Food for the Summer Kicks Off at Northside Elementary

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for the late afternoon kick off of Food for the Summer at Northside Elementary on Tuesday, June 5. Across the expansive lawn behind the school, a brightly colored Bounce House claimed the center of attention, along with art tables, corn hole stations, a farmers’ market - and a mouthwatering cookout spread from Chartwells, Inc. Families from the Northside community and beyond arrived early and stayed till “closing time” as the children played games, and adults visited with friends and new acquaintances.
   
Summer nutrition programs existed in this community before the creation of Food for the Summer, but it took the inspiration, and then countless hours dedicated to that vision, by Mayor Pam Hemminger before the rollout of the organization in the summer of 2016.
   
The Food for the Summer website (foodforthesummer.org) notes that in 2018, 27.9% or 3,432 children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are food insecure. Yet that stark statistic is not widely known among many local residents. For the third year, the program comprises a collaboration among CHCCS departments, the Chapel Hill Mayor’s office, Varsity Church, a number of community non-profits like Porch and the Inter-faith Council, as well as No Kid Hungry NC and UNC Food for All.
   
During the first summer of Food for the Summer, a smaller partnership of organizations served lunches at four sites in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. This year, volunteers will provide lunches at 16 sites for any child from infant to 18 years old. A new feature that will be phased in at some sites is Lunchtime Camp, an opportunity for volunteers to extend their time with children to interact with them in a variety of enrichment activities. Food and activities will be packed in easy-to-carry bins and volunteers will pick them up at central distribution zones.
   
For some of our community’s children, the USDA-approved lunches will be the most substantial or healthy meals they receive during weekdays. The bonus ingredients of conversation and creative engagement should also provide a social-emotional boost for the children who participate. Roslyn Moffitt, CHCCS Director of Title I and Family and Community Engagement, said, “Once again, different aspects of the community came together to support our families. This speaks to the uniqueness of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area.”
   
The need for volunteers is still high! The program begins on Monday, June 11 at all 16 sites. Employees of CHCCS and the Town of Chapel Hill do not need additional background checks; all other volunteers can link to a five minute process that will provide the clearance necessary to participate. High school students can earn service-learning hours, and many sites are on the town’s free bus service.
   
Carolyn Brandt is the director of Food for the Summer, and she welcomes your questions at foodforthesummer@ifcmailbox.org. Please visit the website or go straight to the sign-up link!
       
https://www.foodforthesummer.org/volunteer

2018 Organizations of the Partnership

Book Harvest
Town of Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill Mayor’s Office
Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools
Chartwells, Inc.
Family Success Alliance
Inter-Faith Council for Social Service
No Kid Hungry NC
PORCH
Refugee Support Center
TABLE
UNC Chapel Hill Food for All
Varsity Church
YMCA of the Triangle

read more " Food for the Summer Kicks Off at Northside Elementary"

Morris Grove Elementary Dedicates a Month to Wellness

For the fourth year in a row, April was Wellness Month at Morris Grove Elementary, and the focus was on health lessons and activities for both students and staff. In the hallways, posters outlining the Road to Better Health reminded Geckos about the most important steps to building healthy bodies and minds.
   
One of the favorite activities was the Wellness Month Bingo that allowed students the full month of April to complete and color in each square for a successful bingo card. Squares shared tips like No screen time for an hour before bed; No fast food for a whole day; and, Take a “mindful” walk and pay attention to what you see, hear and smell. A 5th grader said, “The bingo board gave me things I could tell my family to help them stay healthy.”
   
Morris Grove nurse Lara Statile leads a team of teachers, staff and parents that meets regularly. “The mission of the Morris Grove Wellness Team is to  support the entire school community - students, staff and families - to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle by creating a culture that encourages positive relationships with health and wellness throughout the school year,” she said. “The focus on health culminates during Wellness Month in April. Our hope is that the various activities that occur during Wellness Month help to educate students and staff on the importance of maintaining good health and how they can achieve that goal in fun ways.”
   
Starting with the first week of April, everyone learned about Mindfulness and explored ways to practice basic mindful activities. Lucie House, the director of Minded, came to the school and led a staff workshop. Nicole Bohlen, 1st grade teacher, said, “Wellness month gave us an opportunity to bring up so many important topics within the classroom. The kids loved learning how to be mindful and practice breathing with techniques like ‘helicopter breathing’ and putting their hands on their bellies to feel their breaths! The more we surround kids with information regarding their health, the more they will apply it to their everyday lives.”
   
Week Two focused on Physical Activity, which perhaps came more naturally than mindfulness for some Geckos. For the staff, ESL teacher Molly Crawford taught a barre class at the school.
   
During Week Three, attention turned to nutrition and hydration. One of the high points of that week was when the Chartwell’s team set up in the cafeteria during lunch, behind a large table of fresh North Carolina strawberries. One 1st grade student said, “I really loved the strawberries that we got to try in the cafeteria!”
   

On the final Wednesday of April, a group of students, parents and staff represented Morris Grove at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market. They set up activities for market-goers to enjoy, including a scavenger hunt. They offered tastes of kale and sweet potato wedges and asked tasters to vote on their favorites. The attention-grabbing activity that afternoon was a Smoothie Station where people could pedal an exercise bicycle with a blender attached - whir, whir, whir - until a delicious fruit smoothie materialized, cold and refreshing.
     
The last week’s focus was, appropriately enough, sleep! A third grade student shared, “I learned that it's important for me to get 10-11 hours of sleep. I didn't know that before, and now, I try to get that much.” The Wellness team composed a list of sleep tips to share with staff, under the heading, Why all this fuss about sleep? “Many of us have forgotten what it feels like to be truly rested,” was an observation that probably resonated with the entire staff at this time of year.
   
Adaptive Curriculum teacher assistant, Alexa Payne, said, “I really liked all of the practical tips each day on the MGE morning news.”
   
And another 1st grader said, “Wellness Month helped teach people how to stay healthy.” Well-expressed, Geckos! And a big shout out to Lara Statile and the Wellness Team who created such a comprehensive exploration of pathways to better health.

read more "Morris Grove Elementary Dedicates a Month to Wellness"

McDougle Dolphins Meet Quinoa (Keen-wah)

The mood was festive and bright on a chilly Thursday in McDougle Elementary School’s atrium, as class after class of Dolphins filed in, one or two at a time; they sat on the floor and learned about whole grains, MyPlate and especially, the star of the day, Quinoa. Advertised by Chartwells Child Nutrition as a sampling and education extravaganza, a full team of CHCCS Chartwells staff partnered with Chef Jay-Z from InHarvest to present a quinoa-palooza that was pleasing to both the palate and the eye.

March is National Nutrition Month, and Chartwells has been busy throughout the district with various special events, but the spotlight is on quinoa. The March lunch schedule notes that “Quinoa contains all 9 amino acids- a complete protein with 5 grams in one cooked cup.” It’s an intact grain, gluten-free - and there are 120 different types of quinoa. The signature dish presented by district chef Jordan Keyser, chef Jay-Z(iobrowski) and the team at Chartwells is Cilantro-Lime Quinoa, served in crunchy tacos with chicken or beef, or as part of the SONO lines in the high schools.

Lynne Privette, CHCCS registered dietitian, led the initial lesson and game of “Guess the Grains” when she showed the students displays of oats, wheat berries and mixed rice. They learned how to say “kamut” and “legumes,” but when it came time to introduce the children to the correct pronunciation of quinoa (with a large poster that spelled out “Keen-wah”), the Chartwells team smiled as most of their audience called out the perfectly inflected word, without the phonetic spelling assistance. “Only in Chapel Hill-Carrboro,” whispered one adult observer. 

Next up was Chef Jay-Z, who talked about the MyPlate app, and he showed them how a healthy plate contains at least a quarter of whole grains for each meal. “You want to eat a breakfast of whole grains instead of Pop-Tarts,” he told them. “You’ll stay awake longer, your brains will work better and you’ll get better grades.”

And how did students respond to the lesson on nutrition, and the follow-up sample of cilantro-lime quinoa and chips? Tamara Baker, communications and project director for No Kid Hungry NC, attended the full event and shared this feedback. "The excitement and joy on the children's faces at the whole grains nutrition learning event at McDougle Elementary sent an important message: They loved the tasty morsels! We need to spread the word that healthy foods that are both tasty and provide mega-fuel for growing bodies and minds are available at lunch and breakfast in our schools!"

Even the youngest children, the Pre-K students, sat rapt, waiting patiently to receive their portions, and most of them tucked right in. “Awesome,” and “so good” and “I love it” were the reactions from many.

As a kindergarten class filed back out of the atrium, one boy said, “For some reason I feel like running real fast now.” Another child said, “My grandma needs some ‘cause she broke her hip.”

Lessons learned, and when those quinoa tacos show up on the lunch line the next two Tuesdays at McDougle Elementary, there’ll be a lot of intact grain experts, ready to recap their knowledge and chow down.

Liz Cartano, the CHCCS director of child nutrition, shared her reminder about the importance of the Chartwells commitment to Eat Lean and Live.  “We are not only about the food we serve each day in the cafe but about how we impact the child through food, nutrition ed and the importance of being dedicated to the community that we live in.”

No Kid Hungry NC
InHarvest

read more "McDougle Dolphins Meet Quinoa (Keen-wah)"

Morgan Named Chartwells K12 National Associate of the Year

Ann Morgan, the café manager at Phillips Middle School was named National Associate of the Year for Chartwells K12, the foodservice provider for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.  This award recognizes associates who go the extra mile in their school cafes.  Morgan has demonstrated her commitment to her students and her school time and again during her 20 years as the café manager at Phillips.

Under Morgan's leadership, Phillips café has:

• allowing classes to create their own pizza recipes, vote on their favorite and eat the winning pie during lunch; creations such as "Mac & Cheese Pizza" and "Fruit Pizza" are still served;
• celebrating National Nutrition Month (in March) by having students create edible garnishes around Chartwells' Asian noodle bowl, even providing gift baskets out of her own pocket for the winning teams; and
• involving her school in many activities, which shows in meal participation at Phillips - everyone loves to eat at Phillips Café; students sample many new foods, from sweet potato medley (three colors of sweet potatoes) to a wheatberry black bean salad.

"We are so pleased that all of Chartwells K12 now knows what we do - that Ann's excitement, fun and caring for her school and students is second to none," said Liz Cartano, director of child nutrition.  "She is never without a smile and a suggestion about how to improve what we do every day.  She pushes us to be better and has great ideas that she is willing to implement."

Morgan's nomination had to consider her contributions to her associates, school, community, and, most of all, her students.  Some excerpts from her nomination state:

• Ann Morgan's mind never stops working and that is no more evident than with her creative ideas to improve menus, recipes and promotions.
• She is a phenomenal trainer for new staff.  She provides her associates with knowledge and confidence for them to succeed.
• Ann Morgan's number one goal is to provide healthy, nourishing food for her middle school students.  She effortlessly combines her knack for creativity, friendliness with everyone, and never-ending enthusiasm and zest for her school in all that she does.

"Ann Morgan embodies the Eat.Learn.Live philosophy [Chartwells K12's motto] in all that she does.  Our promotions are stronger, our menus are healthier, and our associates are better trained because of Ann's ability to impact so many people through her enthusiasm and good deeds," Cartano added.

As the national award winner, Morgan will attend the Compass Night of Stars in October and receives an all-expenses paid three-day trip to Disney World to celebrate her success.

read more "Morgan Named Chartwells K12 National Associate of the Year"