of sun, fun, and food for the kids! Unlike past years this year’s event was in conjunction with a delivery from Tyson Foods that we won through the We Can End This Campaign. Over 270 children arrived at 9:30 am where they received a yogurt parfait before they got involved with the array of activities that were offered to them.

There were inflatable bounce houses and obstacle courses as well as a face painting station.  Our nutrition department did a great job with healthy activities like hula hooping and jump roping as well as many nutrition related craft projects; apple painting, make your own paper plate vegetable pizza, sidewalk chalk your favorite healthy foods and the list continues. Every time I asked one of the kids if they were having fun they got a big smile and screamed in excitement.  Cool Can made an appearance and got his photo taken with the majority of the children.

While the kids kept themselves busy there was a press conference held to announce Tyson Foods 15 ton donation to Foodlink through the We Can End This Campaign. Tyson Foods is an important community partner in the fight against childhood hunger.

After the press conference and hours of playtime everyone lined up for lunch! We had a cook out with local grass fed burgers on wheat rolls, baby carrots, nectarines, milk and fresh fruit smoothies.. yum! Once the Rhinos and kids filled their stomachs out to the field they went! Groups of 15-20 kids got paired with one of the soccer players and worked on ball handling skills, fundamentals of the game as well drills. It is an opportunity that many of the children would never have a chance to experience.

The day wrapped up around 1pm, between being in the sun and running around making sure everything went smoothly, I was exhausted but elated that everything went so smoothly. Most importantly the children had a great time! I am sure they slept well that night, I know I did.

For more photos from the event become a friend of Cool Can on facebook!

Enjoy the sun!

Terra Keller

Senior Associate of Community Engagement

As the rain began to fall this past Thursday evening, I watched thirteen smiling Foodlink faces mix with the 9,102-strong crowd of runners, walkers and joggers at the JPMorgan Chase & Co. Corporate Challenge. This year’s event brought together companies from around the Greater Rochester area to participate in a 3.5 mile fundraising run/walk on the RIT campus.  As an employee of less than three months, I was allowed to participate only as a fan, but I cheered from start to finish under my red umbrella.

I was lucky to be in attendance not only as a fan, but also as a representative of the Urban Fellows program through the University of Rochester.  The Rochester Urban Fellows Program takes qualified undergraduate students with a connection to Rochester and places them in summer internships with non-profit community-based organizations like Foodlink.  The goal of this program is to encourage college students to learn about urban issues and engage with our community.   We’ve also been volunteering as a group at many community events – you may have seen us at the Aberdeen Square Fair or the 5k River Run for Youth Harmony.

Thursday night, however, we were recognized as the main beneficiary of the Chase Corporate Challenge.  We received a generous donation that will help facilitate our program this year as well as expand opportunities for community engagement in the future.  We were all so excited to be able to attend and meet all of the great people participating.

As the first walkers crossed the finish line the rain began to clear and a double rainbow crossed the sky.  Companies across the sea of tents warmed up their grills and prepared for the delicious cookout that followed.

The evening concluded with an awards ceremony honoring the winners of the race and the Urban Fellows.  Foodlink was recognized for our INCREDIBLE t-shirt, designed by Rachel Staver and printed by local screen printing company, AVS.  The light blue t-shirts incorporated the Chase Corporate Challenge on the front with the slogan “To chase away hunger, Foodlink’s Backpack Program schools need corporate sponsors. Will you take the challenge?” The back of the shirt features a blue backpack with the phrase “run with the pack.”  The t-shirt won the title “Most Creative Design” and Foodlink was awarded $1000 to donate to the Backpack program.

All in all, it was an exciting night for a good cause.  As an Urban Fellow I’d like to thank everyone who supported or participated in the event for their generosity.

I’m looking forward to a terrific summer with Foodlink!

Erica Messner

Urban Fellow Intern

The sun shines through my office window and beats on my desk. I am not one to complain about summer, especially summers in Rochester, it is a reward for surviving the long tundra-esque winters and bi polar spring. Summer means more than sunshine, cookouts and pools in the Flower City. It is a great time to be a Rochesterian! There are sporting events, festivals, concerts, farm markets and races.  Since this isn’t my personal blog I should probably relate this to Foodlink , huh? Well, believe it or not all of the events listed above benefit Foodlink .

Rochester is a haven of 5ks for the running enthusiast. Running season has been underway since Johnny’s Running of the Green back in March. Most recently was the Chase Corporate Challenge which was hosted at RIT for its 20^th annual  race in Rochester on Thursday June 3^rd.  The Foodlink team consisted of 13 employees and though we didn’t win the race we did win the t-shirt design contest.  We received a $1,000 check, which will be put toward our BackPack Program.

Festivals, there are over a dozen festivals throughout the summer months beginning with the Lilac Festival that just came to an end all the way through Clothesline which takes place in mid September.  Freshwise Kitchen will have a booth at many of the festivals offering , local grass fed beef burgers, portabello caps, salads and in season fruit smoothies. A clean, healthy alternative to the cliché festival food.  Freshwise is a social enterprise of Foodlink, so all of the profits get put back into the food bank to help end hunger. Good Food. Good Cause. For a list of the festivals they will be attending click here.

Rochester and the surrounding areas have a lot of great venues for concerts both indoors and out. The Blue Cross Arena, Highland Bowl, Water Street Music Hall, CMAC  as well as an abundance of parks and or parking lots (referencing Party in the Park which kicks off next Thursday June 10^th). Rock the Cans is a concert sponsored by Genesee Brewery. The line up features The Gin Blossoms, Soul Asylum, and Uncle Plum. Join us Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the Genesee Brewery, 445 St. Paul Street. Gates open at 3:30, All proceeds benefit Foodlink. Don’t forget to bring a can of food to help Foodlink Rock the Cans! Tickets are $12, and available at all Wegmans stores or online. Click here for more information.

Lastly, summer is synonymous with farm markets, and there are an abundance of them in the area. Freshwise Farms will be at many of these markets throughout the summer.  Freshwise can be found at markets Tuesday – Sunday. For updates on market “where-abouts” become a fan of Freshwise on Facebook. Foodlink is sponsoring a farm market at Washington Square,downtown on Wednesdays from 11-2pm. This Foodlink sponsored Farm Market has an array of local farmers and vendors to provide you with fresh, local, affordable vegetables, fruit, flowers and artisan goods during your lunch break. So stop by grab some fresh produce or even a burger from Freshwise kitchen, who will be cooking to order on site.

Enjoy the sun!

Terra

Senior Associate of Community Engagement

So last Thursday was the United Way of Rochester’s Day of Caring.

Taken by Carlos Ortiz for the Democrat & Chronicle

Bria (our Manager of Community Engagement) had just handed me the Day of Caring spreadsheet. How many people would be coming to Foodlink? It looks like 6 different companies signed up to come, with over 150 volunteers. I had no idea what to expect – but I was excited.

Day of Caring was here. As instructed, I donned my Foodlink apparel and pulled up in a little after 7am Thursday morning. (Long after ITT and some of our staff had arrived at 5am for these Channel 13 spots: here and here) “Live United” t-shirts were everywhere. People parking, walking in, smiling, and ready to go. After a last minute blitz to sweep the spare parking lot of broken glass, everyone assembled to receive assignments for the day. Sure enough, over 150 volunteers showed up, united on this day of caring. Soon my team was called – 15 people from Paetec. Enthusiasm started building as we took a quick tour of the warehouse in order to introduce Foodlink to the team, and we headed upstairs to learn about the BackPack program. Positive feelings soon turned to indignation as I explained the story of the BackPack program – an initiative designed to alleviate child hunger on weekends and school breaks.

Childhood hunger? Why do we need this program in upstate NY? I continued to explain how I did not understand that concept when I started coordinating the program last fall. My indifference too turned to indignation after speaking with the teachers in schools who describe witnessing children who rely on school breakfast and lunch come in to school famished on Monday mornings. This apparently struck the hearts of the Day of Caring team as well, motivating them to enthusiastically get to work packing bags for the BackPack program. BackPack bags are Wegmans bags filled with kid-friendly non-perishable nutritious food items which are then delivered to participating school districts to be discretely distributed to children identified by participating school coordinators. Less than four hours later, our team had exhausted our stock of supplies and containers to hold bags – they packed over 1100 bags.

Eleven-hundred backpacks. I couldn’t believe it! Though our arms were tired, spirits were still high as we recognized the amazing work we had completed. You can see more of what we did here: Video & Article (the Democrat and Chronicle came and shot a video which features the Paetec BackPack team!) After lots of high fives, we headed downstairs for some Upstate NY grass fed beef burgers from Freshwise (available at the Lilac Festival this week!).

Thank you especially to our volunteers from Paetec, Kodak,  ITT Geospatial Systems, Excellus, Everest, and Thompson Reuters.
Thank you, Rochester, for Caring.

Rachel Staver, RD.

Rochester, do you smell that?  Sniff beyond the Genesee River and you will discover that the lilacs are blooming.

Lilac Festival - High School Musical style

This is a sweeping generalization, but this has to be Rochester’s favorite time of the year.  We are finally done with snow (knock on wood, this is Rochester), the sun is shining, and it’s the official beginning of festival season.  Foodlink was bit by the festival bug this year, and is treating it with a heavy dose of the Lilac Festival.  Below is the Foodlink Lilac Festival Guide, with all the information about where we will be during the ten days of lilac fun.

Freshwise Food Booth – May 14-23

Foodlink is committed to fresh, healthy food and is bringing it to the festival scene!  Visit the Freshwise booth at the Cornell Cooperative Extension on Highland Avenue for a fresh take on festival food.  Forget your deep fried this and that; try Freshwise’s grass-fed burgers, portabella sandwiches, mixed green salads, and fruit smoothies.  Freshwise uses local product that is good for you.  No diet-busters or mystery meat here, just good food for a good cause.  Look for the Freshwise booth at your other favorite festivals this summer.

Foodlink Info Booth – May 18

Foodlink will have an info table at the WROC/Fox Rochester tent, courtesy of our friends at the news station.  Visit our table to learn more about Foodlink, register to volunteer, or to sign up for our Pound for Pound Challenge!

Lilacs ‘N Bubbles – May 18

The Lilac Festival is a party, so you should celebrate with New York State Sparkling Wine!  Taste sparkling wines paired with Freshwise Farms’ greens and learn about New York’s sparkling wine industry from three well-known wine enthusiasts.  Tickets are $20 in advance.  More info

Gala in the Park – May 20, 5-8pm

Gourmet food, beautiful botanicals and Jazz Fest favorite Carolyn Wonderland – do you have your tickets yet?!  The Gala in the Park is a lovely evening at the Lilac Festival to benefit Foodlink.  Enjoy appetizers in the beautiful Lamberton Conservatory, gourmet dinner by Freshwise, and VIP seating for blues musician Carolyn Wonderland.  This year Foodlink will honor William Mulligan Sr., founder of the Genesee Valley Regional Market, for his dedication to the regional food system.  Tickets are $50 before May 10 and $60 after May 10.  Tables for 8 people are $350.  Contact me (585) 328-3380 x156 or moberst@foodlinkny.org for tickets.  Did I mention this is a great Mother’s Day present?  Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.  Your mother will love you for it.  More info

Farmers’ Market and Wine Tasting – May 20, 12-7pm

To wrap up the festival, Freshwise Farms will be at the Farmers’ Market and Wine Tasting as part of Wine ‘N Blues Day presented by Casa Larga.  Sip, sample and purchase wine from local wineries and enjoy greens from Freshwise Farms.  Bring your market basket; you don’t want to leave without Freshwise greens and a bottle of wine!  A small fee will apply, covering all samples and a commemorative tasting glass.  More info

Whew, you got all that?  Feel free to call Foodlink at (585) 328-3380 if you have any questions on what we are doing.  Bring out the kettle corn, indie artists and Festival Guy; it’s on!

Maria Oberst

Resource Development Manager and Lilac Aficionado

Everyone has a guilty pleasure.  For some it’s chocolate, for others it’s gossip magazines.  My guilty pleasure is NBC’s The Biggest Loser.  Every Tuesday night from 8pm to 10pm you will find me glued to the TV watching this weight loss show.

For those of you who don’t watch the show, The Biggest Loser is a reality show that challenges and encourages overweight contestants to shed pounds through diet and exercise.  For many people across the country it is more than just prime time entertainment, it is an inspiration.  The show has motivated millions of people to take control of their lives and begin their weight loss journey.

The Biggest Loser is also proactive in the fight against hunger.  Last season the show began a program called the Pound for Pound Challenge.  For each pound a person pledges to lose at www.pfpchallenge .com, 14¢ (the equivalency of one pound of food) will be donated to the participant’s local food bank.  This is a win-win program.  America becomes healthy and simultaneously feeds the hungry.  As of posting time, Rochester had 29,078 pounds pledged by 1,048 people, which put us in 54^th place nationwide, and in 3^rd place in New York.  This is where my competitive spirit kicks in.  Rochester is currently less than 2,000 pounds behind Buffalo in second place, and less than 8,000 pounds away from first place.  Come on Rochester, let’s pledge those pounds!

Tying in with the wellness theme, Foodlink recently started the Eat Well Live Well Challenge created by Wegmans.  The goal of the eight-week program is to encourage individuals to move more and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed.  We are all sporting pedometers to count our steps and we track the fruits and vegetables we eat.  Eat Well Live Well annually reminds some employees (a.k.a. me) of how little physical activity is done during work hours.  It’s tough to tally up 10,000 steps each day when sitting at a desk for 8 hours.  I’m excited if my pedometer shows more than 3,000 steps by the time I get home.  This past Tuesday I found myself walking in place and doing sit-ups while watching The Biggest Loser in order to reach 10,000 steps.

So what am I getting at?  Get moving!  Walk around the office.  Bike through one of Rochester’s great parks.  Go for a run.  Park at the back of the parking lot and stop fighting the little old ladies for the front spots at Wegmans.  The Pound for Pound Challenge and Eat Well Live Well are great programs to help you get healthy and look good in a bathing suit this summer.  Rochester, let’s all be big losers!

Maria Oberst

Resource Development Manager and Biggest Loser Enthusiast

Dave & Deb celebrating Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras came a little early to Rochester this year.  While people will be lining the streets in New Orleans today (perhaps wearing more black and gold than purple and green this year), the Rochester Chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association hosted their first Mardi Gras Masquerade Madness last Tuesday.  The evening was a benefit for Foodlink and the NYSRA’s Educational Foundation.  Attendees came to the Rochester Riverside Convention Center for a night of great food, gambling and jazz.  They filled the casino tables, many sporting devious masks which may have helped their poker games.  Everyone seemed to have a bit of New Orleans fever.

Since I’m not a big gambling fan, my attention was on the food.  While I am biased due to Freshwise’s relationship with Foodlink, I loved their Creole crab cakes with Cajun remoulade and maw maw slaw.  I think both Maryland and Louisiana would be impressed.   The jalapeño fudge from Tasteful Connections was another hit.  At first you are deceived into thinking it is ordinary chocolate fudge, but then a fiery aftertaste kicks in.   C’est si bon.

Hopeful Winners

The party also featured what I consider the Mecca of a silent auction prizes.  I have seen some tempting silent auction prizes in my day, but never a prize that has captured my interest like this one.  The captivating prize was to name a Rohrbachs beer.  Granted, this beer would be produced in a very small quantity and would never reach the fame of their Scotch Ale, but oh the wonders of sipping a pint of Oberst Ale!  Someday this dream will come true.

Thank you to the Rochester Chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association, all the participating restaurants and sponsors for a great night!  Laissez les bons temps rouler!  (Let the good times roll!)

Maria Oberst