Good Food Force Update: Healthy school snacks, family garden tips and holiday recipe share
May 26, 2015
Happy Friday! We're sharing a juicy update on junk food fundraisers, and the latest installment in our "Year in the Family Garden" series. Please read and share, and have a great holiday weekend!
1. HOT LINE
Latest on Healthy School Snacks in Ohio and Michigan
The Smart Snacks in School rule went into effect this past year: yay! The rule includes a provision that allows states to decide the maximum number of school fundraisers that can be exempt from the standards per year. If a state does nothing, the number of exempt fundraisers defaults to zero. Michigan and Ohio are two of the small number of states whose legislatures have attempted to allow additional fundraising exemptions. Here's an update on where each stands, below, and read more on the blog.
- Ohio: a bill that would allow schools to hold junk food fundraisers three days of each week is still on the table. Ohio moms and dads: add your voice now, telling Ohio officials to stop the junk food fundraising bill!
- Michigan: The junk food fundraising bill has passed through the Senate, and is now with the Governor. We did succeed in limiting the number of fundraising days. Read more from the Detroit News.
Quick links:
- Berkeley soda tax: First month's take, $116,000, by Tom Lochner, Contra Costa Times. May 19, 2015.
- Texas has the lowest number of grocery stores per capita in the US. Youth volunteers are working to change that. Read more from Voices for Healthy Kids.
- Salt, It’s Time to Break Up, by Courtney Nelson on the MomsRising blog.
- Sugar Detox: I Thought I Would Die, by Tatiana Ceballos on the MomsRising blog.
- Big wins from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York for #FightFor15 this week. Find out more and help keep up the momentum: FightFor15NY.org
- Pennsylvania Poll Finds Wide Support for Healthy School Food Policies, Kids Safe and Healthful Food Project.
- 97% of Mississippi parents say healthy #school meals are important for kids to learn & do their best. Read more from the Kids Safe and Healthful Food Project.
- Webinar: Million Hearts and Sodium: Making Sense of the Science and Translation to Practice. 6/10/15, 2-3pm ET. More info and register here.
2. JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Connect, learn and share this month
- Don't miss out! Host a Cafeteria Man screening this spring! Sign up to get your free screening kit today! Gather some friends and make it a date. Request the film and screening guide here. Contact Karen@momsrising.org with questions.
- Fri May 22, 1pm ET: #FoodFri Tweetchat: Healthy holiday recipe share! Join us at 1pm ET today to swap recipes and safety tips for the BBQ season, in both English and Spanish! Bring your favorite "virtual" plate to our table and browse others while you fill yourself with yummy, healthy goodness. More info.
3. SALAD BAR
A Year in the Family Garden: May, and some tips to get started
Eager to grow your own veggies, but don't know where to start? Check out the latest installment in our series on family gardening with tips on how to kick things off this spring. (Spoiler alert: you can do this!).
Thank you for all you do!
Be sure to sign up for the Good Food Force to get these updates delivered straight to your inbox!
Good Food Force (GFF) Volunteers are real-life superheroes who take action in their schools and communities, and/or on their blogs and online networks, to get the word out about healthy school foods, junk food marketing to kids, and strategies that are working to reduce childhood obesity. Together with MomsRising.org staff, they help advocate for healthier kids and families. Help spread the word! Contact us: karen@momsrising.org
Related Posts
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of MomsRising.org.
MomsRising.org strongly encourages our readers to post comments in response to blog posts. We value diversity of opinions and perspectives. Our goals for this space are to be educational, thought-provoking, and respectful. So we actively moderate comments and we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that undermine these goals. Thanks!