Get to the Point 1

May 2011 Volume XVII Issue 8

Get to the Point

Perry Point, MD
An NCCC Atlantic Region Publication
Get to the Point 2

Welcome to Get to the Point, the Atlantic Region weekly newsletter! Anything in particular
you would like to see? Email lmack@cns.gov with your suggestions, comments, and
submissions!

Inside this Issue:

Alumni Team 2
Flashback R2
Getting Things 3
Done
Budget 3
Gourm-“A”
Service Learning 4
Section
Raven 2 has a sense of humor.
Disaster 5
Composites Back row from left: Allie Harris, Katherine Ricchetti, Lia Daniels, Nicholas Walsh, Kevin Babcock,
Ambrosia Barnette, Jesse Ford. Front row: Kiara Owens, Evan Allison, Mulu Gerima (TL).
PT 5
Corner Alumni Team Flashback: Raven 2 Dominates the Gulf Coast
Brain Food 6 By Kate Ricchetti and Jesse Ford
Raven 2, voted absolute best team in the history of AmeriCorps, is thrilled to be
tackling our first round projects in New Orleans, Louisiana! So far it has been an
enlightening journey for our whole team. In the short period of time we’ve been here
Mission Statement:
Raven 2 has learned so much about the impact of hurricane Katrina and the ongoing
Strengthen communities struggle to rebuild this great city. We’ve already begun to grow in many ways,
and develop leaders through focusing on developing strategies to ensure open communication and promote a
productive work environment.
direct, team-based national
and community service During the week we work with the Community Center of Saint Bernard, where we man
a food and clothing distribution center, help with odd jobs and have the privilege of
running Tuesday night bingo night! We alternate our work days between the
Class 17 Member Statement:
Community Center and a wetland restoration non-profit called Bayou Rebirth. There
I’m a member of the National we lead groups of volunteers in wetland plantings, spread awareness at local events,
Civilian Community Corps, an and help the small organization with administrative tasks. Bayou Rebirth has also
AmeriCorps program. N-triple-C given Kiara and Lia Daniels the opportunity to socialize with the local nutria, or
members are 18 to 24 years old and swamp rats.
spend 10 months getting things done
for America while developing their
We live at the Cornerstone Pentecostal Church in Saint Bernard, hosted by the ever-
own leadership skills. We serve on
generous Pastor Rustin and his amazing wife Genie. The church includes our
teams to help communities prepare
for and respond to disasters, build
bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, a rec-room with basket AND foosball, and a stage with
homes, and help the environment. a full sound system for Allie, Kevin,
Continued on pg. 3
Get to the Point 3
and Jesse to jam on. Team Leader Mulu whips us into
shape three times a week with our intense PT training
where the highlight of everyone’s week is watching Nick
crab walk at super human speeds.

On the weekends we take advantage of the historic

French Quarter and enjoy the wonderful jazz and
beignets where you’re sure to find Kate covered in
powdered sugar and Ambrosia grooving to the tunes.

Finally, we are delighted to announce the arrival of our

new corps member, Brandon Clark, previously from
Raven 5. A little birdie told him how much our team
dominated and he just had to make the move to Raven 2.
To left: Allie Harris, Kevin Babcock, TL Mulu Gerima and
Kiara Owens serving food at St. Joseph’s Altar Feast.

Flash Forward: Members of Class 17 Team Raven 2 below:

Get to the Point 4

Service Learning Reflection Section

Service Learning With Grocery Shopping by Mike Kern recent APD

Every week your team plans out a menu and selects a few members to hop in the van, drive to the store, and get the
groceries for the week. It’s probably a task that already seems routine and mundane. It’s pretty easy to find a nearby
grocery store with lots of healthy food choices. But for millions of Americans such choices do not exist. Many urban
areas have become “food deserts” places where no local food is produced and even grocery stores are scarce. Resi-
dents of these inner-city neighborhoods are often lower income families and people of color. They are left to buy
food only at corner stores and fast food chains. This unhealthy processed food contributes to the disproportionate
rates of obesity, diabetes, and poor health found in these urban communities. It makes economic sense that grocery
store chains hoping to make a profit would not want to set up shop in a low-income community. This practice where
businesses of any kind refuse to operate in higher-risk, lower-profit areas is known as redlining. This is another ex-
ample of how the institutions of our society discriminate against the poor and minorities.

So the next time you go grocery shopping, take a look around. Who do you see in the store? What part of town is the
store in and how many grocery stores are there? Are there farmer’s markets? Where are they and when are they
held? Where does the food you purchase come from? Think a little more about the groceries you buy and don’t take
for granted the privilege of purchasing healthy food.

If you would like to further explore issues surrounding food security, urban agriculture, and our industrialized food
system check out some of these documentaries: Food Inc., Fresh, The Garden, The Future of Food, and King Corn.

Budget Gourm-“A”
Creole Stew
*Vegetarian
*Serves 12

Ingredients
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cups chopped green bell pepper
3 cups chopped onion
16 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup fruit juice
2 tsp. sugar
4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
32 oz. kidney beans, rinsed & drained
6 lg. potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
16 garlic cloves, crushed
24 green olives, halved
2 bay leaves

Preparation
Heat oil in a LARGE saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and
onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 min. Add remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 1.5
hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally while cooking. Salt
and pepper to taste; remove bay leaves before serving.
Get to the Point 5

Getting Things Done!

New Disaster Teams
Below is a roster of the two teams (one team and one composite)
that will be deployed to Alabama:

Moose 6 & a Composite Team: Team Leader: Rod Swain

Ben Pritchard: R3
Please wish JJ & Rod the best of luck in their mission.
Rachel Woods: R5

Aja Devlin: R4

Justin Wood : B1

Briana Courchesne-Owades: B2

John Miller: B4

William Dalencour: B5

Michael Jacobson M1

Courtney Johnson M4

PT Corner
Reverse Plank
Start by bending at the elbows and torso and tightening the ab-
dominal muscles.

Push into a reverse plank (on either elbows or straight arms). Hold
for 30 seconds and work up to 1-3 minutes. After holding return to
start position.

Dernard’s Vehicle Maintenance Tip

Air Filter Check:
A regular check of the air filter will keep your van in the best spirit.
The filter removes dirt and debris from the air so they won’t enter
your van’s system. Dirty air filters affect your gas mileage and other
parts of your vehicle like the spark plugs and emissions control sys-
tem.

If the material of your air filter is blackened, it is time to change it.

Blackened filters? No way.

Get to the Point 6

Brain Food: L&M Trivia

Brought to you by: Laura Mack Community Relations STL & Melissa Jabat Programming Office STL

Question:

A solo dice game is played where, on each turn, a normal pair RAVEN 5 SHOUT OUT:
We love and miss you
of dice is rolled. The score is calculated by taking the product,
Wiley Biro.
rather than the sum, of the two numbers shown on the dice.

On a particular game, the score for the second roll is five Raven 3 we challenge
more than the score for the first; the score for the third roll is
six less than that of the second; the score for the fourth roll is

RAVEN 7 SHOUT OUT: This week we started our project with the
City of Buffalo and we are excited to be staying at the Belle Center.
We have a gym, cardio room, weight room, game room and cable to
entertain us since we forgot Scrabble in Vermont. Please Buffalo 3
grab our Scrabble for us! And Julian’s phone charger!
Arrange the numbers 1 through 9 on a
tic tac toe board such that the numbers in
each row, column, and diagonal add up to
15.

Tongue Twister:
How many boards
Could the Mongols hoard
If the Mongol hordes got bored?

AmeriGourmet: The Cooking Corner

This week we are in the AmeriKitchen with the Soup Masters of B15

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

1/2 cup butter

1 onion, chopped

1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli

4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken or veggie broth

1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2/3 cup cornstarch

1 cup water