TEST SCORES DROP WHEN SNAP RUN OUT

A new study that confirms that it’s harder to think when you’re hungry. The study’s authors matched up the timing of math tests in South Carolina to the dates when low-income students’ families received monthly SNAP benefits. They found that kids’ test scores dropped at times of the month when nutrition benefits had run out. Put another way, access to SNAP substantially improves students’ academic performance—but only when there are actually enough benefits for families to be able to eat. Running out of SNAP benefits isn’t an anomaly—nearly half of participating families run out before the end of the month. Many previous studies have demonstrated the long-term effects of food insecurity on children; this study shows that the effect of losing SNAP benefits is immediate.

Source: Talk Poverty, 9/25/17, Test Scores

Another SLU student joins the GardenShare team for the semester

My name is Maya Williams and I am a senior at St. Lawrence University. As part of a “community based learning” component for a course I am taking on local food and farming, I am volunteering with GardenShare. 

For the next three months, I will explore how a local nonprofit is managing issues of hunger and access to healthy food in the North Country. I am particularly interested in community outreach and involvement in the organization, as I believe it is vital to the success of the project. 

As an Environmental Studies and Geology major, I hope to someday pursue environmental education, fostering appreciation and stewardship of the natural world. Outside of GardenShare and school, I am on the rowing team, where incredible morning sunrises on the St. Lawrence River make up for 5 am wakeups. I also love to hike, climb trees, and collect rocks (hence the geology major). 

Currently, my favorite book is Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. If you haven’t read it, you should. It will change the way you think about the role humans have on this planet in new ways. Fresh beets are my favorite vegetable, even though I refused to eat them until I was about 15. 

Another student joins the team for the semester

Name: Corinna Pilcher

Hometown: Colchester, Vermont

Role at GardenShare: Volunteer

How long?: September – December 2017

Why I do what I do: I’m working with GardenShare as an additional learning experience with my class on societal change. I love GardenShare’s mission of strengthening the region’s food system to help both the farmers and those who need food assistance, with healthy food at the center. I look forward to helping this mission however I can in the four months I’m here.

Role outside of GardenShare: I’m a student at St. Lawrence University.

Hobbies: I love to travel, discuss current events, learn new things, and go on adventures.

What one word would you use to describe yourself? Inquisitive.

Favorite book: Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

Last read: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

FOOD STAMPS--A HISTORY LESSON AND BIPARTISAN MODEL

Forty years ago--September 29,1977--President Carter signed into law the landmark 1977 Food Stamp Act, setting the framework for today’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The 1977 law and its bipartisan roots both were years in the making. Food stamps began as a pilot program in 1961 and was converted to permanent status in 1964, but it wasn’t yet a nationwide program and wasn’t doing enough to address hunger. Tens years later the program served the whole nation. When President Ford sought in 1975 to cut food stamp benefits sharply by regulation, Congress passed legislation to block the measure by bipartisan, veto-proof margins. The Food Stamp Act that Carter signed in 1977, which passed Congress with bipartisan support, included the most far-reaching improvements in the program’s history. It eliminated the “purchase requirement” — that recipients must pay cash to purchase their food stamps (for example, having to pay $90 to receive $200 in food stamps rather than just receiving the $110 difference). Until then, only about half of those eligible for benefits were receiving them, in large part because many potential beneficiaries could not come up with the lump sums of cash needed to buy food stamps every month. And it took important steps to simplify the program, reduce administrative costs, and combat fraud.

Source: Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 9/26/17, Food Stamp History

Veggie of the Month: Beets

Fun Facts about beets:

•  Long ago beets were used to cure ailments such as toothaches and headaches rather than being consumed 
• The compound that makes beets red is called betalin and it’s actually really important in helping the body get rid of toxins. 
• The beet is a love vegetable. It is the belief of some cultures that eating from the same beet as someone else will cause you to fall in love. 
• The green tops of beets are edible and taste good sautéed.

Roasted Beet Salad with Chickpeas and Red Onion

Yield:

4 servings

Level:

Easy

Ingredients

• 3 medium beets
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled 
• 1 sprig rosemary 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained 
• 1/2 red onion, sliced 
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dill pickles
• Juice of 1/2 lemon 
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Set the beets, garlic and rosemary on a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and pepper and add a splash of water. Fold the foil up into a pouch and seal the edges. Transfer to the oven and cook until the beets are easily pierced with a knife, 45 to 50 minutes. When done, remove the beets from the pouch and set them aside until cool enough to handle. With a paper towel rub the skins from the beets. Cut the peeled beets into bite-size cubes. Mince the roasted garlic.

Combine the beets, garlic, chickpeas, red onion, pickles and lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss to mix. Transfer the salad to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the cotija and cilantro and serve.

Source:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/roasted-beet-salad-with-chickpeas-and-red-onion-2418914

New intern works on educating youth on food system issues

Name:  Becky Tierney

Town of residence:  Canton, NY – from Franklin, MA

Role at GardenShare:  As an intern, my primary responsibility is to reach out to youth in the St. Lawrence County community and spread the mission of GardenShare through education. I am creating another lesson plan for GardenShare’s repertoire on youth education and will be assessing the effectiveness of this new plan through survey.

How long?  I am interning at GardenShare from the month of September through December of 2017.

Why I do what I do:  I applied to be an intern at GardenShare because as an environmental studies major, I believe that one of the major ways we can mitigate climate change is by being mindful consumers and supporting local, small businesses rather than large franchises. GardenShare promotes local agriculture and emphasizes the importance nutritionally, economically, and environmentally of buying and eating local.

Role outside of GardenShare:  Outside of GardenShare, I am a full-time student at St. Lawrence University and will be graduating with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies with a French Minor in the spring of 2018. At St. Lawrence, I work for the Calling All Saints team as a student-caller and am a member of the Laurentian Singers.

Hobbies:  Singing, dancing, drawing and writing.

Most recent accomplishment:  I have just recently returned from studying abroad in Australia where I learned about the environmental management of the Great Barrier Reef and the marine park in which it lies. I hope to work in environmental management and in educating others on how their choices and actions impact their environment. Through GardenShare, I hope to develop my communication and organizational skills so that I can learn more about the food system within St. Lawrence County and educate its youth about GardenShare’s mission of eating locally and mindfully.

Favorite song, book, or movie?  My favorite song is Green Eyes by Coldplay.

Last read?  Small is Beautiful by E. F. Schumacher

Another student joins the team

Name: Lindsay Campbell

Town of Residence: Hamilton, Massachusetts

Role at GardenShare: Volunteer

How long? Just starting a 4 month commitment

Why I do what I do: I am at GardenShare to help those who are in need and to help make sure everyone has access to healthy locally grown food.  

I am a freshman at St. Lawrence University, currently pursuing a degree in Business, but I am ultimately undecided. My favorite movie is Just Go With it, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. If I could be a superhero, my power would to be have super speed, so I can get things done faster. For example, homework, helping people, and just everyday tasks. One word I would use to describe myself is fun and funny. I like to make the most of every moment and use humor in my everyday life. What not many people know about me is that I have five siblings, one older sister, one older brother, and three younger sisters.