LONG ISLAND CARES - THE HARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK
AGENCY NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER 2003
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Agency Orientation Dates

Mark your calendar now for the next Orientation Training dates:

• Tuesday, December 2, 2003 at 9 AM
• Friday, January 30, 2004 at 9:45 AM
• Friday, February 27, 2004 at 9:45 AM

Orientation Training Sessions are for new agencies, new staff and volunteers at long standing agencies. These training sessions are open to anyone interested learning more about food grant programs, grant deadlines, ordering how to’s, monthly report info, any an opportunity to ask all of YOUR questions.

Please call Nancy G. at 631/582-FOOD (3663) ext. 118 to make a reservation for the Orientation Session you plan to attend.

Shared Maintenance Fee Information

Long Island Cares, Inc., The Harry Chapin Food Bank will be raising the Shared Maintenance Fee to 16 cents per pound effective January 1, 2004.

America’s Second Harvest encouraged Food Banks across the country to raise the Shared Maintenance fee to 18 cents per pound three years ago. It has been over 8 years since we last raised the Shared Maintenance Fee but we now find ourselves in a position where we must raise it to 16 cents.

If you have any questions, please call Meg Beck at 631/582-FOOD (3663) ext 109.

Attention HPNAP Operation Support Grant Recipients
REMINDER
Time is Running Out
Documentation Due: December 15, 2003

Please make sure that all receipts and cancelled checks fall within July 1, 2003 and December 1, 2003 dates.  HPNAP will not accept documentation for expenses that were incurred before July 1, 2003.  You have two choices for submitting your documentation:

1. You can send in the full documentation for your expenses now.
2. You can submit the first half of your documentation now.

If you choose to send in the full documentation now, your second half of the grant will be mailed as soon as the checks are issued. For those who only submit the first half of the documentation, you will be notified when you can come to Long Island Cares to pick up the second half of the grant.

If you have any questions as to what is acceptable documentation, please call Frank Longo at 631/582-FOOD (3663) ext.112.

31 Flavorful Low Cal Foods

Anyone trying to lose weight can quote one simple fact: It's the calories that count. Use our handy lists to compare the portions and calories in many of your favorite foods, and perhaps find a few new favorites for snack time or mealtime:

Attention Spontaneous Soup Kitchens

Religious, fraternal, and charitable organizations that want to serve food on Special Holidays may do so if they meet the following criteria:

1) Any establishment that has a current, valid permit from Nassau or Suffolk Counties is allowed to serve meals on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and at other “Spontaneous” times as long as all of the foods are cooked and served in the same facilities their permit covers.

2) An organization that does not have the Department of Health’s Permit, and does not prepare meals normally, may prepare and serve foods if they register with the Department of Health. The organization must state their intentions to the Department of Health in writing, including but not limited to providing the date and time the meal(s) will be served, location where the food is prepared, the facilities available for cooking, cooling, hot and cold holding (ovens, stoves, refrigerators, etc.) and the approximate number of meals that will be served.

3) Each facility must have at least one person at the establishment who has a Food Managers Certificate when food is being prepared or served. If they don’t have someone who meets that requirement, they must have someone attend the Food Managers Certificate Course. You must contact: John Seaton in Suffolk County at 631-853-6973, or Wendy in Nassau County at 516-571-3680.

Holiday Food Delivery to the Home Bound

• Food temperatures must be taken periodically after cooking, during assembly/packaging and transport to ensure that proper temperatures are maintained at all times.

• Foods must be packaged in insulated containers.

• Temperature of last meal should be taken for routes longer 1 hour.

If you have any questions, call the Frank Longo at 631-582-3663 ex. 112.

Food Safety Tips

• Turkeys must not be cooked from frozen state and should be placed at bottom of refrigerator for thawing three days prior to cooking.

• Metal stem-type thermometers must be used to measure the temperature of the food when it is taken out of the oven. Turkey and bread dressing (stuffing) must be cooked separately and all parts must measure at least 165°F.

• All hot foods must be held at 140°F or above at all times.

• All cold foods must be held at 41°F and below at all times, except during preparation.

• No Home-Prepared Food may be served. All food must be prepared on-site.

• All food contact surfaces such as cutting boards and counters must be cleaned and sanitized between uses.

• People working with food must not touch ready-to-eat food with their bare hands. They can use gloves, tongs, waxed paper, etc. They must also wear hats or hairnets.

• Single service plates and eating utensils must be used.

• People working with food must be in good health (no cold symptoms, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.).

• All leftovers that were left out of refrigeration or not heated for 2 hours or more and any food that was put on the food service line must be discarded.

• When in doubt, throw it out!

7 Holiday Foods That Are Actually Good For You

With all the focus on how not to gain weight, and what not to eat over the holidays, the wonderful nutrition in holiday foods often gets overlooked. If you want to celebrate all the healthy reasons to eat this holiday, take a look below to see the cornucopia of nutritional goodies our traditional foods bring to the table.

1. Pumpkin: Pumpkin is a remarkably healthy ingredient, providing 3 1/2 times the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A and a lot of fiber per half-cup serving. Pureed pumpkin lends itself to healthy cooking. It can, like applesauce and prune puree, replace fat in baked goods without giving them a rubbery texture.

2. Roast Turkey: Serve up three ounces of skinless turkey breast and you get a whopping 20 grams of protein with practically no fat. All that and only 100 calories. Plus you fill 25 percent of your daily need for niacin and vitamin B6.

3. Sweet Potatoes: Ounce for ounce, they have as much beta-carotene as carrots. A mere four ounces contain 50 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin C, as much potassium as a banana and a good amount of fiber. All this adds up to one terrific disease-fighting food!

4. Cranberry Relish: There's a substance in cranberries that helps prevent urinary tract infections by interfering with the ability of bacteria to adhere to cell membranes. Cranberries also contain a potentially cancer-preventing compound called ellagic acid. Make a fresh orange-cranberry relish and get added benefit from the vitamin C in oranges.

5. Potatoes: Whether mashed or in latkes, potatoes are good food. They contain loads of vitamin C and potassium, plus fiber, iron, copper and plenty of B vitamins. Boiling potatoes will destroy some of the vitamin C and dissolve some of the rest of it into the cooking water. To help preserve the vitamin C content, use some of the cooking water instead of milk or cream when mashing them.

6. Figgy Pudding: Figs help make the pudding a nutritional gold mine. They are a good source of potassium, calcium, magnesium and niacin, plus they have a natural laxative effect.

7. Eggnog: Choose only the low-fat variety and enjoy a holiday tradition while getting a good amount of protein and some calcium. (Just be sure not to drink too much, since there's still lots of sugar and calories in even the low-fat version.)

Just Say to Fruits and Vegetables Program
By Dana John, JSY Nutritionist

The month of December marks the beginning of the Winter season. It is not as easy to purchase seasonal vegetables and fruits as it is in the summer and fall, when gardens blossom. Even so, there are still many seasonal foods that are inexpensive and nutritious.

Even in the winter you will find many seasonal bargains in fruits, and in vegetables. Citrus fruits, grown in southern parts of the country, are in peak season in the winter. These include grapefruit, navel oranges, and lemons. They are very good sources of Vitamin C.

Keep in mind that frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are also available year round.

Apples harvested in the autumn, are still available at a good price in the winter. For the best buy, choose apples that are firm and crisp with good color. Apples can be washed and eaten fresh, cooked in recipes or eaten dried. To keep fresh, store at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Apples are a good source of fiber.

When we take advantage of the fruits and vegetables that are in season, we can eat and prepare delicious desserts for our holiday seasons.

Stop feeling guilty every time you eat dessert! Enjoy our nutritious and low calorie baked apples dessert for the holidays.

Baked Apples Dessert
A Low Calorie And Nutritious Dessert

Ingredients:

4 to 6 apples

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup water, juice or cider

¼ cup raisins (optional)

cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Wash apples

Cut lengthwise

Remove seeds and core

Place apple halves, cut side up, in a baking dish

Sprinkle the apples with brown sugar and raisins.

Pour water, juice or cider over the apples.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for 30 minutes, until apples are tender.

Serve as a dessert or snack!

Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes 5 servings.