 |
|
|
|
Help Spoons Meet the Challenge
An anonymous donor has generously pledged to donate $25,000 to Spoons and has challenged us to raise an additional $25,000. This grant will enable us to bring much-needed programs like The Dinner Party Project to more children nationwide. Please join us in our mission to improve the health of America's children!
Click here to make a donation
|
|
Spoons Volunteer Recognized as one of the "Best People in NYC"
In November 2007, Alisha Niehaus was recognized by the New York City Mayor's Volunteer Center as one of the "Best People in NYC" for her volunteer work with Spoons. An editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, Alisha says that Spoons gives her the chance to interact with children "and to get to know them in such a visceral and fascinating way - from what they love (ketchup) to what they hate (oysters) to the scariest parts of the kitchen...Spoons provides fabulous, old-fashioned fun for everyone lucky enough to be involved - of the very wholesome, sometimes quite messy, and always life-changing variety."
Spoons received a $1,000 donation as part of the award, which is sponsored by Snapple. Thanks, Alisha, for your great work!
|
|
Mission Statement
Spoons Across America ® - the source for children's culinary education - is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating children, teachers, and families about the benefits of healthy eating. We work to influence the eating habits of children through hands-on education that celebrates the connection to local farmers and the important tradition of sharing meals around the family table.
We make a difference in the lives of children and their families through food and nutrition education.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Dinner Party Project® Debuts in Lexington, Massachusetts
"Thank you for teaching us about nutrition. I had no idea how much sugar was in soda, or how to find out." - Samuel
"I'm going to think more about what I put in my refrigerator. Where does it come from? Can I get it at the farmers market?" - Joe
The above comments are from 5th-grade students who took part in Spoons Across America's Dinner Party Project, held in October in Lexington, Massachusetts. During the five-week program, the children learned about nutrition, met with local farmers, tasted fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the farm, and cooked a delicious and healthy dinner for their families using local ingredients. Spoons presented the program in partnership with the Lexington Farmers Market.
"The kids saw first-hand that fresh produce tastes differently from packaged and processed foods," says Lori Deliso, the market's co-director and one of the project planners (along with Liza Connolly).
Twenty children, all from the public Bridge Elementary School in Lexington, participated in the project. One highlight was the visit to the farmers market, where they taste-tested locally grown apples against those shipped in from great distances. The students learned that the average fruit or vegetable travels 1,500 miles to get from where it was grown to the table. "I'm going to eat more local foods because they take less energy to travel," one child said.
Local farmer Al Rose, a fourth-generation owner of Red Apple Farm, cut open an apple to demonstrate how the fruit grows (from a seed, to a flower, and finally into a fruit). He explained that apples have fiber that helps our digestive system.  Beekeeper Peter Niemi nearly stole the show when he displayed a live honeybee hive to the excited children and explained why bees are so crucial to growing fruit. Finally, the kids sampled fresh bee pollen.
Rita Wollmering, co-owner of the nearby HerbFarmacy, gave the children tastes of organically grown herbs including basil, lemon thyme and oregano, and encouraged them to think about how to use them in their dinner party menu. Rita described how organic farmers use companion planting (using naturally bug-repelling plants next to other crops) and introduce "good" bugs (like ladybugs) to keep away bad ones.
In preparation for their big harvest dinner party, the students learned about healthy eating from nutritionist Liz Weiss and made mango smoothies (a big hit). They also figured out and measured how many tablespoons of sugar are in a bottle of soda - much to their shock and horror!  Inspired by what they had seen and tasted at the market, they planned their menu: fresh bread and butter, Cobb salad with homemade dressing, roasted vegetables, and chicken with herbs and garlic. The children sampled some foods that were new to them, including delicata squash, purple potatoes, green peppers and olives. "Now I won't say 'ew' to green food," one child said.
The party itself was a rousing success, with nearly everything on the menu prepared using locally-grown and seasonal ingredients. Bakers Thomas and Helene Stroh of nearby SwissBakers (and farm market vendors), brought in already-risen dough that the children kneaded and shaped into rolls. The freshly baked bread was served with butter the children had made themselves by shaking jars of cream.
As guests entered the brightly decorated cafeteria, the students offered them freshly squeezed maple syrup lemonade and local apple cider. Finally, the students served the meal they had made and sat down to eat with their families. The children were thrilled with their party and can't wait to do more cooking at home.  "I had a great time because we learned in a fun way, and it felt like we were real chefs," said one student. Another said, "It was amazing to see how OUR cooking tasted!"
"It is clear that the DPP changed the way in which these 5th-graders think about food," says Ms. Deliso. Before the program, very few of the children surveyed said that they regularly prepare meals for themselves and their families, or that they gave much thought to food's health benefits or its origins. After the program, all of the children said they plan to make family meals a regular event, and that they will pay more attention to the nutritional value of their food and where it comes from. A parent noted that since participating in The Dinner Party Project, her daughter encourages her to shop at the farm market. "Now she is open to trying new foods," the mother said.
NBC's "Today Show" and reporters from the Boston Globe were on hand to chronicle the gala event. Be sure to tune in to the "Today Show" on December 26 to see the Bridge Elementary School kids in action! And check our website, www.spoonsacrossamerica.org for more articles about this and other Spoons programs.
"Partnering with the Lexington Farmers Market is a natural fit for us, because we share the goal of introducing kids to the joys of eating fresh food and sharing family meals," says Julia V. Jordan, president and founder of Spoons. "Now, we plan to make The Dinner Party Project a year-round community project in Lexington." For more information about the Market, visit their website at www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.org.
|
|
Greenmarket Guides Lead 1500 NYC Kids
Photo Credit: Lisa Pines
This fall marked another successful season of Greenmarket Guides, a program that trains volunteer guides to lead tours of New York City farmers markets. In October, we trained a total of 50 volunteers to lead 58 classes of public school kids (as well as some interested adults) through their local Greenmarkets. The program is part of the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF)/New York Chapter's Days of Taste®program, which Spoons administers in New York City.
Participants tasted fresh produce, spoke with local farmers, and learned about what the market has to offer. Armed with one dollar each to spend on whatever they chose (with the possible exception of doughnuts), the children bought such goodies as apples, cilantro, baby pumpkins, cider and corn. "It was great seeing the kids eat the corn right there," says Sandy Murzin, the project's director.
Chef Alice Waters donated to one class a signed copy of her book. And some of the students of PS 261 even got their picture in The New York Times.
In addition to educating kids about fresh produce, the program helps to raise overall awareness of the city's fabulous Greenmarkets. "A mother who accompanied her son's class on a tour said that until then, she didn't know the market existed. She returned the very next day to shop," said Ms. Murzin. Another convert!
|
|
|
|
|
