Operation Frontline

Operation Frontline Colorado

More than 12 million children are at risk of hunger in America; in Colorado, one in seven children are hungry or at risk for malnutrition.

Twenty-one percent of children in Denver are living in poverty and are at risk of hunger. Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline is a groundbreaking nutrition education program that helps families help themselves by teaching them how to prepare healthy low-cost meals.

Professional chefs and nutritionists volunteer their time and expertise to lead hands-on courses that instruct adults, teens and kids living on a low-income how to get the most nutrition out of a limited budget.

This year Operation Frontline Colorado coordinated 65 courses that impacted a total of 3,578 families. In 2008 our goal is to provide 72-80 courses in our nine county service area.

Boulder Chefs Up Front A Success

Boulder Chefs Up Front, Operation Frontline Colorado’s 4th annual fundraiser, was a great success. The star chefs from twelve of Boulder's finest restaurants prepared an elaborate meal tableside with expertly paired wine selections from around the world. The restaurants and their chefs for this year's event included: Chef Bradford Heap, Colterra; Chef Carlos Ruiz, Cascades at the Stanley; Chef Toby Prout, Bloom; Chef Jason Rogers, Jills; Chef Hosea Rosenberg, Jax Fish House; Chef John Platt, Q's At The Boulderado; Chef Amanda Reese, Chophouse; Chef Tony Hessel, Brasserie Ten Ten/The Med; Chef Eric Skokan, Black Cat; Chef Mathew Jansen, Mateo/Radda; Chef Dakota Soifer, The Kitchen; and Chef Radek Cerny, L'Atelier. The reception was elegantly prepared by Chef Jason Schaeffer of Chimney Park in Windsor.

The evening raised approximately $42,000 with both the live and silent auction donations contributing greatly to the evening’s success. One-hundred percent of the proceeds go to expanding our goal of reaching hungry families through cooking and nutrition education in Boulder County and ending childhood hunger.

Food Drive 2008

Would your club, church, office, scout troop, school, university, neighborhood, friends like to do a food and/or supply drive for our nutrition education families? We plan to teach 70 - 75 courses this year reaching 750 families and that means we need lots of food, supplies and grocery cards. This is an opportunity to get your whole family involved! And share your passion and experience with helping OFLC end childhood food insecurity and hunger.

We would like to recognize those who have participated and donated goods to our program: Christina Reiter, family & friends; Rocky Mountain Road Runners; Ms. Betty Emanuele & Mr. Donald Provak; Heather Laferty; Chimney Park Restaurant & Bar; and Finished Basement Company.

Here's what we need most for our 2008 program year-

Food:

• 350 - 24 or 32 oz. bottles of canola oil
• 300 - 1 lb. packages WHOLE GRAIN pasta
• 300 - 1 lb. bags WHOLE GRAIN brown rice
• 200 - 1 lb. packages pearl barley
• 100 - 64 oz. bottles of 100% fruit juice, any flavor
• 150 - 10 oz. bottles of Low Sodium soy sauce
• 20 boxes low-fat granola (without raisins, please!)
• 40 - 12 oz. bottles honey

Supplies:

• 1000 - Large paper plates
• 1000 - 8 oz. Disposable cups
• Gallon zip lock bags
• Quart zip lock bags
• Sandwich-size zip lock bags
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap

Grocery gift cards:

• 350 - $10.00 gift cards to King Soopers or Safeway

Please call the Operation Frontline office, 303.892.8480, for tips on how to conduct the food drive and we will send you a toolkit.

Our Volunteers Fight Obesity!

By Lisa Paige, Dietetic Intern of University of Northern Colorado

As volunteers, we see many of our class participants struggling with weight management and some of the associated chronic diseases. Have you wondered about the relationship between obesity and food insecurity? At first glance, this seems to not make sense. After all, food insecurity is defined as a limited or uncertain access to nutritious, safe foods necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, obesity is associated with unrestricted eating of foods and drinking of beverages high in fat and sugar.

New research shows us the link to food insecurity and obesity is the pattern of overeating combined with the fear of not knowing when the next meal will be. The human body is incredibly adept at storing body fat for periods of famine; we still have the genetic makeup of our hunter-gatherer ancestors even though our lifestyles no longer require us to seek food in that manner.

Households that experience food insecurity have a greater risk of obesity and associated chronic disease because the family members tend to binge-eat on unhealthy foods when money to available to purchase food. Unfortunately, these foods are the least expensive and are highly marketed. Frequently, there are promotions and ads which encourage the purchase of multiple packages.

Operation Frontline volunteers go out into the neighborhoods where food insecurity, and now obesity, are everyday experiences. Classes taught by OFLC volunteers help families learn new strategies to combat the cycle of food access and overeating with meal planning to stretch tight food budgets, low-fat meat and dairy choices, and healthy snacking on fruits and vegetables. One class at a time, our volunteers help fight obesity!

Are You on Your Way to a Healthier Life?

By Lisa Paige, Member, Denver Dietetic Association

March was National Nutrition Month and the theme for 2008 is “Nutrition: It’s a Matter of Fact”. This reminds us to focus on the total balance of foods eaten, not just on any one food or meal. There are no bad foods, no good or bad times to eat and no magic bullet for maintaining a healthy weight. The fact is it’s your total diet approach that matters in living a healthful lifestyle.

It’s been three years since the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans was published. The Guidelines are the foundation of Federal nutrition policy and nutrition education activities. Since 1980, these have been jointly issued and updated every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines give advice on how good dietary habits can lead to better health and lower the chance of chronic illnesses like colon cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.

Many Americans are familiar with the colorful MyPyramid logo. MyPyramid puts the Guidelines into a picture that shows a total diet from food sources (not supplements) will meet the nutrition needs of most Americans. MyPyramid also shows that moderation of all foods, often called portion control, combined with physical activity, is the best way to avoid problems like overweight and obesity and all the associated diseases.

So how does your eating stack up? Take this simple test to find out how well you are doing.

• Do you maintain your weight?
• Do you eat whole grain products everyday?
• Do you eat 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday? (Please note that it’s servings not pieces. A serving size is ¾ cup.)
• Do you get 30 minutes of physical activity most days?
• Do you avoid fried foods?
• Do you limit sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks, and syrup-flavored coffees?
• Do you eat beans instead of meat more than twice a week?
• Do you eat fish at least twice a week?
• Do you limit the amount of salt you eat?
• Do you eat reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free dairy products, or other calcium-rich foods every day?

8 – 10 You are a nutrition superstar! You are giving yourself a gift each day – longer and healthier life!

5 – 7 Definitely you are trying! Don’t give up. Look for creative ways to remove the obstacles that keep you from going all the way.

0 – 4 OK, you could take some time to think about why healthy eating would be a benefit to you. Would you feel better, have more energy, or lose weight?

Remember, you are in charge of your health! For further information on National Nutrition Month, look up the American Dietetic Association on the Internet at www.eatright.org. For recipe ideas, family meal planning, and nutrition games, go to www.MyPyramid.gov.

Member of Colorado Anti-Hunger Network

Operation Frontline Colorado is located at 2727 Bryant Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80211, Phone:(303)892-8480