Guest Blog on the 2011 Hunger Conference!

Fran Alloway, R.D., a nutrition and health educator from the Penn State Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, is the head organizer for the Annual Delaware County Hunger Conference. Today she shares with us a guest blog on this year's conference!

On March 1, 2011, The Challenge of Feeding our Diverse Communities in Delaware County was held at Widener University. For the third year, a group of agency staff and individuals organized a conference to give those working with low income clients the tools to address many of the issues faced by those seeking food, food stamps and related services. Our speakers addressed the self sufficiency standard, health literacy, food related health issues faced across the lifespan, ethnic barriers and provided a template to help each client gain access to healthy food.

Many participants reported that it was the best conference yet and I agree. The next morning I was thinking about Captain Jose Santiago’s (Chester Salvation Army) comments about coming to New England in winter from Puerto Rico where life was bustling, food was spicy and church was noisy to a town where no one was seen after the sun went down. I also marveled when Lynn Kugel from PathwaysPA told us that a woman with one child needs to earn over $60,000 to live comfortably. No wonder many of our working poor struggle.

Dr. Mary Powell from Neumann talked about how only 10% of adults read proficiently at a 10th grade level. Many of our handouts and instructions need to account for the lower 30% who have basic or less than basic skills and have difficulty with charts, detailed instructions and too much information. As a health educator, this was important to hear.

A wonderful panel of two medical doctors, a PhD and Outreach director gave us information on nutrition over the lifespan from low birth weight and premature babies to the elderly. Anne Ayella from Nutrition Development Services talked about how the Archdiocese of Philadelphia started offering school lunches, after school snacks and now administers the summer meal program.

Amanda Archibald, who is a food consultant (Field to Plate) gave us a roadmap template to look at our clients (or groups of clients) and assess food resources they possess and what is missing to better meet their needs. This activity challenged our thinking about food resources. Many of our clients need more than a handout of food, although this helps. Can we teach them to mix those canned green beans into a casserole with the pasta and soup? Can we help our ethnic clients to keep the healthy items in their native diet when they adopt an American way of eating?

A good conference makes you think and challenges you to take action. 76% of our attendees listed an action that they plan to take as a result of the conference and 96% said that they would share the information with others. If you didn’t get to the Hunger conference this year, we’ll be sponsoring a 4th annual conference next March.

March is National Nutrition Month – celebrate how good food creates healthy bodies. Let’s help those with limited access to food eat healthy too. A food resource guide can be found at http://www.co.delaware.pa.us/humanservices/emgfood.html

Nutrition and Delaware County

March has been established as National Nutrition Month. The American Dietetics Association sponsors a campaign every March dedicated to education and nutrition awareness. This year’s theme is “Eat Right with Color” which conveys the importance of eating nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables which are not only rich in nutrients, but in color as well. For example, instead of simply cooking foods like chicken and potatoes, try to add more color to your plate in the form of colorful vegetables like carrots or spinach. To learn more about how to add color to your plate, go here.

There have been many events around Delaware County that have been indicating the importance of nutrition in our foods. The Delaware County Hunger Coalition and DIFAN held its annual Hunger Conference earlier this month entitled “The Challenge of Feeding Our Diverse Communities in Delaware County.” The conference emphasized cultural differences in food and the need to address food and nutrition in a culturally sensitive manner. Also this past week was the grand opening of a permanent location for the Chester Co-Op, now located on the Avenue of the States. The Co-Op is a community owned grocery store in Chester that provides residents with access to nutritious and fresh foods like locally grown fruits and vegetables, among others. The Chester Co-Op will be significant in providing residents in an area with no grocery store with the ability to feed themselves with foods that will provide nutritional sustenance. Not only are events like the Hunger Conference and the Chester Co-Op’s opening making nutrition a priority, but also food pantries throughout the county are ensuring that foods donated are lower in fat and contain nutrients necessary to lead a healthy life. Delaware County is clearly trying to make nutrition a priority!

Nutrition and Delaware County

March has been established as National Nutrition Month. The American Dietetics Association sponsors a campaign every March dedicated to education and nutrition awareness. This year’s theme is “Eat Right with Color” which conveys the importance of eating nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables which are not only rich in nutrients, but in color as well. For example, instead of simply cooking foods like chicken and potatoes, try to add more color to your plate in the form of colorful vegetables like carrots or spinach. To learn more about how to add color to your plate, go here.

There have been many events around Delaware County that have been indicating the importance of nutrition in our foods. The Delaware County Hunger Coalition and DIFAN held its annual Hunger Conference earlier this month entitled “The Challenge of Feeding Our Diverse Communities in Delaware County.” The conference emphasized cultural differences in food and the need to address food and nutrition in a culturally sensitive manner. Also this past week was the grand opening of a permanent location for the Chester Co-Op, now located on the Avenue of the States. The Co-Op is a community owned grocery store in Chester that provides residents with access to nutritious and fresh foods like locally grown fruits and vegetables, among others. The Chester Co-Op will be significant in providing residents in an area with no grocery store with the ability to feed themselves with foods that will provide nutritional sustenance. Not only are events like the Hunger Conference and the Chester Co-Op’s opening making nutrition a priority, but also food pantries throughout the county are ensuring that foods donated are lower in fat and contain nutrients necessary to lead a healthy life. Delaware County is clearly trying to make nutrition a priority!

The Delaware County Food Resource Guide

In Delaware County there are several organizations that address the hunger needs in our community. These organizations offer residents access to food, as well as provide opportunities to donate and volunteer.Thanks to the help of several Delaware county nonprofits, this information has been captured and organized into a simple resource guide.

Below you will find the Delaware County Food Resource Guide. In this guide you will find a comprehensive a list of all agencies addressing the hunger and nutritional needs of adults, children and families throughout Delaware County.

The Delaware County Food Resource Guide contains the following information:

- Name of the Organization
- Address of the Organization
- How to Contact the Organization
- Hours of Operation
- Type of Services Provided
- How to Apply for these Services
- Who is Eligible for these Services
- If a Referral is Needed for these Services
- What to Bring to your First Visit

Feel free to access the guide here and for further questions call United Way at (610)874-8646

Delaware County Food Resource Guide