Market Opportunities

This week, our Pathfinder Produce market is closed, but we’re all set to open on Thursday, January 2, 2014, to bring our friends and neighbors the freshest fruits and veggies around.  Don’t forget to vote in the MVP Health Care Contest at this link, http://www.mvpprojectgo.com/detail.cfm?id=147, to help Pathfinder Village win $2,500 in support of our new produce initiative.  Here’s to a healthy and prosperous New Year for everyone!

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Last week’s blog gave the “back story” on how our Pathfinder Produce market started and how it serves a great need in our home community.  I thought I’d continue along that vein this week.

Pathfinder Produce is staffed by resident volunteers and Village employees, chiefly from our Ancillary, Finance and Program departments.  Before last Thursday’s market, I stopped by the Village Commons to talk with our volunteers, who do the lion’s share of set up each week.  Chris, Chris, and Chelsea were just finishing up with their tasks, and each team member was busy and focused. They were looking forward to an impromptu holiday party their mentor, Steph Jones, was hosting for them in celebration of their hard work.

Each week, the young adults are responsible for inspecting incoming produce, placing it on display in the new Vocational Center, and posting prices for each item offered.  Miss Jones is a stickler when it comes to workplace rules; and the volunteers repeat the “market mantra” of safety, cleanliness and orderliness.  During market hours, they assist with keeping the displays neat and well-stocked, weighing customers’ purchases, and bagging items. 

As they work, you can see the volunteers are passionate about what they are doing.  They take pride in the quality of the produce and they want the market to be attractive to customers.  They support each other, offering tips about how certain items should be displayed.  The market also offers a new opportunity for the volunteers to engage with friends and neighbors who are from outside our immediate Village community.

So in many ways, Pathfinder Produce is a positive development, as it provides people living with intellectual disabilities opportunities for engagement and activities that benefit others.  This is important:  In my view it changes the volunteers’ status from “consumers,” a term I feel is lacking in today’s vernacular, to “contributors,” which is more to-the-point in recognizing the many talents and great potential of those living with disabilities.

From all of us at Pathfinder Village and Pathfinder Produce, we wish you a week filled with the comforts of home and hearth, and the warm embrace of family.  Thank you once more for supporting “the little market that could,” and we’ll see you in 2014!

Lori

The Little Market that Could

This Monday our Village is blanketed in snow, and we’re looking at a classical White Christmas.  But to borrow a saying associated with the USPS*: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stops Pathfinder Produce from the marketing of delicious, healthful fruits and veggies at great prices.  We hope you’ll venture forth this Thursday afternoon to stock up for your holiday meals.  (Please note that the market will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 26^th so our staff may enjoy family time.  We’ll be open again on Jan. 2, 2014).
 
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As our Facebook Fans may know, Pathfinder Produce is now involved in an online contest sponsored by MVP Health Care, one of about three dozen health initiatives that stand to win $2,500 and a special fund raiser opportunity with soccer star Abby Wambach, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year.  Just click on this link to vote once per day through late January:  http://www.mvpprojectgo.com/detail.cfm?id=147. You can “get more bang for your buck” if you share the link with your email contacts and your social networking friends.  Thank you, we appreciate your support!

For our newer friends who may not know the “back story” of our market, it’s a great example of local community organization and how a “CAN DO” attitude can make an impact.  For some reason, the story of “The Little Engine that Could” comes to mind – I think it’s because of the underlying moral of “if you believe it can happen, it will happen” that is at the heart of the story. 

A year ago, the Bassett Research Institute, Cooperstown, started its “5-2-1-0 Every Day!” Program to educate local families about better eating habits and to fight growing rates of childhood obesity.  A pilot program specifically targeted Edmeston, the township where Pathfinder is located (Otsego County), and Delhi (Delaware County).  In October, the 5-2-1-0 celebrated its first year anniversary. 

The “5-2-1-0 Every Day!” concept summarizes positive behaviors that can help individuals lead healthier lifestyles, and is a sound approach to curtailing obesity for both kids and adults, which as a national issue has major productivity and economic implications.  The 5-2-1-0 program represents these recommended daily allotments:

• 5 or more servings of fruits & vegetables
• 2 hours or less recreational screen time 
• 1 hour or more of physical activity
• 0 sugary drinks, more low fat milk & water

To date, the program has awarded over $30,571 in mini-grants to almost 30 community-based projects:  One of the most successful has been Pathfinder Produce, a concept initiated by the Village’s Senior Management Team.

Their thinking was: Pathfinder Village works with vendors to bring in food shipments each week to support our residents’ ongoing dietary needs.  By adding a quantity of fresh produce items to the order, we can open a one-day-a-week “green grocer market” to benefit our local friends and neighbors.  Edmeston, population 1,826 (2010 Federal census), has no grocery store, and the nearest full-service supermarket is over 20 miles away, a drive that can be difficult for seniors and during the winter months.  By offering this service, we contribute back to our local community; provide vocational opportunities for people living with developmental disabilities; provide a way for our friends and neighbors to improve their eating habits; and introduce a new way for the public to visit Pathfinder on a regular basis that benefits our residents and total organization. 

Thus far, this experiment in direct marketing has been popular, and the staff is able to bring produce to our market at below-retail pricing.  The exciting thing about the Pathfinder Produce initiative is that it can be replicated in other rural regions where fresh produce availability is sporadic or limited.

Of course, it is a paradox of modern life that in rural America there is a fresh fruit and vegetable shortage; after all, the produce is grown in rural areas.  Unfortunately, because of the corporate model of food production and distribution that has developed in the U.S., small towns are bypassed by major grocery chains, and smaller “Mom and Pop stores” are unable to meet the order minimums required by food distributors.  Additionally, smaller stores would face huge losses in perishable products, which prevents them from featuring produce items for sale.

At a special meeting marking the 5-2-1-0’s anniversary, Dr. Stephen Cook of the University of Rochester Medical Center, a physician nationally known for his work on childhood obesity, said of our local efforts:  “The health system alone can’t solve obesity, but the health system must be part of the equation…. Initiatives like 5-2-1-0 have got to be locally owned to be successful and sustained and that’s what you’re doing.”

In closing, everyone at Pathfinder Produce and Pathfinder Village thanks you for your support of our community health initiative, and we wish everyone a healthy and prosperous New Year. 

Lori


*   Contrary to popular belief and according to Wikipedia, this is not the official motto of the United States Postal Service: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”  The USPS has no official motto.

However, these words were inscribed on a wall at the James Farley Post Office in New York City, placed there by Architect William Mitchell Kendall, of the renowned firm of McKim, Mead & White, who designed the building.  It derives from a quote from Herodotus' Histories, referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire (modern day Iran).

Smart Substitutions for the Holidays

Pathfinder Produce will be open this Thursday, December 12, at the Village Commons from 2 to 5 p.m.  We hope all our friends and neighbors will be able to come and shop for the freshest, best-priced fruits and vegetables around.   Don’t forget to stock up for your upcoming holiday meals and get-togethers … ‘tis the season!

The market will be open on December 19th, but will be closed on the 26th to allow our staff time at home with their families.  The market will reopen on January 2, 2014 to start the New Year right!

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Last week, we talked about carbs and the role they play in our diets.  This week, I got thinking about food substitutions we can make to cut down on calories and high-fat foods during this season of delicious treats, family feasts, holiday parties, and the ever-tempting sweets that pop up all over.

One smart substitution that can be made is to feature more fresh fruits and vegetables on your plate at family and work gatherings, or if you're the host/hostess, to serve ample veggies and fruits to your guests.  There are many festive serving suggestions to dress up fruit and veggie trays on the internet; one way our Food Service staff dresses up Pathfinder functions is to carve out a fresh watermelon, and to carefully cut a holiday image in the rind.  A small candle is then placed inside to illuminate the display.  It really looks spectacular!

Many veggie trays feature dips, so another smart substitution is to use plain Greek-style yogurt, like Chobani, when mixing up any recipe that calls for sour cream.  If one does a side-by-side comparison, especially when looking at the fat content, you can see that the yogurt is a step in the right direction:

	Sour Cream	% Daily Value	Non-Fat Yogurt	% Daily Value	Estimates for 2 Tbs. yogurt
Serving Size	2 Tbs.		8 oz.		2 Tbs.
Calories	65		140		17.5
Calories from Fat	49		0		0
Total Fat	5.4 g	8%	0		0
Saturated Fat	3.8 g	19%	0		0
Cholesterol	22 mg	7%	0		0
sodium	16mg	1%	105mg	4%	13.13mg
Carbohydrates	1.1g	0%	9g	3%	1.13g
Dietary Fiber	0 g	0%	0
Sugars	1.1 g		9g		1.13g
Protein	1.1 g		23g	46%	2.88g

This link is for a simple Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip recipe, and I think that it would be fine to use fat-free yogurt instead of the 2% they list:  http://www.acouplecooks.com/2012/11/greek-yogurt-ranch-vegetable-dip/.  The recipe calls for shallots; it should be okay to use finely minced sweet onion if shallots aren't available. (Chris on our Food Service staff recommends a Walla-Walla or Vidalia).

As you select items like crackers, rolls and other wheat products, select those that are made with whole wheat, as they are heart-healthy and better sources of fiber and other important nutrients, like potassium and selenium, than their more-processed white flour counterparts.  Nuts are always a great holiday snack, but make sure you go for those that aren't laden with tons of salt and are dry-roasted (According to Dr. Oz, “roasted” nuts are actually fried in additional oil … adding unnecessary calories and fat). Other smart substitutions can be found at:  http://cfcvi.osceolaregional.com/2012/11/12/smart-food-substitutions-for-the-holidays/

One last word: watch what you are drinking, and try to cut back on sweetened sodas or fruit juice drinks that can spike your blood sugar levels.  Drink alcoholic drinks in moderation:  Even though this article from Fox News Magazine (http://magazine.foxnews.com/food-wellness/truth-about-wine-beer-and-liquor-and-dieting) points out that there are some nutritional benefits to beer, wine and spirits, these are still sources for needless extra calories.

Please feel free to share your substitution ideas, and we hope to see you at Pathfinder Produce soon!

All the best,

Lori