Food and The Art of Cooking

By: Maria, Amy K., Amy S., Julie, Brittany, David

School Environment Assessment

● Families living in poverty may have had few positive experiences with their
children's teachers or schools.

● It is important to assess the school community and environment.

○ What is working?
○ What should be adjusted?
○ How can we create a learning environment that is knowledgeable,
supportive and welcoming for all students and families?
There is no “I” in Team

School Members Community Members

Counselor(s) Local food bank
Interested staff (classified and certified) Nearby grocery stores
Parents Nearby restaurants
Students Local food-related social services
Administrators support (Zenger Farms, Grow Portland)
Nearby Churches
 Food Insecurity and Hunger in our School
Our students experiencing hunger and food insecurity:

● Sometimes go hungry at night, on the weekends, and during breaks

● Often do not have access to healthy foods

● Often have lower attendance rates

● Can suffer academically because it is difficult to concentrate in class
● May feel disconnected and singled-out from the school community
Mythbusters

INSTEAD OF…
● A person’s health is determined by where they live, learn, work, play and age. These conditions
are a matter of personal choice.

WE BELIEVE...
● These conditions are not a matter of personal choice, but are based on economics, politics and
social policies that favor some and not others. This results in people who have unequal access
to basic opportunities and healthier choices. We can change these inequities, but we have to
start by building healthy communities.

John Hopkins Urban Health Institute, 2013

 Bridging the school and local communities
● Training Opportunities
○ https://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/school-gardens/

● Coordinating the garden program with the following agencies:

○ Growing Gardens
○ Grow Portland
○ Outgrowing Hunger/Earth Art Ag
○ Kitchen Garden Laboratory
○ IRCO
○ Other SUN organization
○ OSU
○ Ecology in Classrooms Outdoors
Needs Assessment

● All people have a right to healthy, culturally appropriate food;

● Individuals and communities are strongest when they have the knowledge
and skills to provide food for themselves and their communities;
● The need for healthy food is universal and must be adapted to the special
needs of diverse populations;
● Learning and applying gardening skills adds financial benefits to
individuals and communities;
● Respecting our environment, and promoting the interconnectedness of all
things, improves the quality of life for everyone.
“Now, what I want is Facts.” - Charles
Dickens

Despite the recovery from the Great Recession, Oregon’s rate of food insecurity
has increased and was the highest in the nation between 2013 - 2015 at 18.4%.
Oregon Center for Public Policy analysis of USDA data

35% of Oregon’s food insecure individuals are children.

Of those families who utilize food pantries in Oregon, 80% of them are able to
meet their food needs.
Oregon Food Bank
 Impact of Hunger on Health and Academic
Achievement
● Between the ages of 2 and 19 around 12.5 million children is the US are
obese
● Poor nutrition is a major cause for obesity
● Students who had a healthy nutrition had higher test scores in math and
reading
● Negatively impacts adult outcomes: unemployment, obesity, & cardiac
arrest

(Vautier, 2012)
Video
Our Vision and Plan
Our plan will make a lasting impression on students and their families as well as the community. We will teach
students how to grow their own food, cook and manage their food resources. Our community kitchen will be open to
everyone but we will focus on low income students and their families.

Who: School members (students, staff, parents) and community members

What: Community kitchen with connected garden, food pantry (including fresh
food), for-credit classes for students (food science, etc.), after school/evening
cooking/gardening community-based classes, and a gathering place

When: Before, during and after school, evenings, during the summer

Where: At the school

How: Garden, food bank (filled by food drives at the school, restaurants, grocery
stores, & staff donations), kitchen open for classes and community use
A Multisystemic Approach

Individual Impact
● Students and families have access to healthy food and cooked meals
● Students and families feel more connected to school

Community Impact
● Disproving the myth
● Building relationships - accepting all

Changes to Institutional Practice

● Increasing professional development opportunities for adults
● Student for-credit courses, life skills, resume building opportunity, food handlers
Monitoring Progress

Short term goals:

● Identify the needs, create an awareness, monitor, maintain and improve

Long term goals:

● Increase community involvement, reduce low income stigma, create a long

term program that can self-manage
Data Collection
Facts- (Measured through data)
● Program involvement
● Attendance
● How many families being served
● Feedback Form
Academic- (Measured through data)
● Grades
● Attendance (daily, tardies)
Personal Social- (Measured through
pre and post tests)
● Health
● Well being
● Self-esteem/Attitude
● Amount of food consumed
● Amount of healthy food consumed
● Regularity of seeking food support
outside of the school
● What are the needs
What can we do as school counselors?

● Build relationships with the entire school community

● Provide needs assessments
● Analyze data to improve program performance
● Always be improving
● Letting new families of the school know of the resources available (being
part of the intake of new families)
● Having a multilingual flyer of the resources in the counseling office
● Start by being the point person and designate someone else to take over
● Put information and needs in school’s newsletters each month
 How does this process contribute toward larger
goals of social justice and equity? Are there any
limitations to the process?
● Contribution:
○ Serve students and families who live in areas with limited access to nutritious food
○ Mentorship and service learning opportunities, supplies and other needed resources
○ Provide communities with core human needs which will contribute to stronger,
sustainable and prosperous communities.

● Barriers:
○ Time Stigma
○ Money Sufficient Volunteers
○ Resources Student/Family Embarrassment
○ Space Enough donations to meet needs
○ Acceptance
 References
Budge, William. "How Can High-Poverty Schools Engage Families And The
Community?". Edutopia. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 May 2017.

Growing Gardens: https://www.growing-gardens.org/mission-and-vision/

Oregon Center for Public Policy:

https://www.ocpp.org/2016/11/21/fs20161121-oregon-food-insecurity-sp
ike-worst/

Oregon Food Bank: https://www.oregonfoodbank.org/our-work/hunger-in-oregon/

References

Snelling, A., Maroto, M., Jacknowitz, A., & Waxman, E. (2014). Key Factors for
School-Based Food Pantries: Perspectives From Food Bank and School
Pantry Personnel. Journal Of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 9(3),
350-361. doi:10.1080/19320248.2014.929549

Vautier, C. (2012). The Effects of Nutrition on Academic Performance.

Retrieved from:
https://prezi.com/r502ybzg29ao/the-effects-of-nutrition-on-academic-perf
ormance/