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The purpose of this newsletter is to provide quick contacts to KNN partner agencies and to other resources that might be helpful to our partners. You should be able to read this newsletter in less than 5 minutes – that’s our goal!

KNN May 2008 Newsletter

Welcome to the April 2008 issue of KNN’s email newsletter. Please visit our web site at www.kansasnutritionnetwork.org. We are always interested in how our partners are “partnering” to improve nutrition and physical activity education throughout Kansas.
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Upcoming KNN Meetings and Other Important Dates!!!

May 13-14, 2008 Kansas Conference on Poverty - Topeka

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) invites you to become an Eat Smart. Play Hard.T "Power Partner" to implement the Eat Smart. Play Hard.T campaign in more comprehensive ways. Complete the Power Partner Commitment Form by May 31, 2008, and reap the benefits of partnership.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardeducators/involved/HowToGetInvolved.asp

The updated Eat Smart. Play Hard.T for Educators site is full of new features and it is now easier to find updated and new resources, ideas on how to use them, and ready-to-go tools to use in conjunction with Power Panther visits.

WHY (World Hunger Year) has recently created a guide to help groups create Farm to School Programs. Farm to School Programs bring food from local farms into school foods, increasing child nutrition, strengthening local economies and farms, and educating kids and their schools about farms, produce, and food.
http://www.worldhungeryear.org/info_center/farm_to_school.pdf
A Spanish-language publication with NCAT/ ATTRA is related to Farm to School. You can download it for free on the Community Food Security Coalition website: www.foodsecurity.org/NuevosMercados.pdf

Soaring Food Costs Threaten Schools' Ability to Offer Healthy Lunches

As the cost of milk, grains and fresh produce increases, schools nationwide are struggling to provide healthy meal options for students, the Washington Post reports.

The Washington Post: "Food Costs Rising Fastest in 17 Years" This Associated Press article explores the reasons behind the recent dramatic rise in food prices. The report also looks at how this increase is affecting local businesses and low-income Americans in particular.

FRAC President Details Why Food Stamp Participation is Up (Democracy Now!, April 2, 2008) In an interview conducted by Democracy Now!, FRAC's president Jim Weill commented on why government officials are predicting record numbers of food stamp recipients (28 million) in the coming year. "People are losing jobs, losing hours of work, their wages are going down," he said. "They need more assistance from the government in the form of food stamps and other help." Weill said "...the poor are facing a double whammy" as job woes are coupled with the rising cost of food, especially for "staples that low-income people buy." He mentioned that Massachusetts Governor Patrick compared the current situation faced by the nation's poor with Hurricane Katrina last week at an anti-hunger summit, and that one out of every three children in Oklahoma have been on food stamps "at some point during the last year."

Food Stamp Challenge Resources: For a Food Stamp Challenge Toolkit prepared by The Hatcher Group and FRAC, go to http://www.frac.org/pdf/FSC_Toolkit.pdf

For technical assistance in mounting Food Stamp Challenges, contact evollinger@frac.org Food Stamp Challenge Reporter Nominated for Award: Kansas City Star reporter Jill Wendholt Silva has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award for her "Food Stamp Challenge: One Week, Four People and a Tight Budget" article, which chronicled her family's attempts to cope with the hidden stresses of living on limited food resources." See "KC food scene in the spotlight,"
Kansas City Star, 4/15/08, posted at http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/576489.html
Dividing food into smaller portions creates a "partitioning effect;"
a phenomenon where segmenting a resource can dramatically affect
consumption. Partitions introduce a small transaction cost. In the
case of 100 Calorie Packs, the cost is the action necessary to open
a second package. "This transaction cost gives consumers the
opportunity to pay attention to how much they're eating and may help
many control overeating."

Follow this link to enjoy the Better Kid Care April 2008 E-Newsletter online:
http://www.betterkidcare.psu.edu/ENewsletters/ENews0804Apr.html

Project M.O.M. (Mothers & Others & MyPyramid) was implemented to
help American families learn healthier eating habits.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 years who included flavored milk in their diets reported significantly higher total milk intakes than those who drank plain milk exclusively. Those who drank flavored or plain milk consumed more nutrients than those who
didn't drink milk including vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. In addition, milk drinkers had comparable or lower BMI's than non-milk drinkers.

Researchers Evaluate Video Games as Tool to Boost Families' Physical Activity Levels

Researchers at three universities and one medical center nationwide will use a four-year, $1.5 million federal grant to develop "exergames" that encourage children and their families to engage in shared physical activity, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports.
HHS, Ad Council Extend Childhood Obesity Prevention PSA Campaign The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Ad Council are partnering with NBC and the U.S. Olympic Committee to extend a national public service announcement (PSA) campaign addressing childhood obesity, TV Week reports.
I think our 5 minutes is just about up. Send an email to Karen Fitzgerald kfitzger@ksu.edu if you have information you to include in next month’s KNN email newsletter.
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