My Cheat Sheets on Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC) by heather m.

     People amaze me everyday, but this really amazes me . . .

     I just sat down to write a piece about Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC), another wonderful charity which is supported by the runningbrooke Fund. I read these words in the pamphlet given to me during a recent visit, "The Child and Family Network Centers was founded by a group of mothers living in Alexandria's public housing (emphasis added) when they learned that their children were failing kindergarten and would be denied entry into first grade." How many twenty-seven year old, award-winning, charitable organizations do you know of which were started by mothers living in public housing? OK, that's the part that left me flabbergasted, but there is much more to learn about CFNC. Just so you know, I tried to find the names and pictures of these amazing women, but I haven't done so thus far. Here is their story and the story of CFNC:

     In 1984, Helena Pratt, an employee of Alexandria's Mental Health Association and a member of Immanuel Church on the Hill, established the Family Helpers Network in the Cameron Valley public housing complex in response to the concerns of the mothers mentioned above. Later that year, Ms. Pratt and 15 of the concerned mothers taught a "kindergarten prep" where they team taught participating children. In 1985, the founding mothers hired Barbara Mason as the organization's first real teacher and staff member, and she eventually became it Executive Director. By 1991, the school had 80 students and CFNC was incorporated and established its own board.

A recent photo of Barbara Mason and her husband Jerry.

     Two years after it was incorporated, CFNC expanded its program to provide Family Support Services such as job placement coaching and health services to the families of its students. By 1996, CFNC offered Adult Literacy, ESL classes. As the years went by, the preschool developed and expanded into the current CFNC of Northern Virginia. CFNC currently enrolls children in 10 classrooms spread out between 6 locations. Each of these locations provides the same high-quality preschool program and comprehensive family services. English as a Second Language(ESL) courses are only offered at its Birchmere location. ESL is taught by a wonderful woman named Eugenie Ballering.

Top Photo: Eugenie Ballering (ESL instructor) in front with ESL students behind her. 

Bottom Photo: a close up of the ESL room and some really conscientious students!!

     The other teachers at CFNC are just as 'exceptional' as Ms. Ballering. CFNC teachers complete an average of 55 hours of professional development and training which far exceeds the 16 development hours required by Virginia State Licensing standards. These teachers are committed to continuing their education and improving their credentials through developmental training and coursework. Some teachers at CFNC are actually parents of former students. Take Tonya  . . . Tonya is now a lead teacher at the Birchmere location of CFNC, and I actually met her while I visited. Tonya's daughter was enrolled in CFNC's Charles Houston Center in 2000 and she joined the Teacher Assistant Program which gives low-income parents a stipend to observe their children and to learn new redirecting strategies and parenting skills. Tonya became more involved with CFNC, and she eventually helped to obtain the funding from the City OF Alexadria's Recreation Department to keep the Charles Houston CFNC Center open until 5PM daily so that parents could finish their work days before having to pick up their children. In 2001, Tonya left her government job to accept a teaching position at CFNC. In 2008 and 2009, Tonya received the Demonstration Classroom Award from CFNC's High/Scope Educational Research Foundation for her excellence in teaching. Now that's a case of pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps if I ever saw one. Congratulations Tonya!!!

Tonya is the beautiful woman on the right wearing the green sweater.

     Currently, Margaret Patterson serves as the Executive Director of CFNC. Although CFNC currently teaches 168 children in the ten centers throughout Alexandria and Arlington, Margaret has told me that there are 130+ students on its waiting list. The cost to provide preschool to its students is approximately $10,500 per student. CFNC receives funding from the City of Alexandria, Arlington County and the state of VA, but these funds only reduce the cost per child to $6000. CFNC has to make up the difference by soliciting private donations from people like you and me. There is a distinct reason why CFNC receives less money from the government than from private sources. To put it in a nutshell, CFNC supports the working poor. CFNC serves families whose children would not qualify for the federally funded Head Start program. Head Start serves families at or below the poverty line, $22,350. CFNC will serve children and families at or below 180% of the poverty level, or families making $41,348 or less for a family of 4.

Margaret Patterson, Current Executive Director of CFNC

      Your donation to the runningbrooke Fund will help Alexandria and Arlington's working poor families. The runningbrooke Fund has donated $27,500 to CFNC to date. Helping families help themselves is a wonderful thing to do. Thanks to all the donors to the runningbrooke fund for helping CFNC to continue providing such wonderful services to people in need! Oh, and I can't forget . . . thanks to everyone at CFNC for all you do!!

Just a sampling of the smiling faces I saw at CFNC's Birchmere location:

      . . . and a little of their handiwork. Maybe we have some future architects and engineers in our midst!

My Cheat Sheet on Girls on the Run . . . by heather m.

Not too long ago, I realized that I needed to learn a little more about the five charities the RunningBrooke Fund benefits. I decided to let all of our loyal followers have a look at my "cheat sheets" so they can learn more about them too. Followers may already be acquainted with some of these charities, especially this week's, Girls on the Run. Take a peek anyway. I won't tell the teacher, and you might learn something new!

And the drumroll please . . . 

     Girls on the Run International was established by Molly Barker in Charlotte, NC in 1996, and piloted with thirteen brave girls. Participation doubled in 1997 and then almost tripled that number in 1998. In 2000, Girls on the Run International became an official 501(c)(3) organization.

Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run International and Hawaii Ironman Triathlete

By 2010, Girls on the Run International served 80,000 girls in over 170 cities of North America and hosted 120 end-of-season 5K events across the United States and Canada.

     Girls on the Run International has chapters all over North America and our local one covering Alexandria, VA is Girls on the Run Northern Virginia (GOTRNOVA, www.gotrvova.org). This is their Executive Director, Catherine Keightley:

 

    Catherine is a runner, writer and PR expert with 17 years of experience in marketing strategy, branding, membership and customer programs. Directing GOTR NOVA is right up her alley and her leadership is much appreciated. 

     The Typical Girls on the Run Program has sessions in the spring and fall. The program runs for 10  weeks and each group is limited to 20 girls between eight and twelve years old (studies have shown that this age of girls is still very receptive to adult influence but are beginning to feel the burden of confronting many life and relationship issues) - Think of your teenager and all the things you wish you told them before they went through puberty and it seemed that their ears blocked up (but only when a reasonable adult was around, LOL!) - Each team meets twice weekly for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, and each of these meetings focuses on a specific issue-related topic and include activities and games based on that topic. First, the coaches introduce themselves and explain the topic of the day. Girls warm up the muscles with some type of interactive activity base on the topic of the day and then discuss how the activity related to the topic. Finally, the girls perform a workout which mostly involves running laps but also integrates the topic of the day. Each lesson ends with stretching, a review of what the girls learned, a group cheer, and a snack. 

     These sessions are led by trained, volunteer female coaches who take great pleasure in mentoring and guide these girls through this fun program. All of these volunteers undergo background checks, learn the GOTR curriculum and are CPR certified. At the end of the program, the girls run a 5k event with a Buddy Runner who volunteers for the race. 

     Last year, I thought of volunteering to be a Buddy Runner, but guess what - I was too late!! They were so successful at recruiting that they didn't need me. I was pretty happy about it, because it was a VERY COLD day. On the bright side, Brooke was there, and here is the proof:

 This is Brooke and her 'Girl on the Run' !!! They made quite a stunning team, didn't they?

And, here's a particularly wonderful thing about Girls on the Run. It doesn't just help the girls who participate. Check out this BEAUTIFUL mother of a GOTR NOVA participant who has lost 135 pounds in the last year:

This beautiful woman recounted to Brooke how she had been inspired by her daughter's participation in GOTR to exercise and eat in a more healthy way. What a lovely example of the inspiration shared by the GOTR program. (Maybe they can share a little inspiration with me, LOL!)

     GOTR NOVA costs $165/girl per session. In the fall of 2010, GOTR NOVA provide over $100,000 in financial aid. By donating to the runningbrooke Fund, you will make sure that girls with financial aid will be able to participate in this wonderful program!!!! 

Girls on the Run also has many corporate sponsors who help continue the great work of this program. Thanks to all of them! :

Run, GOTR, Run!!!

Come On, and Give Me a Push!!! by heather m.

     Here is a REAL contest that could benefit so many, not one of those fake contests that will produce the telemarketing calls I have gotten recently telling me I have won a cruise and a car. Oh, and then there are the people that insist that someone at this address has diabetes.
     Do you like to play? I'm not kidding or saying anything improper. This is not like one of those other emails you may get regarding single, whatever-color-or-age ladies or gentlemen. While I don't go out and play often, I love swings. I will still get on one if I can, and have a great time. AND, to all those preschool teachers out there who have some kind of '4 push' rule, well, you're worse than the grinch to me. I was/am a short kid, and getting yourself moving when your feet can't touch the ground can give you a concussion from shaking around so much!!!
     It's always a sad thing to see a dilapidated playground. You know the kind I mean - the ones with swings missing or hanging by one chain, not two; the ones with all the seated spring-loaded animals that the big kids had to get on and break; then there are the ones with slides from the ancient days, slides that can send you flying near the speed of light, and you will be thankful for that on hot days when the temperature of the metal slide gets high enough to cause 1st degree burns!!! I saw one of these slides recently, and being a steep metal slide wasn't the worst thing about it. Here's the amazing part: whoever set it up turned the base of the slide toward a hill, a very steep hill which led right down to a winding road. Must have been a (you-put-in-the-nationality-of-your-choice) engineer who figured out the placement of that one!
     Well, Alexandrians have lucked out. That sad playground is at a church in PA so it's not eligible for a PROJECT PLAY GRANT. Only playgrounds in the City of Alexandria are eligible. Four grants will be awarded, two of $5000 each and two others of $2500 each. This little bit of money can turn a neglected playground into a very safe and snappy-looking place for the local kids to play. The money can be used for repairs, mulch, new small equipment(think spring-loaded fire truck seats and swings for me!), seating and even shade trees.
     There are only a couple easy steps between your playground and one of those cool ones any kid would love to play in:

     1. Click on this link Nominate a Playground .
     2. Explain how a spruce up grant for your playground would help the children in your community.
     3. Specify the kind of equipment, repairs, changes or innovative ideas you have for your playground. Special consideration will be given to equipment or playspaces that serve toddlers or pre-school age children.
     4. Include a representative photo if possible. (My advice: Don't make your playground stand up straight, smile and suck it in for this photo. Bad is probably good this time.)

Turn this:



Into this:


 
















And faces like these:

Into faces like these:

(PLEASE NOTE: ALL PHOTOS ABOVE ARE FROM GOOGLE IMAGES AND NOT OF ACTUAL ALEXANDRIA PARKS OR CHILDREN.)

"Evening in the Heart" and Savannah, GA (marathon #41, State #30!)

Dear Friends- Two exciting adventures have unfolded since the last update... The 17th Annual Evening in the Heart of Alexandria.  November 10, 2011 The Joan White Grassroots Volunteer Award. First: Evening in the Heart of Alexandria  Thank you Volunteer Alexandria (30-years of caring for Alexandria by mobilizing helping hands and connecting volunteers to organizations that need them) for honoring The runningbrooke Fund with the Joan White Grassroots Volunteer Award.  Humbled, excited and re-energized to do more. Showing off our "guns."  With Kathy of Pacers Events, a runningbrooke sponsor.   An excerpt from my speech: '... Here's what I've realized - and what I am very proud of.... I'm proud of the fact that: In a little over 2 years, The runningbrooke Fund has raised and granted over 80K to well-run Alexandria charities, educating and teaching self reliance. These grants: ...have paid pre-school teachers' salaries, ensuring that 58 children receive a high-quality, bi-lingual instruction, where they learn the lessons and social skills they need to succeed in life. ...and re-opened the doors of an Arlandria teen center for after-school tutoring and a quiet place for homework. ...and given 1,000 books to over 100 families. ...and provided scholarships to 45 girls so that they may LIVE, DREAM, and RUN a 5K event. PLUS answered numerous Calls to ACTion for immediate needs such as milk and healthful after-school snacks for children living in the Carpenter's (homeless) Shelter. I'm also proud that: I've inspired people to ACT and led them to ENGAGE in the good, to THINK outside themselves for the betterment of our community.  You see, I've found that a lot of people DO want to help, but just don't know how, or where, or whom. I'm thankful for what all of this has given me:  the strength, the empathy, the personal growth, and the strong bonds to some really great people, many of whom I would have never met....' Click HERE to see the entire spiel. With Congressman Jim Moran and long-time Alexandria City manager Vola Lawson Second:  Savannah, GA (Marathon #41, State #30!) November 5, 2011.   Sitting on an ancient Long Leaf Pine tree. Savannah, Georgia's first city, is one of the most charming, mysterious and intriguing American cities.  Steeped in history and trees laden with Spanish Moss (not of Spanish origin, btw), it had an ethereal 'je ne sais quoi.'  Click HERE for a great video.   Bonaventure Cemetery. 160 square mile public cemetery on the Wilmington River. Savannah, located in the last of the 13 original colonies, was founded by General James Edward Oglethorpe in 1733.  Oglethorpe shaped Savannah and made it the first "planned" city in the US.  14 of the original 16 shady squares remain with Forsythe Park as the centerpiece.  Many of the state's oldest (and most lavish) historic structures are in Savannah.    Wormsloe, a 1736 Colonial Plantation with Tabby (oyster shell) ruins.  Savannah and the Savannah Cotton Exchange ruled cotton and set the world cotton prices.  But Savannah's luck changed with the onslaught of the Civil War, a period punctuated by blockades.  In his March to the Sea, General Sherman penned this note to President Lincoln on December 21, 1864: *To His Excellency, President Lincoln: I beg to present you as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton. (Signed.) W. T. Sherman, Major-General Savannah Marshlands. Savannah Factoids in no particular order.    *Factoid #1: Dozens of movies have been fimed in whole or in part in Savannah, including "Cape Fear,"  "Forrest Gump," and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."   *Factoid #2: Savannah's annual St. Patrick's Day celebration is one of the largest in the nation. *Factoid #3: Gastronomic Entrepreneur and Famous Chef of southern cooking Paula Deen is from Savannah.  We went to her restaurant Lady and Sons to see if we'd spot her and grab dinner, but alas, no luck.  So we ate at her sons' restaurant (Bubba's) a few miles away. Bubba's Restaurant with Joyce (Alexandria friend) and Laura (our hostess with the most-est, local historian and personal tour guide). Our hostess is Paula's long-time friend and says that Paula is just like she is on TV. *Factoid #4:  John Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette came through Savannah on their way to their secret wedding celebration on Cumberland Island, GA.  *Factoid #5:  SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) is a relatively new entity in Savannah, but it sure has made a presence.  Established in 1978, the college has been instrumental in the purchase and restoration of innumerable buildings, revitalizing large parts of  the city.  Sun setting against renovated structure. *Factoid #6:  In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded The Girl Scouts from her home in Savannah. And now, without further ado: The Good The trip overall.  This was a fun weekend full of beautiful weather, friendship and good food.  We stayed in the guesthouse of an Alexandria friends' mother and received first-rate Southern hospitality with our own personal tour guide and historian.  Thanks Laura! Our guesthouse on the river - complete with a stocked refrigerator. The Marathon.  I felt great, had a respectable time with a negative-split (ran the 2nd half faster than the 1st half).  With 23,000+ runners -- this was the first year that the Rock 'n Roll series managed the event.  Generally well-run but with 2 major hiccups (see Ugly), there were energetic and eclectic bands positioned every mile that alleviated a somewhat monotonous course (see Bad).  An especially poignant moment occurred early in the race as I was pulling ahead of another runner.  Screen printed on the back of his shirt was an adorable boy (about 7 years old) in his baseball uniform.  I asked him who the boy was.  He replied that it was his son who passed away from cancer a number of years ago.  And I proceed to burst into tears...  Guess what?  He comforts me -- and not vice versa -- joking that I couldn't cry because he didn't want to be responsible for dehydrating me.  What an amazing spirit. The Bad The Marathon.  As stated earlier, Savannah has some truly inspiring streets and scenery, and we ran through almost none of it. The Ugly that turned into The Good  Waiting for the shuttle buses, race morning, 6:15 AM. The Marathon.  There were two major traffic-coordination hiccups that need to be addressed ASAP.  To be understanding, I know that it was due to this beings Rock 'n Roll's inaugural year as the event organizer. But... an hour-long traffic jam to get to packet-pickup is not acceptable.  Second, it is not acceptable to get runners to the race start late if they arrived at the shuttle bus area in plenty of time.  Joyce dropped me off at 6:05 AM (the final buses scheduled to depart at 7AM) for the 20 minute trip into Savannah.  After waiting in a long snaking-line -- one of 5, with hundred and hundreds behind me, I boarded at 7:10 AM, arriving at the race at 7:45 (race started at 7:30).  By the time I went through bag-drop (and made my way to the start-line) it was 7:50 and I was 11 corrals behind where I should have been...  The Ugly did turn into The Good; the smart marathon-mantra that's so hard to follow (Start Slow, Finish Fast), is absolutely true.  I ran with ease, had a negative split, with a nice kick in the final 5K.    Sponsor Highlight MacNair Travel.  An award winning Alexandria travel management company specializing in business, vacation travel and runningbrooke travel!  With ease and efficiency, they plan my running-life and make it so easy for me.  Even better, they are runners and athletes too.  Thanks Mike and Michelle, you rock! That's it.  You've made it to the end!  Rehobeth, DE is the next marathon on December 10th, but before that, I get to run a 5K with 7,500 elementary school girls this Sunday.  Hope you are well and Happy Thanksgiving! -Brooke Shrimp boat heading back in. Sailboats docked in downtown Savannah. Looking off the dock at our host's home. Cheers friends!

Don't Let Your Fears Hold You Back by Heather M.

    

     Last night was a very special evening for Brooke of the RunningBrooke Fund. At the Carlyle Club in Alexandria, Brooke received the 2011 Joan White Grassroots Volunteer Award for her work as the founder, chief runner and chief fundraiser of the RunningBrooke Fund. As a wife who often sits on the sidelines and cheers my husband on while he receives awards, I was so proud to sit there and watch a fellow "housewife" garner an award in her own right. Of course, Brooke didn't win the award for executing her housewife duties. (But I am sure she's great at them, LOL! Shhh, she told me she doesn't iron. Really!) She won the award because she decided to make a difference when she could have just kept on living a pretty idyllic housewife life. 

      After a very nice dinner (I had the salmon), Brooke took the stage to accept her award and give her  speech. One of her statements really struck me, "People really do want to help. The just don't know how." She's right. I didn't know how to help when I first met her. I didn't even know I could run. I ran a little and realized that I could raise a little money for her fund doing it. In the end, I had such a feeling of accomplishments, and the RunningBrooke Fund had over $1000 more than it would have without all of my donors. What I learned: You have to start somewhere, and you can't be afraid to start. Brooke could have been, and probably was, very scared when she started the RunningBrooke Fund. Her goals were lofty, 50 states, 7 continents, 5 majors, one a month, and raising money too!!! There were so many chances for her to fail, but she pushed past them. I knew that she had exercise induced asthma, but I never knew that she was diagnosed with it soon after she set out her 'lofty' goals and started the RunningBrooke Fund. For me, that probably would have been the end of it, but not for Brooke. She got some great medical care, for which she is very grateful, and she was on her way. 

      There are so many times that we can wrap ourselves up in our fears so tightly that we can't move. I was the young girl on the balance beam who didn't land my first foot because I was afraid my second foot would miss and I would fall. Yes, really, I was afraid to land because I feared I might fall. When I was running a year ago, I confided in Brooke that I often had a bit of anxiety during my first few miles. I felt anxious enough that I really wanted to turn around and go home before I even finished the first mile. One day when I was feeling quite anxious, I noticed something - if I just kept running, the feeling went away after I hit the third mile, and I felt so good. I thought this was pretty odd, and that no one would understand what I was talking about. When I confided in Brooke, she told me that she often felt a little weird during the beginning of her runs. It was really nice to know that someone else felt the same way, especailly someone who had run so many more miles than I could even imagine. 

     Brooke has been such an inspiration to me over the past year, and I hope she can inspire you too. She helped me find a way to 'help,' and she showed me that it is so important to push past your fears. In three years, she has gone from being a pretty normal housewife and mother of three to running(pardon the pun) a charity that has given over $80,000 to Alexandria's needy families and children. She went from fearing the neighborhoods that she drove through to helping the so many families in these neighborhoods. Now when she drives down certain streets, she doesn't lock her doors. She stops, gets out and often visits the places her charity benefits. That's what I call conquering your fears! 

     A heartfelt THANK YOU to Brooke for pushing past her fears and showing so many of us the success that is possible when we do the same!!!!

     Run, Brooke, Run!!!!

Brooke; Congressman Jim Moran, 8th Dist. VA; Karyn Moran, Girls on the Run

Brooke; Alexandria Councilman Rob Krupicka

Margaret Patterson, Child and Family Network Centers; Brooke

Ice Cream IS REALLY Crystal Meth to Me!!! by Heather M.

 I went to the podiatrist today. My plantar fasciitis was really hitting me hard last week. I figured it was time to reconnect with him and see what we could do. My plan - do something to cut down the swelling/pain that was there now and commit to losing 20 pounds. I know that the extra weight is really making things worse, and I really feel like the problems will clear up if I lose the extra weight. Twenty pounds is 14% of my current body weight (no fair figuring out the math), and getting rid of it has to help. The problem is that I don't think I should even try to run until most of the weight is gone. Until then, I will be trying to turn the room pictured below into my little exercise room. Yes, we have an elliptical. No, I never want to use it. I think we are going to have to make friends in the near future. And, when I get rid of all the other junk in that room (let me know if you want something before I toss it), I'll have room for some mats and a place to do just regular exercise. We even have cable down there. What else could a girl ask for?

  

  

                                   I'll post some after photos when the room is completely cleaned up.   


 So, for all of you who have been waiting on pins and needles for my weekly running reports, I will have to give you something else. No, don't worry, I won't be posting before and after photos of myself in a sports bra and bike pants. (What are those people thinking?) And, I won't be doing week to week "I lost ??? pounds this weeks reports. This blog isn't about me. It's about running(maybe just 'fitness' right now from me), nutrition and charity. I may highlight my struggles with nutrition and how hard it is for me to eat properly and NOT eat the ice cream (or the cupcakes, bacon, McFlurries, french ries, Diet Coke, and basically every little piece of junk food that I purchase for my son.) I know, you want to say don't buy the stuff for my son, but I think if I do that, he may put himself up for adoption. An hour ago, after seeing me pout around the house looking for something to eat and settling for celery and hummus, he and my husband decided that I should be the one to drive him to Safeway to buy chocolate chip Little Bites. I have such a great support system around me!! Oh, and I knew right where the Little Bites could be found.
     This week's report will focus on addiction. Some people laugh at me, but sugar and fat are really an addiction for me. I know they are. The recent trip to Safeway was a killer for me, and I was hollering at anyone who got in my way. My husband asked if I was going to be one of those angry dieters, and I told him, "Yes, for now, I am."
     "Addicted to Food" is a new show on the OWN network which focuses on a residential food addiction clinic. The group leader is a wonderful Southern lady who somehow managed to handle her addiction to food. I remember seeing her as a guest on some health-related show, discussing her belief that she, and many of her clients, suffer from true "addiction" to food. She allowed doctors to hook her up to some sort of device monitoring her brain's reaction to certain, in my opinion, tasty foods. The results were remarkable. The same type of results were found in a recent Yale University study, "
Similar patterns of neural activation are implicated in addictive-like eating behavior and substance dependence: elevated activation in reward circuitry in response to food cues and reduced activation of inhibitory regions in response to food intake." (Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Aug;68(8):808-16. Epub 2011 Apr 4.) Let me rephrase a little  - when their subjects, many of whom were suspected of food addiction, were shown food and then given the food, their brains showed the same types of patterns as the brains of people who are addicted to substances such as drugs and alcohol. They got excited when they saw the food, and their brains calmed after they ate the food. (kind of like when I am cranky and frustrated, go out on a McFlurry run and take those first bites, mmmm!)
     Want more evidence. Check out this article (and notice the picture of the skinny girl eating the cupcake. Where did they get her?):

"There have been 28 studies in the past year alone, and experts say the findings are so overwhelming, they can no longer be dismissed.




Triggering cravings? There is a growing volume of research indicating that high-sugar, processed food can be as addictive as cocaine or nicotineThey found that when obese people and compulsive eaters were shown pictures of their favourite foods, a decision-making area of the brain called the orbital frontal cortex experiences a surge of dopamine. The same area is activated when cocaine addicts are shown a bag of white power." (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2056711/Cupcakes-addictive-cocaine-How-sugar-fat-laden-foods-like-drugs.html#ixzz1crve8RNk)     
     Ok, so what does this all say about fitness, nutrition, or charity? I'm not exactly sure, but to me, it means that I should focus more on nutrition. Let's be honest, most of those things I crave are at the teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy top of the food pyramid. If I ate the things at the bottom in proportion to what I ate at the top, I would be taking in enough calories and fiber for the whole neighborhood. In my next posts, I will try to focus on nutrition and hopefully I can help others handle their addictive behaviors as I try to handle mine. For now, I will have to think of candy as my cocaine and ice cream as my crystal meth. I must resist!

A Row for the Hungry by Heather M.

     My brother and I were two of my father's indentured servants.  My dad grew up on a farm. Even though he had a different day job as an adult, he never gave up the farming life, and of course, we had to help him with his 'hobby' any time he needed help. In return, he fed us. (a minor understatement, but you get the point.) We grew what we ate, and we ate what we grew, and so did everyone else in my small town. I don't think that I realized that people actually bought vegetables in the grocery store until I was in about third grade.  I remember my mother always turning up her nose at the tomatoes wrapped in cellophane that we had to buy during the winter. She was right - they did taste like cardboard. My mother canned or froze whatever my dad brought back from his farm/garden - corn, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and cauliflower were some of his favorites. - We also managed to grow or buy locally a lot of fruit that she canned or froze - peaches, pears, and apples. Oh, and I'll never forget the summer of 'swampers,' or wild blueberries. Robert Frost wrote a poem named "Blueberries" that I decided my daughter would memorize in seventh grade, 

". . .How we used to pick berries: we took one look round, 

Then sank out of sight like trolls underground, 

And saw nothing more of each other, or heard, . . ."

The words reminded me of the summer my father took me to pick blueberries. These were wild blueberries, very sweet, and found out in the woods, so we really did sink "out of sight like trolls underground" as we entered the woods and hoped we didn't get lost.

     And don't even get me started about the strawberry patch we planted on a former cow pasture. Just think FERTILIZER!

     What is funny about my childhood on the farm is that I really thought that that's what I had to do when I got married - plant a huge garden, pick the stuff and then preserve a lot of it so my family could have the produce in the winter. I couldn't figure out how I was going to do that and be a lawyer too. I was convinced that nothing was better than Dad's corn and mom's applesauce, and that being a good wife and mom would entail giving that same corn and applesauce to my family.

    Well, that may be true, but when I got married and had my daughter and proceeded to finish law school, I learned how to buy food at the grocery store, and luckily, I could afford it. As with most young couples, times were often a little tight, but we did fine. And, my parents always brought along some corn, tomatoes and whatever else my dad had just picked whenever they visited. My mom brought whatever she had canned and frozen, and life was, and still is, good.

     While I learned to "buy things at the store," a lot of America's hungry can't afford to buy vegetables and fruit fresh at the market. It's really a shame, because produce is what makes people healthy, and many people really would change their diets and incorporate fresh produce if they could afford it. I hate when I do this, but the other night, I was watching a show on WETA about food banks distributing fresh produce. (What I hate is that I didn't write down the name of the show or any of the names of the people featured.)  Both families that were featured received produce at their local food banks. One lived right in New York City, and the daughter remarked that it was easy to find cheap junk food as soon as she went out her door, but healthy foods were simply ultra-expensive or unavailable. As her mother began to receive produce from the local food bank, she spent a lot of time preparing healthier meals with her daughter, and she noted that their relationship improved and they both had more energy as they ate better. The families who benefited from this produce were just wonderful examples of how charity multiplies. As the families featured began to get back on their feet, they also began to commit time to their local food banks and soup kitchens. It was amazing to see people who had so little, turn around and give back as soon as they could. It also showed their commitment to helping others eat as healthily as possible.

     Susan Evans and Peter Clarke deserve most of the credit for convincing and helping food banks to distribute fresh produce. (Weise, Elizabeth, "More Food Banks Offer Fresh Fruits, Vegetables," USA Today, 1-31-2011.) In 1991, these California professors met a produce wholesaler who had set up a program four years earlier in LA getting produce distributors to send excess produce to food banks. The couple wondered why this program hadn't been duplicated. They spent years finding ways to get other foodbanks to replicate the program. They ran into a lot of obstacles, but handled them one by one. Large grants from Kraft foods totaling $26 million helped the food banks purchase walk-in cooler and cooler blankets.(Ibid.) They also confronted cultural issues when distributors thought they received rotten bananas which were really ripe plantains and when clients boiled the kiwis they thought were potatoes. (Ibid.) Profs. Evans and Clarke learned so much about promoting new programs from their work with the food banks that they included an extensive description of their work in a recent article they published in The Stanford Social Innovation Review ("Disseminating Orphan Innovations," SSIR, Winter 2011). In the past few decades, food banks have had tremendous success getting excess produce to those in need. Evans and Clarke are continuing to help these food banks 'push the produce' by encouraging the food banks to give out recipes which incorporate the produce currently available. These two professors are wonderful examples of people who see a problem and are willing to tackle it head on. 
     A 2008 study done by the USDA have shown that people below 130% of the poverty line(the threshold for receiving food stamps) are not able to budget for fruits and vegetables. (Stewart, Hayden, and Noel Blisard. Are Lower Income Households Willing and Able To Budget for Fruits and Vegetables? U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, ERR-54, January 2008.) The same study notes ". . ., a household’s income does not need to rise much further before the household is also willing and able to allocate additional resources to fruits and vegetables, on average." (Ibid.) The question remains, how do we help those who have no place in their budget for produce (and who don't grow up with my parents)????
    It seems that we have to do our best to make sure that produce gets to the food banks and ultimately to those in need. Right now, I am not certain if any of RunningBrooke's beneficiaries take part in such programs, but I would love for some of them to follow laces and let us know. I have researched organizations which donate produce to feed the hungry and here's one interesting group I stumbled upon - Plant a Row for the Hungry. - In their words, this is what Plant a Row Does, "PAR provides focus, direction and support to volunteer committees that promote herb, vegetable and community gardening at the local level. Then we provide training and direction to enable the committee to reach out into the community. Finally, we assist in coordinating the local food collection systems and monitor the volume of donations being conveyed to food agencies." - I really encourage you to follow this link and see what you can do to plant a row for those in need next year: Plant a Row Their website has great info on local Plant a Row organizations, including one in Manassas, VA. 
     Just so you know, all of the beautiful pictures in today's post come from Brooke's garden. (I don't have the space or the sunshine.) Maybe we can get Brooke to "plant a row" next spring. I better watch out. I may be creating another job for myself.