Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Celebration at Las Clavellinas

Last Saturday morning the community of Las Clavellinas was buzzing with applause, celebration and oodles of smiles. It was a packed house on a very warm, sunny day with donors and supporters of community development in Las Clavellinas invited to the celebration sponsored by the Community Church of San Miguel and included Feed the Hungry San Miguel,  Apoyo a Gente,  Computadores Jovenes and Rotary San Miguel.

Right front in center were several adorable boys holding the red ribbon, eagerly waiting for Beverly Gandy and Diane Maycotte to cut it. The celebration was to honor these two generous ladies for their charitable contributions to the Community Church of San Miguel specifically for the building materials for the Learning Center, Day Care Center and the rainwater collection system. Special thanks also to four generous couples from the Community Church of San Miguel for donating the Portal and thanks to the Community Church for overseeing the  construction and for the furnishings for the portal, the Learning Center and the Day Care. Finally, thanks to the community mothers of Las Clavellinas for partnering with  the Community Church  by furnishing the labor for the construction.

After the ceremony, the fiesta began with mouth watering food made by the Women of Las Clavellinas. Take your pick: Pozole or Mole with beef along with guyaba or fresh squeezed lime water. It was mouth watering and certainly no one left hungry. 

Enjoy these pictures --- photo credit goes to the Community Church of SMA.

Applause for FTHSM Fundraiser Alegria / Aplausos para el evento recaudador de fondos para Feed the Hungry San Miguel ~ Alegría

Applause for Feed the Hungry San Miguel Fundraiser - Alegria

There was much applause for Feed the Hungry San Miguel’s sold out event at the Rosewood Hotel on March 11^th.

Preliminary receipts show that more than $50,000 USD were raised during the 2 ½ hour showstopper directed by Michael Coon of Casa Cocinas which featured GravityWorks, a dazzling aerial dance troupe who performed to the music Alegria.

That seemed the sentiment of the 450 patrons and volunteers who left with raffle prizes, silent auction lots and carnival party favors, but the big three ticket winners were:

Valentina Ducoing who won a Mixed Media painting “The Royal Windsor Greys” by Lynne Gleason; Eric Rohde who receive a one night stay at Rosewood; and Rex Morgan winner of the Air King Rolex watch valued at $5,000 USD. A more complete story will follow in the coming weeks. ###

Aplausos para el evento recaudador de fondos para Feed the Hungry San Miguel ~ Alegría

Hubo muchos aplausos para Feed the Hungry San Miguel en su evento de entradas agotadas en el Hotel Rosewood el 11 de marzo.

Una auditoria preliminar del evento muestra que más de $ 50,000 USD se generaron durante el evento sensacional de 2 horas y media, en el cual GravityWorks, una compañía de danza aérea, deslumbró a todos mientras que escuchaban la música de Alegría.

Alegría parecía ser el sentimiento de los 450 clientes y voluntarios que se fueron con los premios de la rifa, los lotes de la subasta silenciosa y y los regalos de carnaval, pero los tres ganadores en grande fueron:

Valentina Ducoing que ganó una pintura la pintura de Lynne Gleason en técnica mixta titulada "The Royal Greys Windsor", Eric Rohde que recibe la estancia de una noche cortesía de Rosewood San Miguel, y Rex Morgan ganador del reloj Rolex Air King con un valor de $ 5,000 USD. Seguirá una historia más completa en las próximas semanas. ###

--Written by Valarie Brown Coon

Los Ricos English Program ... A First "Urban" Experience

While more than 800 literary-minded adults were being entertained by Margaret Atwood’s sometimes somber, sometimes girlish reminiscences at the Writers Conference, held recently at the Hotel Real de Minas, three students associated with Feed the Hungry San Miguel’s English Program at Los Ricos—Yessenia and Elizabeth, our Grade Tens, along with Yesenia, our apprentice teacher who is helping with the Kindergarten and Grade One classes—were engaged in a lively bilingual workshop for 20 San Miguel teens, organized and taught by the local writer, Susan McKinney. Running over two evenings, the workshop covered some essential elements of creative writing.

For Yessenia and Elizabeth, who still haven’t see the interior of a cinema, it was a first “urban” experience, as close to a thousand people milled around them in the lobby and passageways of the hotel. But Susan was delighted by their spirited responses throughout the workshop and deeply moved by their gratitude, particularly by a thank-you letter from Yessenia that Susan said she will treasure forever. 

To wind up the workshop, Susan raffled off two brand-new Acer laptops. Luck was on the side of Los Ricos, when the name of Yesenia, our apprentice teacher, was pulled out of the hat as winner of one of the laptops. Later, Susan expressed the hope that in the coming years the presence of Feed the Hungry San Miguel's Los Ricos students at the annual Teen Writers Workshop will become a matter of course.

-- Written by Geoff Hargreaves

What's for Lunch?

                                                 Feed the Hungry San Miguel's Nutrition Education Program

Seeks To Improve Health of School Children

In 2010 Feed the Hungry San Miguel embarked on a major initiative to link nutrition education to its school meals program. Diana Rodriguez, Feed the Hungry San Miguel’s licensed nutritionist and director of the Family Nutrition Education (FNE) Program, enrolled students in 14 of the 27 communities served by FTHSM in an ongoing study that will measure the nutritional health of each child participating in and benefiting from the organization’s balanced meals program. 

At the beginning of Phase I of the study, 2053 children, 52% girls and 48% boys, were weighed, measured and evaluated:

·         51% measured normal height for their age, 37% measured short, and 12% measured tall;

·         55% were underweight (15% within that group were severely underweight and an additional 5% were moderately underweight), while just 23% were of normal weight, and 23% were overweight, including 4% who were obese.

With these statistics and her general observations of the children, Diana designed a nutritious meals menu. Combining commonly known foods with fruits and vegetables, far less familiar to the children, she created appetizing and nutritionally balanced meals.  Dishes like carne molida de puerco en salsa pasilla con papas y zanahorias and arroz blanco con queso amarillo are favorites of the children. The recipes and menus are strictly adhered to by each cook or cocinera. During weekly surprise visits to each kitchen, ingredients, preparation methods, storage, and hygiene practices are closely monitored. 

Knowing that a common dinner of a ‘bolillo’ (white bread) and a liter of soda or no dinner at all could easily sabotage these efforts, mothers were invited to one-on-one-meetings to discuss their children’s nutritional needs and the changes required at home in their eating habits. 892 mothers of the children in Phase I voluntarily attended the Family Nutrition Education workshops. Another important concern of Feed the Hungry San Miguel is improving the diets of infant children. As quoted in the March 26, 2011 issue of the Economist, “The most important period in anyone’s nutritional life is the first 1,000 days. Improving infant diets does a lifetime of quality, not quantity.”

Feed the Hungry San Miguel has often observed infants being fed inappropriate and inadequate food in the communities that we serve. Following the siting of Mexico in 2010 as number one in the world for infant obesity, the State reported the need to improve nutrition for young children. To complete the circle of nutrition education at the family level, Feed the Hungry San Miguel’s nutritionist held one-on one meetings with 586 new mothers and pregnant women, to emphasize the importance of proper nutrition during pregnancy and while breast-feeding.

For Phase II -  508 children in four communities were measured a second time at the close of the school year.

Results are being calculated and the analysis of each child’s nutritional health will be determined by the nutritionist and discussed with the mothers at the commencement of the 2011-12 school year. Five additional communities will be included in the study in September, bringing the number of school-kitchens involved in Phase II of the FNE program to19. We expect to include the remaining eight communities that Feed the Hungry San Miguel San Miguel serves by the end of the 2011-12 school year.

Spanish Version:

 ¿Qué hay para comer?

Programa de Educación Nutricional de Feed the Hungry San Miguel
Mejorando la salud familiar en las comunidades
 
En 2010, Feed the Hungry San Miguel  comenzó a implementar un nuevo programa, vinculando la educación nutricional con las comidas balanceadas que reciben los niños en los comedores de FTHSM. Diana Rodríguez, Licenciada en Nutrición y Ciencia de los Alimentos y directora del programa de Educación en Nutrición Familiar de Feed the Hungry San Miguel, empezó a recopilar datos de los estudiantes matriculados en 14 de las 27 comunidades atendidas por FTHSM. Los datos forman parte de un estudio en curso que permitirá medir la salud de cada niño que participa y se beneficia de las comidas balanceadas de FTHSM.

Al comienzo de la Fase I del estudio 2053 alumnos, 52% niñas y 48% niños, fueron pesados, medidos y evaluados:

·         51% midió la altura normal para su edad, 37%, midió altura baja, y un 12% altura alta para su edad;

·         55% tenía bajo peso (15% de ellos con un severo bajo peso y un 5% con bajo peso moderado), mientras que sólo el 23% tenían un peso normal, y el 23% tenían sobrepeso, de los cuales 4% eran obesos.

Con estas estadísticas y sus observaciones en general de los niños, Diana ha diseñado un menú de comidas nutritivas. Combinando los alimentos más comunes de las dietas de los niños con más frutas y verduras, ella creó comidas apetitosas y nutricionalmente balanceadas. Platillos como la carne molida de puerco en salsa pasilla con papas y zanahorias y arroz blanco con queso amarillo son los favoritos de los niños. Las cocineras de cada escuela se apegan estrictamente a los menús y a la preparación de las comidas. Cada semana hay visitas "sorpresa" a las cocinas, y los métodos de preparación, los ingredientes, su almacenamiento y las prácticas de higiene se siguen de cerca.

Reconociendo que la cena tradicional de un bolillo y un litro de refresco (o quizá sin cenar nada), los esfuerzos de alimentación sana quedarían saboteados, se invito a las madres de familia a participar en platicas sobre los hábitos alimenticios de cada familia y los requerimientos nutricionales de cada niño. En esta primera Fase, 892 madres de familia asistieron de manera voluntaria a los talleres de Nutrición Familiar. Otra preocupación importante de Feed the Hungry San Miguel es mejorar la dieta de los niños lactantes. Como se cita en el 26 de marzo 2011 edición de The Economist, "El período más importante en la vida nutricional de cualquier persona es en los primeros 1,000 días. Mejorar la dieta infantil es toda una vida de calidad, no cantidad. "

Feed the Hungry San Miguel ha observado en las comunidades que con frecuencia a los bebés se les da alimentos inapropiados e inadecuados. A raíz de la ubicación de México en 2010 como número uno en el mundo de obesidad infantil, el Estado detalló la necesidad de mejorar la nutrición de los niños pequeños. Para completar el círculo de educación nutricional a nivel familiar, la Nutrióloga de Feed the Hungry San Miguel llevo a cabo platicas personalizadas con 586 madres nuevas y mujeres embarazadas, para enfatizar la importancia de una nutrición adecuada durante el embarazo y la lactancia.

Completando la Fase II se volvieron a medir  508 niños en cuatro comunidades al finalizar el año escolar. Los resultados ayudaran a la Nutrióloga determinar la salud de cada niño y permitirán consultas personalizadas con cada madre de familia al iniciar el ciclo escolar 2011-12. Cinco comunidades adicionales serán incluidas en el estudio en Septiembre, con un total de 19 cocinas escolares que participan en el programa de Nutrición Familiar. Feed the Hungry San Miguel espera poder incluir las 8 comunidades restantes al final del año escolar 2011-12. 

-Written by Valarie Brown Coon

Happiness envelopes you at Alegría..Cirque de San Miguel, a dazzling GravityWorks performance and seated banquet presented by Feed the Hungry San Miguel during its Annual Raffle & Silent Auction at the Rosewood Hotel on Sunday, March 11, from 1:00-3:30pm.

Delight in the color, music, tastes and aromas of the circus as clowns, jugglers, and mimes amuse guests while aerial performers defy gravity on Rosewood San Miguel’s rooftop terrace overlooking the stunning views of the city. Enjoy sparkling wine paired with fun circus fare of carnival totis with chipotle, lollipop haute dogs, spicy alegría popcorn and more during the First Act, followed by a hardy menu of roasted meats, crusty breads, farm cheeses, tasty salads and savory sides during our seated banquet.

Qualify to win a Rolex watch, dream trip, valuable paintings and many other prizes as part of your presale ticket price of US$85 or $1,200 pesos. At the door, the cost is US$100 or $1,350 pesos. Only 400 tickets are available for this exclusive event, so purchase early to ensure a seat. Reserved VIP tables of 10 seats are also available for US$1,000 or $13,500 pesos and all proceeds benefit Feed the Hungry’s school meals program. Tickets can be purchased through La Conexion, Solutions, Recreo San Miguel and at Feed the Hungry San Miguel Website or send an email for more information.

Feed the Hungry San Miguel is a unique model for alleviating hunger among preschool and elementary children in San Miguel and surrounding communities by building and operating kitchens on state school property. Its’ Meals Program helps increase school attendance and improve learning retention through nutrition education classes, healthier food choices and improved diets. The organization provides nutritious meals to more than 4,000 children every school day of the year at a cost of nearly $0.60 cents per meal, or less than $3 USD per week, per child. For some of these children, it is their only meal of the day.


La felicidad te envuelve en Alegría .. Circo de San Miguel, una actuación deslumbrante de GravityWorks y banquete presentado por Feed the Hungry de San Miguel durante su Rifa y Subasta Anual en el Hotel Rosewood el domingo, 11 de marzo de 1:00-3: 30pm.

Deléitese con el color, la música, los sabores y los aromas del circo mientras payasos, malabaristas, y mimos entretienen a los invitados, y los artistas aéreos desafían la gravedad en la terraza de la azotea Rosewood San Miguel, con las impresionantes vistas de la ciudad. Disfrute de vino espumoso acompañado de divertidas botanas de circo como Totis con chipotle, "haute"dogs, palomitas de maíz Alegría y más durante el primer acto, seguido de un menú impresionante de carnes a la brasa, pan recién horneado, queso de granja, sabrosas ensaladas y mas durante nuestro banquete.

Con la compra del boleto calificas para ganar un reloj Rolex, un viaje de ensueño, valiosas pinturas y muchos otros premios, por solo  USD$ 85 o $ 1,200 pesos precio de preventa. En la puerta, el costo es de USD$ 100 o $ 1,350 pesos. Sólo hay 400 boletos de entrada disponibles para este exclusivo evento, por lo que les sugerimos comprar con anticipación sus boletos para asegurar su lugar. Mesas VIP reservadas de 10 personas también están disponibles por USD $ 1.000 o $ 13.500 pesos. Todos los ingresos del evento son a beneficio de Feed the Hungry de San Miguel y su programa de comidas escolares. Los boletos se pueden comprar a través de La Conexión, Solutions, Recreo San Miguel y en www.feedthehungrysma.org o enviar un correo electrónico a contact@feedthehungrysma.org para más información.

Feed the Hungry de San Miguel tiene un modelo único para aliviar el hambre de los alumnos de preescolar y primaria en San Miguel y las comunidades circunvecinas mediante la construcción y operación de cocinas en la propiedad estatal de la escuela. Su programa de comidas ayuda a aumentar la asistencia escolar y mejora la retención del aprendizaje en clase, y a través de clases de educación sobre nutrición, ayuda a la elección de alimentos más saludables y dietas mejoradas. La organización proporciona comidas nutritivas a más de 4.000 niños cada día escolar del año a un costo de casi $ 9 pesos por comida, o menos de $ 42 pesos por semana, por niño. Para algunos de estos niños, es su única comida del día.

Taste of San Miguel -- The Cookbook

The taste of San Miguel cookbook is one that will surely make your mouth water. A book that contains Mexican, American and International recipes from Restaurants, Residents, Visitors and Friends of Feed the Hungry San Miguel. This bilingual, highly anticipated cookbook is a collection of more than 200 recipes from some of the finest local restaurants, best cooks, notable celebrities, and other friends of Feed The Hungry San Miguel.  Check out  Bloody Mary Balls,  Chimichangas, Tamales,  Pimento Cheese Casserole, Soups, Salads, breads, Chocolate Pizza,  Mile High Marinade from Longhorn Smokehouse  and much more!


A sample of one of the yummy recipes: Patsy's Stuffed Ancho Peppers, Serves 12


12 Ancho chilies (dried Poblano chili peppers)
6 c. refried beans
2 c. fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. cloves
3 1' piece cinnamon
2 tbsp. cooking oil
1 large piloncillo sugar cane or 2 c. brown sugar (or substitute sugar with 2 tbsp. molasses)
2 tbsp. vinegar (rice wine recommended)


For the sauce: combine orange juice, spices, oil, sugar and vinegar in sauce pan, cook until sugar is melted and juice reduced by half.


To clean chilies: place in bowl of water, softening them for about 5 minutes. Cut down one side of pepper, remove seeds. Place chilies in orange juice mixture for 5 or more minutes. Line a glass baking dish with aluminum foil, stuff each pepper with 1/2 cup of bean mixture, placing them in dish & cover them with remaining liquid. Cover with more foil & cook for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. -- Patsy du Bois, Caterer / Owner, Patsy's Place


Chiles Anchos Rellenos Estilo Patsy: 12 Porciones


12 Chiles anchos (Chiles poblanos secos)
6 tazas de frijoles refritos
2 tazas de jugo de naranja fresco
1 cucharada de clavos
3 piezas de canela
2 cucharadas de aceite vegetal
1 Piloncillo grande o 2 cucharadas de azucar morena (o sustituya con melaza)
2 cucharadas de vinagre (se recomienda vinagre de vino de arroz)


Para la salsa: Mezcle el jugo de naranja, especias, aceite, azucar y vinagre en un sarten, cocine hasta que el azucar este fundido y se haya consumido la mitad del jugo.


Para limpiar y suavizar los chiles, coloquelos en un tazon con agua durante 5 minutos. Haga un corte por el centro y quite las semillas. Coloque los chiles in la mezcla del jugo por 5 minutos mas. En un recipiente de vidrio para hornear, ponga papel aluminio, rellene cada chile con 1/2 taza de los frijoles y coloquelos en el recipiente. Cubra con el resto del liquido. Tape con papel aluminio y hornee durante 20 minutos a 350 grados F (190C.)


Disfruta !!!


Purchase YOURS online here!

Feed the Hungry San Miguel Cocineras Recognized For Their Accomplishments

For most of us, when we think of Feed the Hungry San Miguel we think of the 4,000 hungry Mexican children it feeds every school day. Few of us think of the 60 plus Mexican men and women who are employed by this nonprofit organization and how essential this income is to their families.

For many of the 50 cocineras who prepare the children’s meals in 27 Feed the Hungry school kitchens, this job is a gift from heaven because almost all of them live in the communities they work. For Yolanda Orduña Peña, cocinera at Alcocer, her husband is older and doesn’t work so this job is her only means of support.

“I live in rancho San Cristobal, the middle of nowhere,” claims Juana Patricia Jaime Mendoza, “so employment opportunities are hard to find. Many mothers here rely on government assistance and seguro publico health insurance to support their families, so I am extremely grateful for the job I have,” she adds. Like many of the other mothers, she was a housewife before being hired by FTH in 2004. Juana Ferrer Hernandez and Margarita Tenorio Romero, the cocineras at Palmita de Landeta, agree, “I have small children and don’t have to commute into town to work or pay for a bus ride. That makes a big difference in my family’s lives,” says Juana Ferrer. “Besides helping me financially, I have a young child enrolled in school and if I didn’t have this job, I couldn’t work,” adds Margarita.  

That seems to be a common theme among the cocineras. Many have small children in school and start and end their day early so they can be home with their families in the afternoon. They also like seeing that their children, and in some cases, their grandchildren eat well at comida. This is of particular concern for Juana Frias Gomez, one of the cocineras at Loma de Cocinas near Pozo de Balderas. “I have diabetes and my son has kidney problems, so I am really interested in learning how to prepare more nutritious meals for both of us.” Feed the Hungry’s Licensed Nutritionist Diana Rodriguez and Chef Jose Luis Morales develop the nutritionally balanced summer and winter menus using local seasonal ingredients and then train the cocineras on how to prepare the new recipes. Dishes like carne molida de puerco en salsa pasilla con papas y zanahorias and arroz blanco con queso amarillo are two of the children’s favorites, claims Juana Patricia, while hers is sopa de verdures con arroz.

For some of the cocineras, learning a new menu or recipe is a bit intimidating, but after practicing a few times, they quickly get the hang of it. “We get a little anxious at first because we really want to prepare the meals well,” says Josefina Mejia at San Luis Rey. Even though she has cooked in a restaurant before, she loves learning how to cook new foods. What they find particularly gratifying is when mothers ask them how to prepare at home certain dishes that their children like at school. “Oatmeal and rice with cheese are popular recipes we are often asked for,” adds Yolanda Orduna.

Because these jobs are rare in rural ranchos, the cocineras are often admired by other mothers in the community who would like to be FTH cooks too. “It is a respected job in the community and one we are all grateful for,” claims Margarita Tenorio.

All 50 cocineras, four training supervisors and nine staff members were recognized and applauded on December 10^th at Feed the Hungry’s distribution center behind the train station for the amazing job they do feeding and nurturing thousands of kinder and primary school children every day of the school year. It is an important job and one that they all love!    

Written by Valerie Coon