Backpack Snack Attack: Food for the Needy (Aired on June 29, 2012)

Seated: Stan Martin. Standing: co-hosts Jonah Triebwasser, Sarah O’Connell.

Seated: Stan Martin. Standing: co-hosts Jonah Triebwasser, Sarah O’Connell.

Rotarian Stan Martin (Warwick Valley Rotary) describes a highly successful humanitarian initiative of his Rotary club working with the Warwick Reformed Church to provide weekend food to needy families. Called the Backpack Snack Attack, the program originally served the needs of one school district and 20 student families. Today, in these harsh economic times and supported by a Rotary district grant, it has expanded to serving several districts and 200 families. Elementary schools identify the families in need and send students home each Friday with backpacks filled with food. Students return the backpacks on Monday. This year, students also received winter jackets from the Rotary Club of Warwick. Each week, over 300 volunteers organize food donations, food collections, food purchases, fundraising, and backpack packing, paying attention to restrictive diets, allergies, and so forth. Today this program is a model for other efforts like it in the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Learn More:
Warwick Valley Rotary
Backpack Snack Attack Program
Hunger and Poverty Statistics

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June 29, 2012 · Posted in Humanitarian Service, Nutrition  

Gourmet Cooking for Novices (Aired on June 22, 2012)

Seated Rona Boyer; standing, co-hosts Jonah Triebwasser and Sarah O’Connell.

Seated Rona Boyer; standing, co-hosts Jonah Triebwasser and Sarah O’Connell.

In this week’s program, Millbrook Rotarian Rona Boyer, Food Editor of The Millbrook Independent, offers gourmet cooking tips and, as an added bonus, easy-to-follow delicious, healthy gourmet recipes. Here is an example: to prepare a tasty and tender chicken dish marinate chicken parts in the refrigerator skin-side down in equal amounts of peanut oil (or other light oil) and lemon juice from 45 minutes to 4 hours; pour out 2/3 of marinade and bake skin-side up at 350° until juices run clear. Listen for more examples, such as an easy and fabulous gourmet dessert, Roasted Strawberries.

 

 

Learn More:
The Millbrook Independent
Interviews with professional chefs and suggestions for quality foods in local markets
100,000 Recipes

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June 22, 2012 · Posted in Health, Nutrition, Quality of Life  

March of Dimes: Then and Now (Aired on June 15, 2012)

Seated Lynne Versaci. Standing: co-hosts Jonah Triebwasser, Sarah O’Connell

Seated Lynne Versaci. Standing: co-hosts Jonah Triebwasser, Sarah O’Connell

Lynne Versaci, Community Director of the March of Dimes, Northern Metro Division, describes the original purpose of the organization in 1938, which was to eradicate polio in America, and its current mission today. Now The March of Dimes focuses on ways to improve the health of mothers and babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Using her own personal history of giving birth to premature babies and how one was saved as examples, she discusses ways premature infants today can be helped to breathe on their own. The charity needs both volunteers and fundraising efforts to maintain its success.

 

Learn More:
The March of Dimes
Premature Birth
Birth Defects
Infant Mortality
To volunteer, phone 914-610-7522 or email lversaci@marchofdimes.com

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June 15, 2012 · Posted in Developmentally Disabled, Health, Support Groups, Volunteers  

Humanitarian Work by Seniors (Aired on June 8, 2012)

Seated Louise Quartuccio, Roger Risko. Standing: co-hosts Jonah Triebwasser, Sarah O’Connell

Seated Louise Quartuccio, Roger Risko. Standing: co-hosts Jonah Triebwasser, Sarah O’Connell

Louise Quartuccio, Director of Social Work at Elant, a nursing facility that provides housing for seniors, and Roger Risko, Rotary District 7210’s Elderact Chair, discuss Elderact, a Rotary-connected club for senior citizens similar to Rotaract for young adults and Interact for high-school students. The Elderact club is an example of how society benefits from humanitarian efforts by its senior citizens. The span of knowledge and skills among seniors is often overlooked but are clearly recognized when seniors implement important work in their local community and beyond, such as Elant’s humanitarian projects that support the military, battered women’s shelters, students, local animal shelters, and the needy. The Elderact model is currently being expanded to other senior facilities in District 7210.

Learn More:
Introduction to Elderact
Elant
Elderact Blog

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