Good Food for All

Weekly Digest: Healthy Changes in Humboldt Park, Child Nutrition Reauthorization, and Zoning for Urban Ag

This week's digest is cross-posted at ChicagoREgen.com.

• Sinai Urban Health Institute received national press on its comprehensive public health assessment of eight Chicago communities and the changes that have occurred since the study was published in 2006.  Block by Block is a campaign to support Humboldt Park residents in making healthy lifestyle changes.

• There could be movement in Congress on the 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR). View resources here.

• The Reinvestment Fund (TRF) has a new data mapping tool of low-access areas to supermarkets in Chicago.

• The Local Beet examines the Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning's latest efforts to update zoning classifications for urban agriculture.

• Large retail chains, including Walmart, CVS and Walgreens, are stocking their stores with more groceries in urban areas.

• Illinois State University is diverting thousands of pounds of food waste from landfills this year.

• Jim Javenkoski and Sunday Dinner will present two sold-out Locavore Dinners on November 15 and 16. The first event features special guests Beth and Brent Eccles of Green Acres Farm (North Judson, IN). Harry and Gwen Carr of Mint Creek Farm (Stelle, IL) are the featured guests for the second event.

 

Good Food for All Weekly Digest

The Good Food for All Weekly Digest is cross-posted this week on ChicagoReGen.com. 

• Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will release its GO TO 2040 Plan for final approval on Oct. 13.  Download the full report, and read the chapter on promoting sustainable local food.

• USDA announced the 2010 Specialty Crop Block Grant Awards, which include a number of Illinois grantees including The Experimental Station, Illinois Stewardship Alliance and FamilyFarmed.org.

• Growing Home will host a community meeting on Oct. 7 to discuss the development of an urban agricultural district in Englewood and their proposal for an EPA Brownfields grant.

• A new report “Building Communities with Farms” features Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, IL.  The report provides insights on communities that have integrated farms with housing developments.

• Growing Power is developing a new 7-acre urban farm on Chicago's South Side.  The new project, Iron St. Farm, will include hoop houses and an aquaponics system.  Watch the feature clip on WTTW Chicago Tonight.

 

Daily Digest: GoTo2040 Plan for Local Food Systems, Living on Food Stamps and Food Trucks in Chicago

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty, the highest rate since the 1960s.  Feeding Illinois has organized the SNAP Hunger Challenge to educate the public on the difficulties of living on food stamps. 

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will release its GoTo2040 plan on Oct. 13.  The most up-to-date version of the local food systems chapter is now available online. 

Three new food trucks can now be found on the streets of Chicago.  Happy Bodega and Simple Sandwich both focus on serving fresh and local fare. 

The Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children was awarded $5.8 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services towards obesity prevention initiatives. 

Nominate a "Community Gardener of the Year" for GreenNet's 2010 Annual Award Ceremony and Potluck Dinner on Nov. 10. Nominations are due by Oct. 22. 

A farm camp in New York, Flying Pigs Farm, is geared towards educating food professionals about local cuisine.

Daily Digest: Feeding Illinois SNAP Hunger Challenge, National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and Reforming the Livestock Industry

From September 19-25, Feeding Illinois is organizing a SNAP Hunger Challenge to encourage the community to understand what it takes to live on $4.50 a day. 

Farmigo is a new online market exchange, connecting farmers doing Community Support Agriculture (CSA) to consumers.  Other web-based portals giving farmers easier direct market access include Illinois Market Maker, Food Hub and Local Dirt. 

 September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  To learn more, visit the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children's website. CLOCC will host its quarterly meeting on Sept. 15. 

 The Industrial Harvest project was featured in the Chicago Reader, explaining how the artist and urban planner Sarah Kavage is educating and engaging the community about the agricultural commodity system. 

The White House has appointed an 'Asian carp czar' to address the problems surrounding this invasive species in the Great Lakes region. 

The inaugural issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development is available online until Oct. 1. Download the issue, dedicated to "Growing New Farmers" as its first topic, with a summary of beginning farmer initiatives nationwide.  

USDA is proposing reforms for the livestock industry, in order to increase competition and transparency. 

On Sunday, Sept. 19, Jim Javenkoski and Sunday Dinner will present a Locavore Dinner at Kitchen Chicago. 

 

Daily Digest: FoodCorps Seeking Host Organizations, USDA Healthy Incentives Pilot and Shared-Use Kitchen Update

Kitchen Chicago has a useful overview of the City's shared-use kitchen draft ordinance. Read the key points here. 

FoodCorps, a new AmeriCorps program that will support school gardens and Farm to School programs, is seeking host sites for its program.  Deadline for LOIs is Sept. 17. 

A Northbrook resident started growing vegetables in his front yard, sparking a debate about the use of lawns. 

USDA launched its Healthy Incentives Pilot in Massachusetts and a Peoples Garden School Pilot Program nationwide. Applications for the school pilot program are due Nov. 8. 

NYTimes and LATimes weigh in on the impact of industrialized agriculture on public health, in light of the recent salmonella outbreak from egg farms in Iowa. 

A potential model for Illinois? CNN covers the "Veggie Rx" program in Massachusetts, a program of the Wholesome Wave Foundation. 

Daily Digest: Go for the Gold Campaign and LINK at Chicago Farmers Markets

Chicago Public Schools and Healthy Schools Campaign officially launched the Go for the Gold Campaign, in partnership with USDA Midwest, as part of the HealthierUS Schools initiative to promote healthier school environments.

Food & Water Watch has produced a blueprint for a healthy food system, in preparation for the reauthorization of the Farm Bill in 2012.

Walgreens is converting some of its Chicago stores into full-service grocery stores.

Fed Up with School Lunch, a blog written by a teacher in Illinois who is eating school lunch for a year, volunteered at Common Threads summer camp at Kennedy-King College in Englewood.  Read her post(s) here.

City governments are growing food for local food pantries from Madison to Des Moines.

Check out the updated Jobs and Opportunities page at Good Food for All.

LINK cards are currently accepted at five Chicago farmers markets.  Groundswell Films produced this short video below on the LINK program. Read more about The Experimental Station, which began the pilot program this year.

Daily Digest: FoodCorps, Young Farmers and Food Buying Clubs in Chicago

CDC released updated statistics on the continued rise of obesity in America, citing "a major public health threat" in many states. 

Register now for the Fall 2010 Environmental Leadership Training Series with Chicago Conservation Corps.  Apply here. 

Food buying clubs are growing in Chicago, including Healthy Food Hub, Chicago Food Co-op, Edible Alchemy and Woodlawn Buying Club. 

FoodCorps, a national AmeriCorps school garden and Farm to School service program, is holding monthly open conference calls to discuss program updates and working groups.  The next call is Thursday, Aug. 5th at 4 p.m. CST / 5 p.m. EST.  Call (218) 936-4141. Code: 572334#. 

Experienced farmers in southwestern Ohio are assisting young farmers in procuring loans with the Farm Service Agency (FSA). 

Daily Digest: Inspired by Slow Money (ISM), Mobile Food Collective and School Lunch Reform

Community Food Security Coalition and Farmers Market Coalition released a report, "Real Food, Real Choice", detailing the obstacles for SNAP participants to redeem benefits at farmers markets.  Download the full report here. 

The Mobile Food Collective visited Logan Square Farmers Market this past weekend.  Check out the video and blog for upcoming events. 

An increasing number of local Illinois farms are offering "haycations" for families.   

Civil Eats offers insight on last month's Slow Money National Gathering. Watch this video to learn about "ISM" = Inspired by Slow Money. 

The House Education and Labor Committee passed the "Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act".   Both bills are now on the House and Senate floors and must be passed by each chamber before becoming law. 

Daily Digest: Local Food Legislation, Prairie Crossing and Increasing Local Food Purchasing in Illinois

Gov. Pat Quinn signed two important pieces of legislation on Saturday, both promoting local food.  The  Farmers' Market Technology Improvement Act (HB 4756) will allow for more Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) machines at farmers markets to accept LINK cards.  

The second (SB 615) will create a Farm-to-School database on the Illinois Department of Agriculture website in order to facilitate fresh food purchasing for schools, effective Jan. 1, 2011. 

FamilyFarmed.org released an action plan and feasibility study on increasing fruit and vegetable production in Illinois.  Download the full report here. 

FamilyFarmed.org and Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality are also partnering to increase local food purchasing for Chicago Public Schools to over $2 million.  Download the Request for Information (RFI) and the press release here.  

Breaking Through Concrete features Prairie Crossing and Sandhill Organics this week, along with a video of Mike Sands, Executive Director of Liberty Prairie Foundation. 

Mike from david Hanson on Vimeo.

Daily Digest: Governor Quinn Signs Farmers' Market Technology Improvement Act

On Saturday, Governor Quinn signed the Illinois Farmers Market Technology Improvement Act.  HB 4756 lays the groundwork for enabling more farmers markets to use Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) to accept Illinois LINK cards. Download a fact sheet on the bill here. 

In Michigan, one teen is using her backyard to do a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) for 14 members.  Click here to view the slideshow.   

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams features a “Making a Difference” story on CEO of Wholesome Wave Foundation Chef Michel Nischan’s very successful efforts to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to SNAP recipients.  Click here for a link to the story and watch the video below. 

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