Author: Cady Osgood-Otis

This New Pantry is Helping a Number of Seniors Eat Well

October 10, 2016

“People don’t think of the Richmond District as having problems with food access, but we started seeing a waitlist and new people coming to our office looking for help,” says Pantry Coordinator Christine Preziosi.

Yams

Preziosi works with the Richmond District Neighborhood Center (RDNC), a community organization that hosts a Food Bank pantry in the area. The waitlist prompted the volunteers at the RNDC to open an additional pantry at Lafayette Elementary School. About 70 people are benefiting from the new pantry.
“We can’t know for sure what people were doing for food before the pantry opened, but people were struggling,” Preziosi says.
Most of the participants at the new pantry are seniors. Many have lived in the area for their entire lives. With the addition of a new pantry closer to their homes, they’re able to take home weekly grocery staples like fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, and eggs.

“A lot of our participants might have homes and own their homes, but that doesn’t mean they’re getting an income that can support them,” Preziosi says. “What we’re doing can help in a big way.”
The pantry’s school location provides added benefits. In addition to seniors, several families with children have begun receiving weekly groceries. And the senior participants have embraced the multi-generational atmosphere.
“We have volunteers ranging in age from 4 to 80,” Preziosi says. “The seniors love seeing the younger kids help out.”
The seniors love seeing the younger kids help out.
Christine Preziosi, Pantry Coordinator

“Our kids do projects for the seniors. They are so into it. Just yesterday, I got 80 potholders that were all decorated with food and positive words. They do stuff like that all the time.”

Tips for Packing Healthy School Lunches and Snacks

October 10, 2016

School will be here before you know it. With the return of busy mornings and hectic evenings, packing healthy meals and snacks can feel like a big challenge. Our Nutrition Education team has rounded up some of their favorite tips and recipes to help make packing nutritious meals and snacks a breeze for family members of all ages.

Empower kids

Research shows that children who help make their own lunches are more likely to eat them at school. Simple, portable dishes are best. Check out these recipes for hummus and veggie wraps and peanut butter and banana roll ups, which kids can help prepare; these bean and corn pitas and tuna apple salad recipes are also great options to try.

Strive for balance

Meals do not need to be complex. Aim to include foods from at least three of the five food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy — in every meal. And, try to provide two food groups in each snack.

my plate

Plan for leftovers
Double the yield on a recipe you make for dinner. Then package leftovers in single-serve Tupperware for an easy grab-and-go, home-cooked lunch.

Salads and other dishes that can be consumed cold are especially wonderful, since it’s not always easy to heat leftovers. Here are recipes for cold noodle salad and couscous vegetable pilaf, favorites that can be eaten hot or cold.

Prep ahead
Chop or spiralize veggies in advance. Zucchini/butternut squash noodles will stay fresh in the fridge for 3–5 days, and chopped vegetables like carrots, onion and pepper will last a week when refrigerated properly in a sealed plastic bag or Tupperware. Combine prepped veggies for salad and pack dressing in a small container; dress the salad when you are ready to eat it so the vegetables do not get soggy. If using veggie “noodles,” add sauce and protein (such as tuna, cheese or beans) in the Tupperware and heat it before eating for a healthy, filling meal.

Hard boil eggs on a Sunday morning. Place one layer of eggs in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat, and let sit in the covered pot for 12–15 minutes. Once cool, place eggs in the refrigerator for a quick source of protein on the go.

kids

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s mission is to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin, where one in four neighbors is at risk of hunger. We envision a community where everyone is able to obtain enough nutritious food — in a dignified manner — to support the health and well-being of themselves and their families. We address hunger head on: from our pantry network and home-delivered groceries, to our nutrition-education classes and food-stamp enrollment, we work in many ways to nourish and empower neighbors in need. Learn more atwww.sfmfoodbank.org.

5 Tips to Make the Most of Summer Produce

October 10, 2016

Wondering how to keep summer fruits and veggies from spoiling too fast? Here are five tips from our Nutrition Education team to help you maximize freshness, reduce food waste, and enjoy tasty summer produce all season long.

1. Start with your shopping bag — Keep heavier items like melons and potatoes at the bottom of your bag and place lighter, more fragile items like peaches and tomatoes on top. This helps avoid bruising which could lead to early spoilage.

Groceries

2. Fridge, Counter or Pantry? — Produce emits gasses and ripens when exposed to warm temperatures, so refrigerating certain types of fruits and veggies can keep them fresher longer. Use these tips to help preserve great taste, texture and nutrition:

Refrigerator: berries, chard, cherries, cut/peeled fruits and veggies, green beans, peas
Counter (and then refrigerate as needed to help them last): avocados, bananas, bell peppers, melon, stone fruit (apricots, peaches, plums), tomatoes
Pantry (or other cool, dark place out of the refrigerator): potatoes, onions, garlic

cabbage

As a reminder, keep fruits and vegetables separate wherever they are stored to preserve best taste and texture. Keep strong-smelling foods like onions and garlic away from other foods, too.

3. Keep your items unwashed and whole as long as possible — Prepping produce speeds degradation, so only wash, peel or cut your produce immediately before you plan to eat or use it.

Squash

Sweet Potato

4. Glean produce that has started to go bad — If you find a bad spot on your summer squash, cut one inch around the entire perimeter of the spot to remove it. The remainder of the vegetable is still yummy and nutrient dense. If a molded cherry is in your basket, toss it. Mold can spread quickly, so removing compromised fruits or veggies keeps the rest of the batch fresh.

5. Use or freeze produce before it goes bad — Need some inspiration? Check out eatfresh.org for quick, healthy recipes using Food Bank staples. Preserve fruits and vegetables before they spoil by washing, chopping and storing them in the freezer in single portion baggies or Tupperware. Smoothies are a snap when you blend up frozen fruit and greens with milk. Adding frozen veggies to your favorite pasta sauce, soups, stews and casseroles is also a great way to use frozen summer vegetables.

Leading the Charge Against Food Waste

At the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, summer is a time of abundance. Growers throughout the state share their bounty of melons, berries, peppers, summer squash, tomatoes, stone fruit and other amazing produce, and we are able to distribute these delicious and nutritious items to neighbors in need. Read how the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank pioneered the food waste movement by establishing the Farm to Family program, which in April 2016 provided its one-billionth pound of produce to food banks across the state.