July 2014
Girl Scouts Produce Cookbooks for Eating Healthy on a Budget
In addition to common challenges of time and money, it is important for kids to be involved when their families decide to eat more healthily. Realizing that some of the people being helped at area food pantries are kids their own age, Girl Scouts in Story County are tackling these challenges with a new cookbook of healthy meals that are low-cost, simple enough for kids to help with preparation, and tasty so that kids want to eat them.
The Girl Scouts toured three food pantries in their community to get an idea of what foods were available. They wanted to create a cookbook that would utilize primarily those ingredients or other items that could be purchased inexpensively at local grocery stores. The Scouts also toured 2 grocery stores, and talked to dietitians and Iowa State Extension for additional information. They wanted simple, nutritious and easy recipes that anyone could make and would appeal to kids of all ages.
Originally the girls were selling cookbooks directly to offset the printing costs. More recently the United Way of Story County partnered with the Girl Scout Troops to apply for a grant to print 500 copies of the cookbook.
For more information, or to purchase copies of the cookbook, contact the girl scouts at gstroops28and150@gmail.com.
Travelling Photography Display Shows Faces of Hunger in Iowa
The Feed the Need photography display features real-life stories and faces of Iowans who struggle with hunger each day.
Struggling to put food on the table is something most people don’t talk about. Indeed, the need for community conversations about hunger came up as a priority at Hunger Thought Leader Meetings in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Sioux City, and Des Moines.
By bringing to life this wide array of stories, leaders at the Iowa Food Bank Association hope to remind people about this critical issue in Iowa communities and encourage everyone to take action and help, whether by volunteering, donating or planting extra crops.
The exhibit, which includes the work of award-winning local photographer Molly Rogalla of Indianola, debuted at the Iowa State Capitol in April as part of the Iowa Food Bank Association’s hunger awareness campaign. It is now travelling across Iowa through partnerships with local organizations.
Exhibitions are currently scheduled in Des Moines, Davenport, Ames, Waterloo, Waukee, Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids. To find out more information or to schedule an exhibition in your community, contact Michelle Winkey at 319-234-0776 or mwinkey@iowafba.org.