4/19/2013
I went to a shelter on April the 19th with Reece from class in order to prepare a family friendly, nutritious meal. Reece was generous to get the supplies; the goal was to prepare a meal that suited USDA nutrition guidelines for a proper meal. This includes, from the understanding of MyPlate on USDA’s website, half a plate of fruits and vegetables, source of protein, whole grains, oils, and an option of dairy products (milk, cheese, etc.) We incorporated all nutritional categories into our meal: broccoli, oil, vinegar, brown rice, apples, and . Family Place, a foundation that promotes family oriented meals weekly, includes child day care for parents looking for jobs, employment support and education programs. There motto is “when one door closes, other doors open” to emphasis they are open to everyone and anyone who is in need of a place for someone to open their door to them. Family Place had a section for showers, cabinets for those that had things to lock up, and a day care area with two volunteer workers, and a eating place for the family. They incorporate the parents and the children together into all of these such as family dinner setup where the food is no longer in a cafeteria line setup but the plates are placed in the center of each table for the families to pick and choose how much they would like and interact with each other and others. This is very important when working with whole families and keeping the authority and dignity of the parents. This act is also very unique for a shelter; I have yet to see another place that uses the same strategy. In contrast to the cafeteria food line as a resemblance of a capitalistic society, which is commonly used in homeless shelter, placing the food in the center of a table, as if being in a home, allows a community based structure that’s benefits building relationships between the cook and the eater rather than the producer and the consumer. From our guests that have presented issues about poor communities lack of healthy food options, affordability, and accessibility resonates with my experience at Family Place. Many that I talked to discussed how they have no fresh produce availability near their location nor know how to cook with fresh produce. Overall the field trip to Family Place was an inspiring experience that allowed me to personally grasp local, community issues related to food and how many organizations are working to solve these problems.
I went to a shelter on April the 19th with Reece from class in order to prepare a family friendly, nutritious meal. Reece was generous to get the supplies; the goal was to prepare a meal that suited USDA nutrition guidelines for a proper meal. This includes, from the understanding of MyPlate on USDA’s website, half a plate of fruits and vegetables, source of protein, whole grains, oils, and an option of dairy products (milk, cheese, etc.) We incorporated all nutritional categories into our meal: broccoli, oil, vinegar, brown rice, apples, and . Family Place, a foundation that promotes family oriented meals weekly, includes child day care for parents looking for jobs, employment support and education programs. There motto is “when one door closes, other doors open” to emphasis they are open to everyone and anyone who is in need of a place for someone to open their door to them. Family Place had a section for showers, cabinets for those that had things to lock up, and a day care area with two volunteer workers, and a eating place for the family. They incorporate the parents and the children together into all of these such as family dinner setup where the food is no longer in a cafeteria line setup but the plates are placed in the center of each table for the families to pick and choose how much they would like and interact with each other and others. This is very important when working with whole families and keeping the authority and dignity of the parents. This act is also very unique for a shelter; I have yet to see another place that uses the same strategy. In contrast to the cafeteria food line as a resemblance of a capitalistic society, which is commonly used in homeless shelter, placing the food in the center of a table, as if being in a home, allows a community based structure that’s benefits building relationships between the cook and the eater rather than the producer and the consumer. From our guests that have presented issues about poor communities lack of healthy food options, affordability, and accessibility resonates with my experience at Family Place. Many that I talked to discussed how they have no fresh produce availability near their location nor know how to cook with fresh produce. Overall the field trip to Family Place was an inspiring experience that allowed me to personally grasp local, community issues related to food and how many organizations are working to solve these problems.
What a great experience Tess! From both your post and Reece's it sounds like you two made a fantastic dinner for the Family Place guests and learned a lot about the organization.
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