Great Big Crunch 2011: Thursday March 10th 2:30 pm
How to Take the Great Big Crunch:
FoodShare's 'Great Big Crunch' invites students and teachers to learn about healthy eating and local and global food systems while following the journey from the apple seed, to the harvest, to the market, to the core.
It's a day of apple education through loads of fun activities, ending with a synchronized apple crunch at 2:30pm. In 2010 more than 64,000 crunched with us!
It's not to late to register your school for this year's Crunch. To find out how to register, and get more information about FoodShare's Great Big Crunch, go to http://www.foodshare.net/school-crunch.htm
More information
about the Great Big Crunch >> including downloadable activities and resources that you can use to hold your own Great Big Crunch
One Big Juicy Bite Toward Healthy Living through Healthy Eating:
Ministers Join 1800 Students for FoodShare's Great Big Crunch
Join our countdown and watch Ministers crunch with 1800 students from Thorncliffe Park Public School for FoodShare's Great Big Crunch. Count down with us at www.ontario.ca/children!
- Laurel Broten, Minister of Children and Youth Services
- Carol Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
- Don Werden, Norfolk Fruit Growers' Association
- Sharon Brodovsky, Heart and Stroke Foundation - Spark Together for Healthy Kids
- Donna Quan, TDSB Executive Superintendent
- Kevin Battaglia, Principal Thorncliffe Park Public School
- Meredith Hayes, Student Nutrition and School Program Senior Manager, FoodShare Toronto
- A group of grade 3 students will crunch with the Ministers; the rest of the school will crunch in their classrooms.
WHERE: Thorncliffe Park Public School
80 Thorncliffe Park Drive, East York, Ontario M4H 1K3
WHEN: Thursday, March 10, 1:45-2:45pm
- *Synchronized Apple Crunch featuring students and Ministers Laurel Broten and Carol Mitchell at 2:30pm*
- Brief greetings 2:15pm
- Additional media opportunities preceding the Crunch.
WHY: To kick off Nutrition Month
- promote healthy snacking
- highlight availability and quality of Ontario apples all year round, and ways to support Ontario farmers
- see students enjoying apples through activities on nutrition, cross pollination, composting, healthy recipes, local food systems, gardening and more
- highlight a visionary universal healthy Student Nutrition program at North America's largest elementary school
- demonstrate the role of Food Literacy in laying a foundation for all-around success for our children
- given widespread concern around childhood obesity and diabetes, it is more important than ever that our schools provide a healthy foundation for children, teaching students to garden, cook a healthy meal, compost and understand where their food comes from.
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Debbie Field keynote at International Women's Day
In the Spirit of Internationalism and in Support of Women in Their Struggle for Their Democratic Rights Around the Globe,
Please Join Us to Celebrate International Women's Day
Keynote Speakers:
- Debbie Field, ED, Food Share, Food Security, Poverty & Women
- Parvin Samadzadeh, Counsellor, Family Service Toronto Violence, Women & Activism
Messages of Solidarity, Live Music & Entertainment, Sumptuous Sweets & Savouries' Tables, Exquisite Raffle Prizes
Where: OFL Building 15 Gevais Drive, off Wynford Drive Don Mills Rd & Eglinton Ave.
When: Sunday,March 6,2011
Time: 4:30PM-7:00PM
To RSVP & receive your free ticket, please call: (416)388-9314
Iranian Women's Organization of Ontario-IWOO
2975 Don Mills Road, North York, ON M2J 3B7
Tel: (416) 496-9566 Fax: (416)496-0881
Email: info@iwontario.com
www.iwontario.com
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FoodShare's Katie German in Food 4 Health Web Documentary
Click here to watch a short film that was edited and filmed by youth navigators that are part of the project to hear Katie German, FoodShare's Youth Engagement Coordinator talk about food security. ( Scroll down to "Food Security Video & Game')
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Vegequarium is a Winner
The "Vegequarium" built by
Justin Nadeau, FoodShare's Urban Agriculture Education and Environmental Educator, wins first price in the EcoAction Challenge.
Project: The Builder Cost: $39 Time spent: 7.5 hours
Project by Justin Nadeau (Toronto, ON)
Project Description
The "Vegequarium" is the perfect addition to your kitchen, classroom or office. It is an aquarium that grows greens. By circulating the water from the fish tank through a hydroponic grow tray, you are able to grow fresh herbs and salad greens!
See more information about the Vegequarium here >>
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Vancouver School Food Revolution: Redesigning School Food Systems One Bite at A Time
Join Debbie Field, Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto and Joanne Bays, Provincial Manager Farm to School BC, Public Health Association of BC on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, at the Vancouver School Board Office from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm as they discuss ways to reshape the way our children eat and think about food at school.
This is a free session open to the public. Seatingis limited and will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
For more information: Joanne Bays, MSc, Provincial Manager Farm to School BC, Public Health Association of BC, CoChair Vancouver Food Policy Council
email: joannebays@gmail.com
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Good Food Box Price Increase
As of March 15 2011, we are increasing the price of Good Food Boxes to the following.
Good Food Box.......$18
Small Food Box.......$13
Fruit Box..............$13
Wellness Box.........$13
Large Organic Box...$34
Small Organic Box...$24
Investing in our Food System today, will help make fresh produce
more affordable and accessible in the future.
Prepared by the Good Food Program team
A look at what affects the price of Fruits and vegetables and why the Good Food Box prices are increasing
In the last 10 years prices for goods, such as produce, have increased, yet the price for our Food Boxes has not. Why would we start increasing the price now? As you know, FoodShare's vision is to find long term solutions to making good healthy food "from field to table" affordable and accessible. We believe that long term solutions are possible if everyone involved invests in the solution. The rise in the box prices is, in a way, your contribution to helping us create an alternative food system that will benefit us well into the future. After further research on the subject of rising food costs, we found that keeping our boxes at the same price jeopardizes the sustainability and quality of our program, prevents us from paying fair prices to farmers, and prevents both farmers and customers to develop a sustainable and affordable alternative to our current food system.
The effect of rising gas prices on food prices:
The rise in gas prices affects the price of food in a very obvious way and in a not so obvious way. We notice the affect when we put fuel in our vehicle or as we pay for our tokens or metro passes at the subway and here at FoodShare, when we deliver the Good Food Boxes, and Markets. In January of 2000 the average cost per liter was $ 0.65 and in January 2010 the average cost per liter was $1.06. What is not as noticeable is that current farm practices use enormous amounts of petroleum to plant, fertilize, harvest, and process food. An increase in the cost of fuel directly affects farmers expenses and the final price of fresh produce. This is why FoodShare believes that using more sustainable methods to grow and harvest food is important both for our environment and for keeping food prices affordable. In 2010 FoodShare purchased over $400,000 of produce that is grown in a sustainable manner (LFP and Organic methods). By investing in sustainable farming techniques we are helping to make fruits and vegetables more affordable in the future.
Paying a fair price to farmers:
The more hands that touch the food between the farmers and you, the less money farmers will get for their produce. In raising our prices of boxes, FoodShare supports the fair treatment and payment of farmers; so that they can continue to provide you with quality produce. In fact, even though produce prices have risen, the revenue that vegetable farmers are earning, compared to their cost of living has gone down. FoodShare believes that by supporting local farmers, we are investing in our long-term ability to help farmers earn a decent living, and help keep food accessible and affordable.
As you can see from this graph, the price of fresh produce has increased by 50% over the last 26 years, whereas the price of processed sweets, such as cakes, cupcakes and cookies has risen more slowly. No wonder it is a struggle to make healthy choices!
Consumer price index for fresh fruits and vegetables compared to consumer price index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies ( both relative to CPI-U for all items).
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