Student involvement and leadership in the campus gardens

Students at the University of Utah have the chance to be involved in the Edible Campus Gardens all year long. In the fall gardeners can grow produce into late October and can collect leaves to use in compost materials. During the winter months students can prepare the gardens with compost and can grow certain weather hardy vegetables. Then finally in the spring and summer months are when the most produce can be grown and enjoyed all around campus. Students  can volunteer and are paid in fresh produce and they can also take leadership positions like the garden experts shown in the video.

Get to Social Soup

Social Soup is a monthly event hosted by the Utahn's Against Hunger, and offers incredible insight into food and nutrition in Utah. Students enjoy fresh, homemade soup while taking in an interactive lecture on what they can do to help themselves and others eat a proper diet. Students enjoy the event and reccamend it to anyone interested in becoming more informed about what they take into their bodies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2piCmxuzRQ

Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker takes the Food Stamp Challenge

Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker takes the Food Stamp Challenge


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/07/booker-presidential-run-not-even-in-the-realm-of-consideration/?hpt=hp_t3

I saw the following story on CNN online and thought it worthy to copy and pass along here.
Way to go Mayor Booker!


Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker did not deny his interest in seeking higher political office in an interview on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" Friday, when he also spoke about living for a week on food stamps.

"It's a little more difficult than I imagined," said Booker, a Democrat. "I thought it would be good on eating on a tight budget, so I started out not really marshalling my food well, so I'm really cutting back now."

– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

Booker said he resolved to spend a week eating only what he could afford on credits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after an online conversation "with a woman who was pooh-poohing government's role in providing nutrition for kids" went viral.
He described his week, which concludes this weekend, as an effort to raise awareness about "food insecurity," obesity and other food-related issues.

Among the most challenging aspects, he said, was giving up caffeine.
"Going out and getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks will wipe out your entire allowance for a day, and for a guy who was admittedly caffeine-addicted, I am now going through a bit of a withdrawal," he told CNN's Piers Morgan.

"This is one thing, the challenges for me right now, complaining about the headache and caffeine withdrawal - I'm off this in a week," he added. But, he continued, there are working families who rely on SNAP and similar programs.

CNN

The Food Stamp Challenge 2012

In November 2008, fewer than 31 million people were on food stamps.  Today there are over 46 million Americans were receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  With a population of just over 308 million, almost 15 percent (1 in 7 Americans) count on the program in order to survive.  Because of this and the need that is out there for food assistance, the Food Stamp Challenge was born.  This week long challenge consists of living on a food budget of four dollars a day.  While living on a food stamp budget for just one week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low-income families’ week in and week out.  Taking part in the challenge provides great insight and will give you a whole new perspective and greater understanding about hunger in America.

Bishops Storehouse Final Nat Pack

                            Nat Pack about the contributions that the LDS Bishops
                          Storehouse makes to the community and the world at large.

 Director of the Sugarhouse Community Garden, Heidi Spence talks about all of it's features and participants.

The tale of two local farming families from the south end of the Salt Lake Valley.  Each telling their sides of farming and the struggles to keep pushing on, or too get out of the business before it bankrupted their family.

Grab-n-go Nutrition on Campus

Grab-n-go Nutrition on Campus is an important issue. The food sticker initiative is a project aiming to label grab-n-go food in several different categories to make it easier for students to find something healthy quickly.

Bees at the U

The University of Utah Beekeepers Association wants to bring more bees to Campus.  The group started this year are currently has two hives up on the fourth floor of the Union Building.   Association president Stephen Stanko said the group will expand the the Edible Campus Garden next spring.  Stanko said this will benefit, the bees, the campus gardens and the students involved.

The Social Justice Gardens at Jackson Elementary School

http://bennioncenter.org/index.htm

Real Food Challenge Comm 3555 Final Video - Jason Nowa

Social Soup Lecture Series Wrap

The Social Soup Lecture Series during Fall 2012 was a great place to be--fun students, great teachers, concerned speakers trying to improve their communities and the people that live in them--and soup!

Good food, vibes and tips for healthy eating were in good supply at every event.
If you haven't attended a Social Soup--look for them during spring semester.

Thanks to: Melinda K. Katie H. Jennifer N. and my team members Joe and Jason.

International Rescue Committee: On Food and Nutrition

      Nedim Izetbegovic, of the IRC, talked about some observations he has made with regard to refugee nutrition. Izetbegovic is one of the few Bosnian interpreters for the IRC and does a lot of integration work for Muslim refugees who come to Salt Lake City. He hopes more and more people come out to the IRC to volunteer. Through advocacy, education, community gardening, and resource development, the IRC provides refugees with opportunities to access healthy foods and nutrition education in Salt Lake City.

The Food Stamp Challenge Gets Social

On November 13 the Social Soup lecture series tackled this year's Food Stamp Challenge.  University faculty, students and outside community members gathered to discuss the Challenge:  What it is, what it means and what kind of experiences they had participating in it. Students also engaged in an exercise to raise awareness of the kinds of issues and concerns that those living on food stamps have to deal with on a daily basis.

Utahns Against Hunger

How do people in Utah fight the terrible issue of hunger? The answer seems to be pretty simple: joining forces to make this terrible situation disappear. But, it may not be as simple as many people might think. A strong leadership from a solid organization is the driving force that bonds all our efforts together. And that what Utahns Against Hunger, a non-profit organization that tackles the hunger issue, does to make hardship turn into hope for struggling families. Here is a video that I made with Gina Cornia, Executive Director for the organization, where she explains how the entity helps Utahns in need to get hope and quality nutrition for their lives.

Edible Campus Gardens

Several students at the University of Utah share their perspectives on the campus gardens and try to get involved. To volunteer at the campus gardens, visit https://webapps.utah.edu/forms/bennion/volunteer/index.tpl and fill out the volunteer form.

Quality Food, Local Ingredients, and Fast Service

 

About 32,000 students are currently enrolled at the University of Utah. Most of them are well versed that the two major food outlets on Campus are in the Olpin Ray Union Building and the HC, up by the dorms. But what some students might not know is that there are other food venues on campus that incorporate local foods into their menus, and there’s even a Vietnamese food truck that are all worth trying.

In the final video project, I wanted to focus on the food venues that don't receive quite as much attention as the Union and the Heritage Commons and why students should give them a visit.

U Students Take the Food Stamp Challenge

Could you live with four dollars a day to spend on food? 

Students at the University of Utah took on the Food Stamp Challenge and experienced life on the food budget allotted to food stamp users.

Student Reflections on Social Soup #1

What is Social Soup at the University of Utah?

The Social Soup Lecture series are events held a few times throughout each semester, engaging students in social, economic, and environmental issues that surround food. I had never attended an event before, so I was not quite sure what to expect when entering.  This month’s topic focused mainly on healthy eating for the school year, and being that it is only the third week of school, I found this to be the perfect start to the Social Soup events for this semester. – Travis

On Tuesday, September 3^rd, 2012, I attended my first Social Soup event ever.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I wasn’t disappointed.  I walked into a very nice room in the Marriott Library on the U of U campus, and was immediately met with the pleasant smell of organic foods.  We were served a cold soup called Gazpacho.  It was made from ingredients grown in gardens located on the U campus.  There was a table set up giving away some fresh greens to grow on your own as well for those interested. – Paul

The general topic of Tuesday’s Social Soup was healthy and simple eating for students with limited resources. The overall consensus was that students are limited on time and money and therefore they might find it difficult to consume a healthy array of foods. The speaker mentioned that students should be eating a “rainbow of foods, including fruits and vegetables. Color in meals is essential to a healthy diet.  – Ashley

This Social Soup event opened with a series of videos featuring chef Jamie Oliver. In these videos he offered suggestions for keeping a healthy diet exciting and new; such as using colorful vegetables and trying exotic new recipes. This suggestion in particular resonated since we were eating gazbacho, a cold vegetable soup prepared from ingredients grown in the schools garden. Following the introductory videos, nutrition professor Jean Zancanella began her discussion on eating healthily on a budget.  Dr. Zancanella fielded the audience for suggestions as well as including her own insights. This approach served well to keep the group engaged and open to ideas as the many suggestions and comments could attest. The final piece of the event was a chef from the university who provided a demonstration on baking a delicious peach cobbler, illustrating a way to use a fruit that is currently in season. – Tomas

Jamie Oliver delivered a couple of poignant yet entertaining messages via video clips. The first was Food is Like Music wherein he confessed that the best meals come from having fun with cooking. At the same time, he warned us to keep it simple. The second clip expanded our understanding of the diversity and variety of vegetables available at the markets then matter-of-factly reminded us that “boring is not cool.” Jamie showed us that there are many varieties of different kinds of vegetables such as purple potatoes, yellow beets, red carrots, and white eggplant. Why stick with the same old choices every time? – Martin

What Students Learn at Social Soup

The event really made me realize that eating healthy doesn’t really mean you need to spend a lot of money in order to be healthy. I liked the message of the videos themselves; keep it simple, and try something new. Later on in the discussion sardines were brought up to replace salmon; they are a cheaper way to achieve the same type of nutrients. Although sardines aren’t a favorite within our culture, we all need to branch out and try something new; especially when it can save us money yet still give us the nutrients that we need! – Kassi

Throughout the event, we were also given multiple resources that we can take advantage of as students. One example is the campus gardens where we can volunteer and work to grow our own food. There are also the gardens by ORP where you can manage your garden and eat your own freshly grown produce. Another example is the farmers' markets that we have on campus and the opportunity we have to purchase freshly grown produce. These are just a few of the inexpensive ways mentioned that helped to advocate for food justice. – Mariah

The event in general was a new experience for me.  Not typically do I sit in an auditorium to discuss eating habits.  Though it seems like such a simple aspect in our daily lives, it truly is important to speak to friends and reflect ideas off of each other about our diets and habits, which can have positive or adverse effects on our society.  The program was in a relaxed setting, and the students in the other communications class were reporting on the event.  The speakers and chefs were responsive to questions from the audience, which invited us to ask questions that might have seemed “silly”, but probably answered uncertainties many of us have had in the past.  – Aaron

Healthy Steps: Beyond the Soup

My roommates and I all share food which does make eating home-cooked meals much easier, but sometimes it is difficult when we are not all eating together. Making rice and cutting up vegetables for the whole week is easy because you can make just a small portion for yourself or more for other people. But the coolest part is that is has much more nutritional value than cereal! – Shea

Throughout my life nutrition and fitness have been very important to me.  There have been times when I have one has been more important to me than the other.  Having a balanced diet was essential while I participated in sports in high school and middle school.  Being younger, I was able to have the blessing of not worrying as much about my food intake. As I have grown older I can see that my daily nutrition is a lot more important to me and my body than it was ten years ago.  As I attended the Social Soup Lecture Series at the University of Utah, I was able to add to my knowledge regarding nutrition and was able to see how eating healthy can be fun and different.  – Jared

Coming from a family where my father was a health professor, good food has always been important.  As I have moved away from home and had to make meals on my own I have realized that it can be really difficult to eat healthier when only preparing food for one of two people and on a budget. The speaker of the Social Soup gave us all great ideas of how to eat healthy, even as students. Between the soup, the speaker, the chef, and the cobbler it was an excellent example of how we should all be eating.  – Shea

There was a lot of talk about community gardens and farmers markets. Both of these resources help sustain a lot people; they are organized to help those less fortunate. Making healthy food choices was a main focus because this allows people to understand how important nutrition is to our health. If you are smart with your food and budget, you can go far. The food stamp challenge will be interesting in seeing how we can implement those topics talking about at this Social Soup.  - Shalee

I thought this event was a great advocate for food justice in more ways than one.  There were informed speakers and professionals that shared their knowledge with-in their vocations signifying the importance of food in our society and in particular how to eat healthy on a small budget.  – Maren

[A]s I was exiting the auditorium I was given a free little container with fresh radish sprouts to eat. All in all I would say that it was a great first Social Soup experience, sure we were provided with some pretty common sense ideas but sometimes I think that students forget that it’s not so difficult to eat a little bit healthier. Now I’ll be telling my friends on campus to try and attend the “Real Food for Food Day” lecture on October 23^rd. – Victor

Sugarhouse gets a garden

Sugarhouse Community Garden Director Heidi Spence, October 23rd, 2012

Sugarhouse gets a garden

Feeding families and the community

Julianna Clay

Until University of Utah attendee for the master’s program Heidi Spence submitted her proposal in, February of 2011, The Sugarhouse Community Garden was an abandoned pair of tennis courts. At the time Spence was taking a gardening class at Wasatch Community Garden where she met another girl who lived close by who had the same idea and together they drafted a second proposal. From there it was only a matter of getting it approved by the board.

Since then with a grant from Wasatch Community Garden and with the help of Lowe’s Home Improvement, and the community the garden now has 96 full sized plots and 10 half sized plots. In total 92 families garden at Sugarhouse Community Garden. All of the plots are tended by the owners of each bed.

One of the members of and owners of a plot Andrea Timberlake explains and elaborates on her experience, “Community gardening has been fun!  It's been enjoyable working with my family to prepare the beds, plant, weed, pick and finally share and eat.  It's been instructive too, to visit with other gardeners about their gardens, admire them and sometimes, share.  The abandoned tennis courts were transformed, brightening up the bleak corner in Sugarhouse with flowers and other plants.”

Heidi Spence in addition to being the creator and director of the garden also has her own bed. She says that the garden has a huge variety and inventory of all sorts of plants, herbs, vegetables and fruits, “I alone have 30 varieties of tomatoes and throughout the garden there are at least 40-50 varieties of tomatoes. We also have strawberries, raspberries, lettuce, kale, broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, chard, thyme, oregano, dill, fennel, watermelon, honeydew melon, pumpkins, squash, and an edible flower called nasturtium.”

This year as well as being able to help feed the community and their family members the garden also donated to St. Mark’s Millcreek, which is subsidized housing for elderly people. They delivered about 30 lbs. to them about three days a week all summer.

Many of the people involved with the garden including Spence agree that The Sugarhouse Community Garden is not just about growing food for their families,  it’s about learning, sharing and building a sense of real community.

The Hungry and the Shameless

Mohammad Abdullahi (right) with one of the kids he works with through the Refugee and Immigrant Center

From the homeless, refugees, the bankrupt and broke who can’t afford to throw away the last bite left on the paper to the people who do, “That might as well be gold you threw away.”

 Salt Lake City, as you may know, is home to dozens of organizations dedicated to the service of the less-fortunate. These less-fortunate are people from all around the world, all around the U.S, and from our own backyards here in Utah; we rarely think about them, and when we do it is simply a thought. Some of us may think “why don’t they work?”, “it’s their own fault”, “it’s not my job to help them” and my personal favorite, “I’m too busy to help them.”

            The point is not to draw attention to the economy, politics or even those organizations that help these people but the point is to reflect on ourselves and our own relationship to this as a social issue as well as a moral issue.

            The U.S Department of Agriculture reported one in seven Utah households struggled to maintain adequate food supplies in 2011. A number mostly representing impoverished refugee families in Utah.

“This isn’t Somalia people!” said Mohammad Abdullahi, a refugee correspondent of the Refugee and Immigrant Center with the Asian Association of Utah. Abdullahi works with Somali refugee families who are in need of assistance in regards to work, education, translating, medical exams, transportation and especially food assistance. “These people come from a place where people literally die by the thousands due to malnutrition and when they get here sometimes it’s hard to say if their situation improved” Abdullahi said vehemently.

“That might as well be gold you threw away” said Spencer, who asked me not to disclose his last-name and refused to let me take a picture or video of my interview with him, when I asked him what it’s like to be homeless and be forced to dig through dumpsters. I invited him to the mosque I attend for some pizza with the guys and he gladly accepted.

Everyone on earth would agree that no one should have to go hungry because they can’t afford food, or because they can’t afford nutritious food I should say. I’m sure we’ve all heard compelling quotes from celebrities and religious leaders, and have read verses in religious texts compelling the feeding of the poor. If we want our economy to get back on its feet, and our lives to improve then we need to make sure no one is doing it on an empty stomach otherwise it won’t work.