BCBS Health News (6/20)

BCBS Health News

1. N.C. first lady Cooper talks food insecurity during High Point visit

   Jun 19, 2017 | Greensboro News and Record

   By Jessie Pounds
   
   
   GREENSBORO — As breakfast winded down at Deep River Parks and Recreation Center in High Point on Monday, North Carolina first lady Kristin Cooper moved from table to table talking with children and asking their opinion about the food.
2. Kitchen Connects GSO Helps Small Food Businesses

   Jun 20, 2017 | WFMY News 2

   GREENSBORO, NC -- A new Greensboro program wants to help small food businesses turn in to big businesses! It's called Kitchen Connects Greensboro! Angie Johnson with the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market and Amanda Cox Lucas with Wolf Daddy Pimento Cheese joined Tracey McCain on the Good Morning Show to talk about it.

BCBS Health News

1. N.C. first lady Cooper talks food insecurity during High Point visit

   Jun 19, 2017 | Greensboro News and Record

   By Jessie Pounds

   GREENSBORO — As breakfast winded down at Deep River Parks and Recreation Center in High Point on Monday, North Carolina first lady Kristin Cooper moved from table to table talking with children and asking their opinion about the food.

   Lunches? They’re about average, said Jaylen Carl, a rising sixth-grader who sounded happy about his experiences with the High Point Parks and Recreation camp so far.

   With school out, so begins what has become another rite of summer: feeding programs like this one to ensure that children from low-income families still get nutritious meals.

   With many sites across Guilford County and High Point, the federal Summer Food Service Program reimburses sponsors across the country that supply meals to children and teenagers.

   At Deep River, meals are provided free for campers, but they’re also free for children who walk in off the street. The program serves about 80 students per day, which suited Cooper — she wanted to see one of the state’s larger feeding sites.

   Even though the Summer Food Service Program has an unlimited mandate to reimburse sponsors for meals, it still serves just a fraction of students who get free or reduced lunch at school during the year.

   According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, one in four children in the state struggle with food insecurity — meaning, they don’t know where they’ll get their next meal.

   Many low-income families find ways to serve regular meals during the summer — sometimes through other forms of assistance — but there’s worry that some children who don’t connect with help are skimping on food or subsisting on junk.

   “There’s plenty of food in the state of North Carolina,” Cooper said. “Sometimes it’s a process of getting it to people who need it.”

   Woodrow Pike, the kitchen manager with Catering for Kids, knows that from experience. Catering for Kids cooks and coordinates food for eight summer feeding sites in the area, including Deep River. The most challenging part, he said, is just getting the word out to families that these programs exist.

   Last summer, over 5.4 million meals were served to children and teens through the N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs, but only 15 out of every 100 children benefited.

   “By the time that children get in the routine of showing up for meals, school is starting again,” he said.

   Hence events like the one in High Point that also included an appearance by Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano. The event was the official kickoff for summer feeding programs across the state, although some have already started.

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2. Kitchen Connects GSO Helps Small Food Businesses

   Jun 20, 2017 | WFMY News 2

   GREENSBORO, NC -- A new Greensboro program wants to help small food businesses turn in to big businesses!

   It's called Kitchen Connects Greensboro! Angie Johnson with the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market and Amanda Cox Lucas with Wolf Daddy Pimento Cheese joined Tracey McCain on the Good Morning Show to talk about it.
   
   The program's goal is to promote local foods and small food businesses. Through a USDA grant and partnership with the Farmer's Curb Market, the Out of the Garden Project, and Guilford County Cooperative Extension, they're able to remove some financial and support barriers from people who want to start own businesses. Participants will get to take business classes like accounting, marketing, and merchandising. Then they can get access to a shared use kitchen up to three times and can sell at the market up to three times for no additional cost or application. 

   Amanda and her husband own Wolf Daddy Pimento Cheese and have been participating in the program. They say they've gotten lots out of the program so far. They've especially enjoyed taking advantage of the large kitchen space, as it's allowed them to buy and use their own refrigerator and use a commercial mixer in one place. She says it's been a huge game changer.

   If people want to come out and support these businesses, they can do so this weekend and certain Saturdays this summer! Program participants will have booths at the Farmers Curb Market Saturday, June 24th from 7:00 am - Noon and on other specially designated days.

   If you, or someone you know, has a food-based business that would qualify for the program, the next application period is from August 1-30 th. The program can accept up to 15 people. Applications will go live on August 1. 
   

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