Welcome to the Spring 2009 Edition of the Newsletter!

SNAP Benefits Are Going Up!

Article courtesy of the USDA

Why are benefits going up? There is a new law called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. You might have heard it referred to as The Stimulus Package. Starting in April 2009, those in need will get more Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The additional money will be added automatically to an individual’s EBT card.

The extra benefits can be used for food purchases at grocery stores and, in some places, SNAP will be offering nutrition education to help families choose healthy foods on a budget, and will provide information on how to become more physically active. The benefit increases are from $24 for 1 person to $144 for a family of 8.

For an English Client Handout Click Here            For a Spanish Client Handout Click Here

Explore Fun Alternatives to Screen Time!

by Danielle Sunday, nrg Balance

Each year the average child spends 900 hours in school and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a TV. When children devote large amounts of time to screen-time activities, such as TV, video games and texting, they tend to be less physically active. 

Physical activity is an important part of being healthy and achieving energy balance: eating and drinking (energy in), everyday living and physical activity (energy out).  It also helps prevent overweight and obesity.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children get less than two hours of entertainment screen time each day. Instead of screen time, families could ride bikes, have an indoor scavenger hunt, play board games and so much more. For more ideas on how families can reduce screen time and engage in healthy living behaviors, visit www.nrgbalance.org.
 
For the full version of this article, please Click Here. 

Cook By the Seat of Your Pants - A Kitchen Reality Workshop for Food and Nutrition Professionals

by Rose Pallotta-Cleland, Network Promoter & Event Planner, PA NEN

About ‘Cook by the Seat of Your Pants’: Field to Plate, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network, is offering a living kitchen experiential workshop for food and nutrition professionals. The workshop will   focus specifically on building kitchen confidence and expanding your food prep and educational resources for working with low income and/or physically disadvantaged or challenged populations of all age groups.

Location & Dates:

 City:     Pittsburgh, PA            City:    Carlisle, PA                        City:    Philadelphia, PA
 Date:    Aug 17 & 18               Date:   Aug 24 & 25                      Date:   Aug 27 & 28
 Cost:   $69 - $149                  Cost:   $69 - $149                        Cost:   $69 - $149
 Location: TBA                          Loc: The Kitchen Shoppe              Loc:    MANNA

Workshop Session Descriptions: The workshop will offer a 1-1/2 day experience at each location. Professionals can choose to attend 1-1/2 days ($149) or a la carte – either ½ of a day ($69) or 1 day ($99). Case studies, challenges, group exercises and more will be used. Please note that space is limited to 30 attendees per workshop.

Continuing Education Credits will be offered to all Registered Dieticians and Dietetic Technicians attending the program.

For Additional information, Click Here.

New Nutrition Curriculum for K-12 

by Cheryl Oberholser, MS, R.D. LDN, PA Department of Education

A new interdisciplinary Nutrition Curriculum for grades K-12 is available from the PA Department of Education, Division of Food and Nutrition. The 16 lesson plans are grouped by grade levels with 4 lesson plans per each grade grouping. Each lesson plan is aligned with the department’s Academic Standards and provides ideas for teachers to expand the lesson, including components to assist schools in implementing the local wellness policy.

You can find more information regarding curriculum Here.

For the full article, please Click Here.  

Director's Corner - A Word From Our Director 

by Christine E. Mullin, MPH, CPH, R.D. Network Director

Hi Everyone! We have been undergoing some restructuring at our PA NEN offices in order to streamline positions and bring our clients and membership the best service possible.

With a few positions open, we had the opportunity to reexamine and realign our staffing to compliment PA NEN needs. In doing so, Rose Pallotta-Cleland’s Event Planner position was revised to include many of the promoter position duties. Combining these two positions provides us greater flexibility as we continue to expand our nutrition education efforts. Rose’s extensive background in promoting as well as event planning continues to enhance our ability to provide quality programs and events for our client population and our membership.

A Staff Clerical position was created fulfilling the desire to operate more efficiently. Our new staff member, Julie Davis Bartol, started in the Staff Clerical position on April 8th. Julie’s background in website development and publishing coupled with her office management skills provides us with the expertise to refine our website and databases and expand our outreach efforts.

The Community Nutritionist position continues to be involved closely with the SNAP-Ed program, evaluation and outreach to community partners. Malorie Blake, RD, has joined our team as Community Nutritionist and will be starting in her position, April 28th. Malorie’s background in Community Nutrition and research provides another valuable asset to the PA NEN. All of our staff are actively involved in community outreach and nutrition education efforts covering the commonwealth of PA. Both Julie’s and Malorie’s biography may be found in the Spring Newsletter.                                                          

For the full article, please Click Here.

Meet Our New Staff Members

Malorie Blake, R.D. LDN, Community Nutritionist

Hello! I am pleased to be one of the newest member of the PA NEN team. I am a registered dietitian with an extreme interest in community nutrition. I started my journey as a dietitian after I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in clinical dietetics.  During school I worked in the research field, involved in a pediatric weight management study geared toward the lower-income population. After graduating, I ventured out to Central Pa where I worked at a small community hospital developing nutrition education programs, providing outpatient nutrition counseling, and working with the acute-care population. I am also certified in Adult and Pediatric Weight Management through the American Dietetic Association.

Currently, I am finishing up my Masters degree and also work as a nutrition educator at the Susan P. Byrnes H.E.C. in York. When I am not working, I enjoy being with my husband and our 2 dogs.

Julie Davis Bartol, Staff Clerical Assistant

I am excited to be the new Clerical Staff Assistant for the PA Nutritional Education Network. My background includes a B.A. degree in Letters, Arts and Sciences, with an emphasis in Marketing and Business Concepts, from Penn State University. More recently, I took a collection of Graphic and Web Design classes from HACC. I am a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and an active volunteer for several charitable organizations.

Before I made my way home to PA NEN, I worked as an Advertising and Website Coordinator for Just Cabinets. From previous jobs, I gained experience in event and media planning, marketing, website, budgeting and data entry. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you!