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Black-Eyed Peas
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Black-Eyed Peas
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Black-Eyed Peas
They say that learning from experience is the best way to learn. Students at Grandview Heights City Schools are learning service, taste and community through two exciting programs.
No Waste Friday
Now in its second year, No Waste Friday is the brainchild of Sara Hager, intervention specialist at Edison Intermediate/Larson Middle School, and her students. The idea emerged from a revelation about the strange dichotomy between the amount of food waste we produce as a society, and the number of people who still face food scarcity. According to FeedingAmerica.org, one in six people struggles with hunger, including one in five children in central Ohio alone.
Hager encouraged her students to research possible solutions to this problem on a local level. They first tried contacting local restaurants, but found that many already partner with food pantries to donate their leftovers. So instead, they turned the focus to themselves.
Every Friday, students have the opportunity to donate the food they do not eat at lunch, including both fresh produce and pre-packaged items such as applesauce, yogurt and snack crackers. Students are then given the opportunity to be placed in a rotation to travel to Heart to Heart Food Pantry, located at First Community Church only a few short blocks from the school. There, they learn about the impact of the food pantry and often help stock the shelves
“We want to empower students that they can truly make a positive difference in the world,” Hager says. “It’s the concept of thinking globally, but acting locally. It’s made everyone much more mindful.”
Hager would like to see the program grow and expand both inside the school and at other schools in central Ohio.
Foodie Friday
We all know what it’s like to be stuck in a cycle of the same few recipes. You have your go-tos, and sometimes it’s hard to break the mold. But every Friday, students at Stevenson Elementary School get to sample tasty and interesting new foods at Foodie Friday, a program that is all about giving kids the chance to expand their worldviews by expanding their palates.
The program incorporates diverse, fresh foods in a fun way, such as comparing multiple types of apples and conducting a taste test of different tomato varieties. A fresh Brussels sprout salad and black-eyed peas were counted among the most highly kid-approved selections.
“Kids have much better palates than we give them credit for,” says PTO president and microbiologist Tessa Carrel. “It’s a great way to introduce kids to foods that they may not always be served at home.”
Moving forward, the program is evolving to include healthy recipes submitted by families in the community. The special recipes will be a normal option on the lunch line and will be free for everyone to try.
RECIPE: Shaved Brussels Sprout and Cranberry Salad
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 orange, juiced
- 2 Tbsp. finely minced shallot
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- ¼-½ tsp. of salt
- Freshly grated black pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 16 oz. finely shredded Brussels sprouts
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
Clean sprouts and remove outer leaves. Use a food processor or sharp knife to slice sprouts thinly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Whisk dressing ingredients together in small bowl. Combine dressing, sprouts and cranberries and toss well. Serve chilled.
Taylor Woodhouse is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at jwise@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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