Local Foods and Nutrition News from
Healthy Communities of the Capital Area
Winter 2016
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Upcoming Events
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Maine Agriculture Trades Show
January 10-12, 2017
Augusta Civic Center
New England Farm to Institution Summit
April 5-7, 2017
Leominster, MA
Slow Money Maine
Third Thursdays Odd Months 1:00-4:00pm
Location: Christ Church 2 Dresden Avenue, Gardiner
SNAP-Ed Cooking Matters Pop Up Store Tour
To arrange a pop up tour for your SNAP-eligible group, contact Rachael Reynolds
at 207.588.5032 or rreynolds@mcd.org
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Local Farmers' Markets
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Kennebec County
Augusta
Farmers' Market at Mill Park
1 North Water Street, the old Edwards Mill site
May-November
Tuesdays 2-6pm
December-April
Tuesdays 12:30-2:00pm
SNAP/EBT, ME Harvest Bucks, WIC, Credit & Debit, Accepted
Farmer Veteran Coalition of Maine Farmers Market
Turnpike Mall
Wednesdays 10am-6pm
Special Events: Saturdays
10am-1pm June 25, July 2, August 27, September 17, October 15
Viles Arboretum Farmers' Market
153 Hospital Street
Year round
Fridays 2-5pm
Gardiner
Gardiner Common
Wednesdays 3-6pm
SNAP/EBT, ME Harvest Bucks, Credit & Debit accepted
Waterville Farmers' Market
Concourse off Appleton Street
Thursdays 2-6pm
SNAP/EBT & ME Harvest Bucks accepted
Wayne
Route 133 next to the Post Office
Memorial Day-Labor Day weekend
Saturdays 9am-noon
Other Options:
Crown o' Maine Organic Cooperative,
f
or worksites looking to create their own mini farmers' market, buying clubs may be just what you need. To learn more visit
Somerset County
Fairfield
Church of the Nazarene Lot - 81 Main Street
Wednesdays 2-4pm
Saturdays 9:30am-1:30pm
SNAP/EBT & ME Harvest Bucks accepted
Madison
Main Street Park
May 1-October 30
Sundays 10am-2pm
SNAP/EBT & ME Harvest Bucks accepted
Skowhegan
Skowhegan Farmers' Market
Somerset Grist Mill
May-October
Saturdays 9:00am-1:00pm
June-October
Wednesdays 3:00pm-6:00pm
Saturdays 9:00am-1:00pm
November-April
1st & 3rd Saturdays 10:00am-1:00pm
SNAP/EBT, ME Harvest Bucks, WIC, Debit & Credit Accepted
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Links to Useful Resources
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National Farm to School Network
NFSN enables every child to have access to nutritious food while simultaneously benefiting communities and local farmers.
FMI & Resources: farmtoschool.org
Maine Ag in the Classroom
MAITC provides information about agricultural concepts to teachers, students, and interested citizens.
FMI & Resources:
Maine School Garden Network
MSGN promotes and supports educational gardens for youth and encourages school programs that teach healthy eating and environmental stewardship.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks
Food policy council database and resources.
FMI & Resources:
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HCCA Board of Directors
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Michael Hall
Augusta Downtown Alliance
Augusta, ME
Virgel Hammonds
Knowledge Works
West Gardiner, ME
Thom Harnett
Mayor, City of Gardiner
Gardiner, ME
Brian Heath
Combined Benefits United
Hallowell, ME
Kala Ladenheim, Secretary
Gardiner, ME
Barbara Moss, DO
Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency
Family Medicine Institute
Augusta, ME
Eliza Quill
Bread of Life Veterans Shelter
Augusta, ME
Emilie van Eeghen, Vice Chair
MaineGeneral Community Care
Waterville, ME
Tom Warren, Treasurer
Kennebec Valley YMCA
Augusta, ME
Frederick A. White, PhD, Chair
Private practice psychologist
Augusta, ME
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Renee Page
HCCA Local Foods & Nutrition Projects & Roles:
- Maine Farm to School Network, Coordinator
- National Farm to School Network Maine State Lead
- Maine Farm to Institution Leadership Team, Coordinator
- Reducing Wasted Food & Increasing Access to Fresh, Local Foods in Southern Kennebec County, Project Coordinator
- FoodCorps Service Site
- SNAP-Ed Provider
- Former USDA Farm to School Grantee
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| HCCA Recruiting AmeriCorps VISTA |
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HCCA seeks AmeriCorps VISTA to help combat hunger and poverty in southern Kennebec County
In partnership with Hunger Free America and the Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative, Healthy Communities of the Capital Area is seeking a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA member to combat hunger and poverty in southern Kennebec County. AmeriCorps VISTAs increase access to USDA federal nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the School Breakfast Program, and the Summer Meals Program. VISTAs also work to improve access to nutritious food options by enhancing awareness of utilization of SNAP benefits at farmers' markets and making connections with community partners to increase access to healthy foods.
Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to Renee Page rpage@mcd.org
DEADLINE for applications January 2, 2017
Click
HERE for more information.
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Save the Food!
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HCCA and Kennebec Sheriff's Office Rescue Over 3600 Pounds of Fresh, Local Food
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Greens, squash, and onions from Hatchet Cove Farm |
HCCA wrapped up the first year of
Reducing Wasted Food and Increasing Access to Fresh, Local Foods in Southern Kennebec County by recovering over 3600 pounds of food from local farms that would otherwise have gone to waste. Participating farms include
Hatchet Cove Farm in Warren, Lakeside Orchards in Manchester, and Spear Farm in Jefferson. Apples, kale, pumpkins, squash, onions, tomatoes, and more were harvested by Kennebec County Correctional Facility inmates as part of their community service program and then distributed to area food banks and schools.
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Lily Joslin delivers nutrition education at Faithworks Food Pantry
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Lily Joslin, Nutrition Educator, partnered with food distribution sites to offer
hands on cooking and nutrition education to help food recipients make the best use of the local bounty. She also worked with CARA (Criminogenic Addiction and Recovery Academy) participants by delivering Cooking Matters, a 6-week cooking and nutrition education class. CARA participants are Kennebec County Correctional Facility inmates who have suffered substance abuse as part of their criminal behavior. Inmates are carefully screened and referred to participate in the Academy as part of their transition out of incarceration. At their CARA graduation, graduates each received a bag from Cooking Matters loaded with ingredients and cooking utensils to help them recreate some of the fresh, healthy items they learned to prepare in their Cooking Matters classes. Learn more about
CARA here.
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| CARA participants with Cooking Matters swag bags |
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| Apples from Lakeside Orchards |
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The project is made possible by generous support from
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. On a recent visit, foundation President Karen Voci, noted that donating fresh produce "is a game changer for food banks" that have trouble affording it. HCCA was awarded a second year of funding to continue the project and is recruiting more farms for gleaning (the process of rescuing unused crops) next year. To learn more about the project, contact Renee Page at
rpage@mcd.org or 207.588.5020.
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| FoodCorps Happenings |
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Farm Visits & Taste Tests!
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| TC Hamlin students visit Andrews Farm |
FoodCorps had a busy fall working with two brand new schools - Teresa C. Hamlin School in Randolph, and Lincoln Elementary in Augusta! TC Hamlin students had a blast visiting Andrews Farm in October and November where they helped Farmer Mike Perisho harvest peppers, tomatoes, and carrots. Check out more photos on the TC Hamlin website.
Lincoln students are trying new healthy options at lunch with monthly taste tests. In November they tried Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas, and Kitchen Manager Lori Rioux reports that she has had to make three times as much as usual for the salad bar just to keep up with the new demand! In December, students tried Sesame Kale Salad - take a peek at the samples below.
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| Sesame Kale Salad at Lincoln Elementary School |
Follow HCCA on
Facebook for FoodCorps updates and events throughout the year!
~ Contributed by Jada Wensman
Please help keep FoodCorps in our
schools by donating now.
Visit HCCA's FoodCorps
GoFundMe page by clicking on the link below.
HCCA is grateful for all of the community and philanthropic support received over the years to keep FoodCorps going locally. This year the need is a bit more as longstanding revenue sources are no longer available and the cost obligation is increasing.
HCCA is asking for your support in keeping FoodCorps in the Capital Area going. Please make a donation today.
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| SNAP-Ed at HCCA |
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Visit HCCA's
website to learn more about SNAP-Ed in the Capital Area
SNAP-Ed is off to an exciting start to the SNAP-Ed year! We are sad to see HCCA's Nutrition Educator Emily Knipp move on to a new position closer to her home, however, we congratulate Emily in her new role as SNAP-Ed Coordinator at Healthy Northern Kennebec and wish her well. HCCA is currently  serving seven local public school sites with SNAP-Ed nutrition education, delivering PABS (Pick a Better Snack) for grades K-3 and Nutrition To Grow on for grades 4-6. Since the beginning of the school year, 554 students have participated nutrition education! Additionally, our Pre-K friends are learning a lot in Eat Well Play Hard at eight locations with many more to come soon! Ongoing adult classes continue to take place in four settings and recently there was a Cooking Matters Store Tour Event at the Cony Hannaford with 45 participants. Maine SNAP-Ed recently launched a new web site, to visit go to mainesnap-ed.org.
~ Submitted by Rachael Reynolds
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| Support HCCA While you Shop |
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Enjoy shopping and want to support HCCA programs?
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I hope you enjoyed learning more about local food and nutrition happenings in southern Kennebec County. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more or becoming involved.
In Health,
Renee Page,
Assistant Director, Healthy Communities of the Capital Area |
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Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) is a coalition of local people who work locally to improve the health and quality of life in our communities. HCCA hosts a FoodCorps Service Member and is home to the Maine Farm to School Network and Maine Farm to Insitution. HCCA is a former USDA Farm to School and current Maine Ag in the Classroom, Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation grantee.
Maine SNAP-Ed is funded by the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which is administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Serves (DHHS) and implemented through a contract with the University of New England (UNE). Utilizing the Healthy Maine Partnership agencies statewide as access points for SNAP-Ed delivery, we strive to educate Maine SNAP recipients on low-cost, healthy eating and active lifestyles. HCCA's mission is to convene people, organizations, and communities to collaborate on quality of life and public health issues. HCCA serves the southern Kennebec County towns of Augusta, Chelsea, Farmingdale, Fayette, Gardiner, Hallowell, Litchfield, Manchester, Monmouth, Mount Vernon, Pittston, Randolph, Readfield, Vienna, West Gardiner, Wayne, Windsor, Winthrop, and Richmond in Sagadahoc County and sometimes Central Public Health District and the statewide area. |
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