Former NFL player and Oregon Duck, Anthony Newman, encourages all Oregon youth 1-18 years old to enjoy tasty, healthy lunches at nearby summer meal sites. There’s no registration, no sign up and no charge for these meals that are often served at local schools, parks, libraries or community centers.
Youth will have a chance to be nourished, be active and to have time with friends throughout the summer, and maybe even check out some books. What a great (and tasty) way to be ready for the start of school!
Parents will love to know that the meals follow USDA My Plate guidelines, providing all of the food groups to meet strict nutrition regulations for health.
To find a site near you, call 211, text “Food” to 877-877, or ask your school nutrition team for details.
What do Girl Scouts, a former NFL player, ice cream, scholarships and pizza have in common? They all made this year’s top 10 list of our most popular stories on odncouncil.org. Join as we count down the top stories of 2019, and see if you can guess which one took the number one spot. You might be surprised.
The order of this list was determined by people like you who visited our website and viewed our blog posts throughout the year. Thank you!
Without further ado, get the drum roll ready, and here we go:
Dairy tours can be enlightening for students who have never set foot on a farm or seen a cow in person. Since there’s no way to get all students to a dairy, this program uses technology to bring the dairy to the classroom.
It’s official: Oregon is home to the “best cheese in the world.” Rogue Creamery’s big win at the 2019 World Cheese Awards was a statement win, considering it was the first time an American cheese took top honors.
Girl Scouts from Oregon and SW Washington gathered at TMK Creamery in Canby in September to earn their Oregon Dairy Patch. And for many of the Girl Scouts, it was the first time they had seen a cow up close.
“Why do we give food to cows that could be used to feed people?” Tillamook dairy farmer Derrick Josi doesn’t just explain why that’s a bad idea, he shows you in an accompanying video.
This just in: college is expensive. Ok, so that’s not exactly breaking news. Maybe that’s why this list of scholarships was so popular among parents of students who are pursuing degrees in dairy and agriculture.
You know those cheap little frozen pizzas you get from the store that would work better as a Frisbee than a pizza? Or a disappointing delivery that looks nothing like the picture in the ads? Upgrade it using these tips!
Milk is one of the most requested but least available items in food banks across the country. This story was about an influx of milk from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Food Assistance Program.
A popular Rose Festival tradition dating back to 1973, the Milk Carton Boat Race attracts fans of all ages. Kids, adults and teams race handmade boats whose buoyancy depends upon recycled milk jugs and cartons.
Sports broadcaster and former professional football player Anthony Newman helped get the word out about this important program. It helped kids get tasty, healthy lunches when school was out for the summer.
Who doesn’t like ice cream? The crowdsourced Oregon Ice Cream Trail churned up a lot of attention for people eager to get the scoop on what shops made the list. People are still nominating locations to add to the trail, so stay tuned!
So there you have it. That concludes last year’s list, but now you can help us with the next one for 2020. What unanswered questions do you have? What would you like to see us cover? Just let us know!
In schools and communities throughout Oregon, the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council and its many partners are actively involved with supporting quality education, active lifestyles and healthy communities. The Council administers grants for equipment and activities, partners on award and recognition programs and manages health and wellness programs. Reach out to us to find out how we’re supporting your schools and local community.
Welcome! Over 725 schools in Oregon and 73,000 schools nationwide have joined Fuel Up to Play 60. Fuel Up to Play 60 is a fun, free, school-wide wellness program that encourages youth empowerment and leadership to promote healthy eating and physical activity initiatives. Oregon schools benefit from grant funding opportunities. Website
We are your local Oregon team-here to support your school nutrition programs and wellness efforts.
Crista Hawkins, RDN, LD
Sr. Director of Youth Wellness chawkins@odncouncil.org
Direct: 971-673-2725
Anthony Newman Invites Kids to Enjoy Free Summer Meals
Breakfast Powers Up Your Morning by Kendra Sides, Oregon Health & Science University Dietetic Intern
We know students do better in school when they eat breakfast. Barriers, such as time, not being hungry or wanting to socialize or play outside can prevent students from eating breakfast. Check out this short video and show it to students in your classroom, cafeteria or at an assembly. Eating breakfast at school is easy and fun!
Rediscover Your School Cafeteria by Kendra Sides, Oregon Health & Science University Dietetic Intern
Teachers and administrators, when was the last time you ate lunch from your school’s cafeteria? Schools have been working hard to make their meals nutritious and tasty. PLUS … eating meals from your school’s cafeteria makes you a healthy role model for students. Watch this video for more reasons to eat at school!
We are pleased to announce that applications for the Oregon School Wellness Award and the brand new, Afterschool Wellness Award are now open! Complete applications and materials must be submitted by also January 31, 2020.
The Oregon School Wellness Award, now in its 13th year, celebrates the wonderful work schools are doing to achieve a culture of health within their school environment and community. Two schools will be awarded the 2020 Oregon School Wellness Award and receive $2,500 to further wellness efforts, statewide recognition, and a banner and plaque for their school.
The Oregon Afterschool Wellness Award highlights the connection between school and afterschool programs, and the promotion and implementation of wellness activities. Two Afterschool Programs will be awarded the Oregon Afterschool Wellness award and receive $1,000 to further wellness efforts, statewide recognition and a banner and plaque for their program.
The School Wellness Awards are a partnership between the Oregon Department of Education, the Nutrition Council of Oregon, and the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council who provides financial sponsorship.
2019 School Wellness Award Winners Wilson Elementary School, Corvallis School District
Jason Lee Elementary School, Portland Public School District
MILK COOLERS FOR COACHES
Power up your team with delicious, nutritious milk. Apply now for a free cooler and travel cart that holds 50 cartons. Must be a Fuel Up to Play 60 school to apply. We can help you with this step! Contact us.
We are offering to ship the Oregon Harvest Cheese Poster for your schools at no charge. In the future, these posters will be available to download with the other posters and toolkits on the Oregon Department of Education’s Oregon Harvest for Schools website.
Oregon School District Nutrition Directors [order here]
As an added bonus, check out the delicious pizza recipes for your school nutrition programs created by Executive Chef Jason Morse. They use whole grain dough and many local foods, specifically for schools. The home version is also available to share with families — a great way to involve students and foster school/home connections to support wellness. You will receive printed copies of these recipes in protective sleeves for your schools along with posters. In the meantime, both versions are available here.
Action for Healthy Kids is the nation’s leading nonprofit and largest volunteer network fighting childhood obesity and undernourishment by partnering with schools to improve nutrition and physical activity to help our kids learn to eat right, be active every day, and be ready to learn.
The Oregon Action for Healthy Kids Team is looking to engage new members that can help the Team continue to do great work in Oregon. Oregon team webpage
Since 1937, June has been designated as a special month to celebrate milk and all things dairy. National Dairy Month is an annual tradition that recognizes the contributions the dairy industry has made to health and happiness around the world.
Oregon has a lot to celebrate, and what better way to kick things off than World Milk Day? After all, milk is Oregon’s official state beverage. On every day of June, we served up some cheesy, dairy-themed jokeson social media. As an example, this was one of the crowd favorites: Why was the dairy farmer the slowest player on the baseball field? You’d be slow too if your jersey weighed 1,000 pounds!
June Dairy Parade Grand Marshal Ron Hurliman (right), with wife Vonnie. Courtesy ofTillamook Headlight Herald.
There were several dairy events and observances throughout the month as well. Cloverdale dairy farmer Ron Hurliman served as Grand Marshal of the June Dairy Parade in Tillamook. With more than 120 entries, the parade is a centerpiece of the June Dairy Festival alongside the Tillamook County YMCA Milk Run and the Tillamook County Rodeo. You can read all about the festivities in this special insert from the Tillamook Headlight Herald.Capital Press also had this special section for June Dairy Monthwith several great stories.
We sponsored the Milk Carton Boat Race in partnership with the Royal Rosarians, the Oregon Dairy Princess Ambassadors, Darigold and many others. A Rose Festival tradition since 1973, the family-friendly event features kids, adults and teams racing across a pond on boats that float atop empty milk cartons and milk jugs. KGW television’s Drew Carney highlighted the event on his Sunrise showand KATU’s Katherine Kisiel was an event announcer.
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At the national level, a running theme throughout the month involved dairy’s contributions to fighting food insecurity and child hunger. The “Real Love Convoy” brought Undeniably Dairy branded trucks to New York, Washington D.C., Detroit and Cleveland for media opportunities and public events featuring dairy. This included an appearance with spokeswoman Laila Ali and dairy farmer Katie Dotterer-Pyle on Good Morning America. Locally, we helped promote summer meals programs in Oregon with this special video featuring Oregon’s Fuel Up to Play 60 spokesperson Anthony Newman.
While National Dairy Month may be over, we’ll continue to celebrate dairy year round. Oh, and did we mention that July is National Ice Cream Month? Stay tuned for a fun announcement on National Ice Cream Day (July 21)!
