I had the pleasure last week, learn more about Share our Strength and the good it does for families all around the US. Over the last few year Share our Strength has helped families learn to plan better ways to feed their families and make better choices.     During our talk, I learned more about how low income families look at the meal planning process. These facts astounded me:

•       85% of low-income families believe eating healthy is important, yet only half make nutritious meals on a regular basis

•       Primary barrier is perceived high cost of healthy foods

o   There is potential to help reduce cost concerns by educating families about the nutritional value of frozen and canned fruits and vegetables, while also encouraging people to shop at discount retailers

•       55% of families don’t regularly plan meals before shopping, and 34% don’t use grocery lists

For my family meal planning and going to the store with a list is essential to having a successful healthy meal time.   The Share our Strenght progam is teaching low income families how to plan saving time money and allowing for the family to cook healthy and spend time as a family.

Walmart has signed up to help $2.5 million grant to Share Our Strength will help families in cities across the country gain valuable hands-on shopping, cooking and nutrition educational:
•       Grant will provide 107,500 Americans with access to Cooking Matters programs

•       The grant is part of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s $2 billion commitment through 2015 to help fight hunger in America, and Walmart’s 2011 initiative to provide customers with healthier and more affordable food choices every day

Teaching the skills to make a family successful in the kitchen is so important.  Because everyone needs to learn to help themselves and lead to a better life for their families.

The program has many options to assist Low Income Families food Education:

Cooking Matters Program

•       Helps families shop and cook healthy meals on a budget, as a part of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign

•       20-year history of helping families develop and maintain healthier eating habits

•       Learn more here

 

Cooking Matters at the Store Tours

•       1.5 hour session designed to teach four main skills:

1.       Buying fruits and vegetables on a budget

2.       Comparing unit prices

3.       Reading food labels

4.       Identifying whole grain foods

•       Available at participating Walmart stores

 

Cooking Matters Six-Week Courses

•       Community partners serving low-income families offer six-week Cooking Matters courses to adults, kids and families 

•       2-hour sessions meeting once a week are taught by volunteer chef and nutrition educators

•       Lessons include meal preparation, grocery shopping, food budgeting and nutrition

 

Cooking Matters Class Teachings

 

·         Top Shopping Techniques

o   Tips for food budgeting and meal planning

o   Comparing unit prices

o   Saving on fruits and vegetables

o   Challenge: Feed a family of four with just $10

·         Key Nutrition Concepts

o   Reading the nutrition facts panel

o   Finding whole grain foods

o   Fresh, frozen or canned?

·         10 Tips to Better Family Meals

1.       Set realistic goals

2.       Plan when you’ll eat together

3.       Be flexible with the time and place

4.       Cook it fast on busy nights

5.       Get everyone involved

6.       Focus on each other

7.       Talk about things everyone enjoys

8.       Set ground rules

9.       Make mealtime a learning time

10.    Share the adventure

So what can you do to help.  Get involved find out on   Lead a Cooking Matters at the Store Tour

How do you sign up for the program?

Cooking Matters courses are offered by a network of community organizations that are serving low-income families. So those partners, like a food bank or pantry, will recruit families from within the area that they are already serving. At this time the general public cannot participate in class or tour. But there are several ways the public can get involved:

·         Go to http://www.cookingmatters.org to check out the content. All of the same information that is taught in the program is available on there!

       This post was Sponsored by Walmart, Share your Strength and the Motherhood.  All the opinions in this post are my own.

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I was recently part of a social media  webinar to discus the change in climate and how it is effecting each human that walks this earth.  The talk was sponsored was Climate Reality.  Power the social revolution for Climate Change and reach people about the importance to change how we look environments.

Starting tomorrow kicking off with a twitter party  is 24 Hours of reality.  Which is a 24 hour discussion on how we can create an awareness.

 DETAILS FOR #CLIMATEREALITY TWITTER PARTY
What: Did you know that 90 million tons of carbon pollution enters the atmosphere every day? Chances are, you’re exposed to the cost of carbon pollution in ways you don’t even realize.

We’re honored to join The Climate Reality Project – an organization founded by Al Gore – as they launch their 24 Hours of Reality global initiative, a 24-hour live broadcast that offers audiences the opportunity to join the conversation and learn how carbon pollution is affecting families around the world. This year, 24 Hours of Reality is focusing on the “Cost of Carbon” in the environment in regions around the world.

 The Climate Reality Project chairman and former Vice President Al Gore will be on hand during the Twitter party, and others from the organization will be tweeting with us from @ClimateReality to help us bring attention to the cause. We’ll also be sharing effective ways that we can spread the word and cut back on carbon pollution in our own lives to help make a difference.

When: Tuesday, October 22, at 2p ET / 1p CT / 10a PT

Where: We’ll be on Twitter – follow the #ClimateReality hashtag to track the conversation. You can see the details and RSVP via this Twtvite: http://twtvite.com/climatereality

Hashtag: #ClimateReality

Hosts: @ClimateReality, @AlGore, @theMotherhood, @theMotherhood25, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann

Prizes! We will award five prizes throughout the party, with winners chosen randomly based on correct responses to trivia questions. The prizes will help you spread the word about climate change – each consists of an I AM PRO SNOW hat and t-shirt from The Climate Reality Project.

Eligibility for prizes is limited to participants in the United States who are 18 years of age and over.

3 Tools that can help spread the word about environment:

• 1-      What I love :  Tool to help us enter the most import things we love:  Kids, Family, Outdoors  you choose the things you love and how the climate is affecting   what you love  (family, kids) www.whatilove.org
• 2-      3rd annual … 24 hours of reality   what it is to live to day carbon pollution affect the world and homes the affect now and what is the price of having it affect our world currently.  Giving voice to people effected by carbon pollution
• 3-      Cost of Carbon Tool–  People enter their name by location personal how the local affected by carbon pollution.  Locally how your environment is affected.

So you have ideas that you have heard about the climate.  May I recommend check out the  Reality Drop  tool of what is real and not.  For Example True or False Because we still have winter proves there is no real problem with climate   #FALSE !  Check out reality drop to dispel the myths.

The importance of knowledge of   Climate change is now affect most weather events of significance.  Sandy, Katrina ect..  Winters are now not cold enough to kill off certain bugs,  like damaging beetles in Colorado we  are get multiple seasons of bugs  Pine Bark Beetles.  Which them will affect environments the trees, which afffect lumber, and housing cost.. see everything is related.

What can you do??  Individual families  and Large corporations can both make a difference.  Collective groups can make a change and have an enormous voice.  So what we choose buy and use as a group have an enormous impact.  We have to put a price on carbon and companies being Climate and Carbon Minded.  Consumer

Join the ClimateReality Twitter party tomorrow afternoon and hope to see you there at 2p ET, kicking off 24 Hours of Reality with Al Gore and the team at The Climate Reality Project!!