GoodEatsBX Newsletter: March 2017

Posted on by Jenina Podulka
Stirring Up Community Change leader Althea working on the group’s banner

Stirring Up Community Change Orientation

We now have a name for our food justice Leadership Group – Stirring Up Community Change! Residents of Mount Eden and the surrounding neighborhoods are invited to join us on Saturday, March 4th to learn more about how food impacts us as individuals and as a community, and what actions we can take to make sure our local food system reflects the culture, dignity, and desires of Bronx residents.
Everybody eats, and food has a significant impact on our health and wellbeing. However, oftentimes the decisions that affect a community’s food system are made by corporations and government agencies and do not reflect the best interests of community residents, who are the true experts on their own neighborhoods. The Bronx is home to Hunt’s Point Terminal Market, which 50-60% of New York State’s produce passes through, yet many communities in the Bronx are denied access to healthy food.

Our neighborhood of the Bronx is a mix of rich cultures – many families have roots in the Caribbean, Central America, the southern United States, West Africa, and other parts of the world. Neighborhood residents carry these agricultural and culinary traditions with them, and are resilient in the face of an inequitable food system. Well-informed and empowered residents are better able to participate in decision-making that affects their lives. Stirring Up Community Change, a project of Community Food Action at New Settlement, will provide a space for education about food issues, lifting up the knowledge that community residents bring to the table, and for taking collective action to improve the food landscape.

The Stirring Up Community Change Orientation will prepare community members to take action on food issues that affect them and their families. See the flyer below for more details!

In Case You Missed It – VIDEO
Cooking with Violeta and Aaleyah

Aaleyah learned how to cook healthy meals from countries all over the world at her after school program through culinary programming supported by Community Food Action at New Settlement. Aaleyah and her mother, Violeta, now cook together at home. This is a great opportunity for quality time between a busy parent and child, while developing valuable skills at the same time. Watching these two together, the fun is contagious!

Upcoming Events

  • Community Food Action will be coordinating a new project with students from CMSP 327 and CUP (Center for Urban Pedagogy) starting this month. Students will investigate the Alternative Menu, a fresher, more plant-based school food menu provided by the NYC Department of Education, at their school campus. Through site visits and interviews with experts, they will explore what the Alternative Menu is, how decisions are made about what is served in school cafeterias, who makes those decisions, and what influence students can have on what is served. Then students will collaborate with a CUP teaching designer to produce innovative, engaging multimedia teaching tools that can be used to educate others.

Food Justice Articles

Food has played an important role in America’s social justice movements — Public Radio International