The Food Bank of Yolo County and Einstein Education Center have partnered to host cooking classes for students to promote healthy eating. Over the course of the six-week series, students have learned how to prepare simple but nutritious meals from a variety of cultures. Ryan Gamba, the nutritionist at the Food Bank of Yolo County, uses the hands-on experience of cooking as an opportunity to encourage healthy habits outside the traditional classroom setting.

SN&R Green Guide Feast not famine 11.26.09

Thank you to Durst Organic Growers for your ongoing support and to Julie Cross for a great article!

SN&R Green Guide Feast not famine 11.26.09

Running of the Turkeys

Thank you to everyone who participated in the inaugural Running of the Turkeys yesterday! The 3-mile run/1.5 mile walk was held at Nelson's Grove in Woodland. Special thanks to Jennean Rogers who envisioned the event and mobilized her family and community to pull it together. Thank you to the sponsors listed below and stay tuned for the grand total raised!

Woodland Healthcare

Hunter Ad Specialties

Yolo County YMCA

Joe Muller & Sons

Payne Brothers Ranches

Chamberlain Farms

Jose and Julia Martinez

Bullseye Farms

Ag-Seeds Unlimited

TSL Seed Company

More Facing Hunger

New USDA report on food insecurity shows increase in those facing hunger- even before the worst of the downturn

Household Food Security in the United States, 2008

Healthy Turnip Recipes

As promised, here are Ryan's healthy recipes for the veggie of the month: turnips!

Mashed Turnatoes
1 Large Turnip, peeled and cubed
3 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
¼ cup milk
2 tbls. unsalted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
diced onions (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place turnip and potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 25 to 30 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat, and drain. Mix the milk and 2 tablespoons butter with the turnip and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Mash until slightly lumpy. Transfer turnip mixture to a small baking dish. Cover loosely, and bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove cover, and continue baking about 8 minutes, until lightly browned.

Turnip and Carrot Soup
2 tbsp. chopped onion
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 qt milk
1 c grated raw carrots
1 c grated raw turnips
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Saute onion in butter for a few minutes. Blend in flour; add milk gradually, carrots and turnips, salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently, until carrots and turnips are tender, about 10 minutes. Serves 4.

Give them a try and let us know how they turn out!

Pioneer High School Cheers Our Efforts

Thank you to the Cheer Team at Pioneer High School for collecting money in coin banks to support the Food Bank. Their efforts raised a total of $386.53 with more to come! The issue of hunger resonated with them particularly when they counted off in fives to illustrate that one out of every five children in Yolo County lives in poverty and may be going to bed hungry. We are happy to partner with the Cheer Team at Pioneer High and all of our community partners to ensure that every child in Yolo County has enough to eat.

November Veggie of the Month: Turnips!

The Moveable Market program's veggie of the month is turnips! While the turnip itself is helpful in ensuring a healthy dose of fiber, the turnip green is actually the most nutritious part of the plant. Turnip greens can be prepared in similar ways to mustard greens.

Stay tuned for more on the healthy recipes our nutritionist, Ryan, is preparing using turnips. In the meantime, share with us your favorite way to cook or eat a turnip.

Organic farmer cousins receive award from LWV - Daily Democrat Online

Thank you to the Durst family for their generous contributions over the years!
Organic farmer cousins receive award from LWV - Daily Democrat Online

Gleaning Makes the News

Local volunteers gleaning fresh produce for the Food Bank makes the news:

SN&R Green Guide Gleaning in the trees 10.29.09

Ryan the Carrot Visits Moveable Market

Ryan the Carrot visited the Woodland Child Development Center today to promote healthy eating and the Moveable Market program. The Moveable Market is an effort by the Food Bank to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables. While at Woodland CDC, Ryan the Carrot offered samples of Butternut Squash soup, which featured the October veggie of the month: Squash!

What is your favorite squash recipe?

Prairie Elementary Joins in the Fight Against Hunger

Students at Prairie Elementary School in Woodland conducted their second annual Coin Drive to benefit the Food Bank of Yolo County. Each of the 29 classes collected money in coin banks which they decorated with messages about fighting hunger and promoting nutrition. A total of $584.41 was raised, which will provide over $6,000 worth of food for those in need in Yolo County.

Thank you to the students, teachers, and families at Prairie Elementary for your commitment to fighting hunger in our community.

For more information on how to help, visit the Make a Difference page on our website.

Fighting Hunger Across California

Executive Director Jose Martinez and Director of Programs Frances Johnson travelled to Oakland today for the Annual Meeting of the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB). CAFB’s role is to provide coordination and support to the 45 food banks across the state, increase the visibility of hunger and its solutions, share food resources and influence public policy. Jose and Frances enjoyed the day of connecting with fellow food bankers and hearing updates on statewide initiatives, including the Farm to Family program which connects the network of food banks with nutritious, local produce.

Champions for Change

Today our nutritionist, Ryan Gamba, spoke at the regional HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) conference. The mission of HEAL is to improve the health of children, families, and individuals within the Gold Country Region through education, policies, and environments that promote physical activity, nutrition, and access to healthy foods. Ryan was also recognized as a Champion for Change for his work increasing access to healthy food through the Food Bank’s Moveable Market program. Ryan had also nominated several of our community partners for the award including: Jie Dong from The Greenery Housing Apartments and Oralia Rodriguez of RISE Inc. in Esparto.

Who would you nominate as a Champion for Change?

Local CAN Make a Difference

This weekend concluded the “Local CAN make a Difference” food drive hosted by Yolo Federal Credit Union. A total of 6,433 pounds were collected from Yolo FCU members, staff, and community partners. However before the food was donated, Yolo FCU staff competed to build structures with the donated items. Designs ranged from a grocery cart and bag of food to a tiered cake and the American flag!

Thank you to the participating community and business partners including:
LPL Financial Services
Nick’s Diner- West Sacramento
Silvina’s Basket
Sacramento Latino Group
Pacific Coast Producers
Health Education Council
Grocery Outlet
Bayside Church- Woodland
Food 4 Less

And special thank you to the team at Yolo Federal Credit Union for your hard work and generosity!

The Food Stamp Challenge

Thank you for your interest in our virtual fund raiser. Use this blog page, and chect it frequently to stay current with what is going on with the event participants. We encourage you to actively comment on your experience as you go through this challenge. We think the experience will do three things: First, gives you first hand experience with what it is like trying to feed yourself for about $4 a day; Second, it allows you to be part of the solution in helping out the less fortunate; Third, you raise awareness about hunger and malnutrition in the community; and Fourth, you raise some money to help the Food Bank in its mission to alleviate hunger and malnutrition. Thank you for participating and for your generous and charitable involvement. To read or post comments, click here.
~ José Martinez, Food Bank Executive Director.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Food Bank of Yolo County’s Blog.

Our Mission: To alleviate hunger and malnutrition in Yolo County.

Founded and incorporated in 1971, the Food Bank of Yolo County in Northern California has grown from a backyard gleaning program providing a few thousand pounds of food a year, to an organization staffed by 10 full-time and part-time employees and hundreds of volunteers that distributes millions of pounds of food annually.

Visit our website at http://www.foodbankyc.org/



We look forward to hearing from you.