Projects

Kids In The Kitchen

The Junior League's Third Annual Childhood Obesity And Nutrition Education

Initiative

April 8th, 2008

Junior League's "Kids in the Kitchen"  initiative, which was launched in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom in 2006,  aims to raise the awareness and help reverse the the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues.

 It addresses the staggering statistic that nearly one-third of children and adolescents in North and South America will be overweight by 2010 and at increased risk of contracting Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, the numerous ailments related to high cholesterol and the social problems that affect self-esteem.  As part of this initiative, on April 8th, 2008 the Junior League of Calgary (JLC) united with more than 230 Leagues from the Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) to educate children on the importance of eating well and staying healthy.

The JLC Kids in the Kitchen Day reached the entire school population (235 students in grades 4 to 6) at G.W. Skene Community School in two separate morning and afternoon presentations.  The JLC  enlisted the help of Will Kwong, Stampede Executive Chef, and Christy Hayne, an accomplished dancer and choreographer, to teach the students about healthy food choices and incorporating fitness into their life. Each speaker  made a short presentation and then the children rotated through learning stations on portion sizes and reading nutrition labels. Students also participated in two hands-on activities, in which they made parfaits with Will Kwong and learned dance steps from Christy Hayne.  In addition, each student received a package of recipes, nutrition information, two children’s fitness magazines, a bookmark and a magnet. The Canada Safeway store at Glenmore Landing generously donated the reusable grocery bags to hold all of the materials given to students.

Leagues across four countries will continue to involve kids in hands-on activities related to preparation of their own meals and snacks, based on information that shows that kids who help with shopping and meal preparation are more likely to eat healthy foods.  Junior Leagues also offer a comprehensive website with materials that interest both kids and parents. An online recipe collection features downloadable kid-friendly, nutritious recipes from celebrities, chefs and athletes, as well as an educational interactive game provided by Cartoon Network, the exclusive kids media partner of Kids in the Kitchen.  Kids and their parents can also access downloadable nutrition and exercise tips and quizzes to test kids on their nutritional knowledge. The Kids in the Kitchen website can be found at http://kidsinthekitchen.ajli.org

Hundreds of thousands of children and their families will continue to have the opportunity to enrich their lives and palates with recipes, tips and activities from Junior League members through the Kids in the Kitchen initiative.  The Junior Leagues believe that education and hands-on involvement in healthy meal preparation are the first steps to making a lasting change in our children’s future.

Teen Christmas Stockings 

December 2007

We did it!  At our December General Meeting 500 Christmas Stockings (actually Santa-red tote bags) were stuffed by our members, guests and representatives of the thirteen agencies to which we donated the stockings.  The meeting was held at the Storehouse-39-3-10 offices and warehouse, and after munching on some delicious and festive snacks, the agencies introduced themselves and shared with members the impact that these stockings would have on their teen clients. 

Then it was off to the warehouse where we had set up two assembly lines – one for filling 263 girls stockings and one for 237 boys stockings.  Members and guests stuffed the stockings with shampoo, hand lotion, deodorant, toothbrushes, tooth paste, dental floss, lip balm, candy, disposable cameras, mitts, toques, miscellaneous cosmetics, toiletries and teen toys (like silly putty), pens and pencils and gift certificates for a meal at McDonald’s, a pass to Village Square Leisure Centre, a free eye examination and, for the girls, a free make-over.  Wow! 

The agencies then took the Stockings to distribute to help make the holiday season brighter for 500 Teens throughout the city!

The Junior League of Calgary would like to thank all our cash and in-kind donors, without whom this fantastic project would not have been possible!  

Also, thank you to Sara Barbosa and volunteers of Storehouse-39-3-10 (NeighbourLink), who stored all our in-kind donations and organized the warehouse space and equipment, agency vehicle pick-up area and clean-up.   

What a great evening!!!

Done in a Day (DIAD)

Community Kitchen’s Good Food Box  Program

January 2008

On the evening of January 29 and the morning of January 30 we assisted the  Community Kitchen's Good Food Box Program by helping to pack the more than 1000 boxes a month that they send out into the community.  Each box contains the same mixture of food, although the contents change with the seasons.  Our job was to portion fruit for three different sizes of food boxes: Singles, Couples and Families.  Each size box required a different number of each variety of fruit.  So in the Junior League way, we quickly spotted a flip chart and used it to track the number of completed packages.  Here's what we accomplished:

Our efforts benefited 101 singles, 97 couples and 87 families who might otherwise not have been able to afford fresh fruits and vegetables without the reduced price offered in the program.  We also bagged 4,998 pieces of fruit, and had many laughs about who was "not knot challenged" as we tried to knot the plastic bags.  The following morning we finished bagging and boxing the rest of the fruits and vegetables and packed all the boxes for delivery.

Souper Stars Hot Lunch Program 

November 2007

On November 26^th, seven Junior League of Calgary members assisted the staff from the Community Kitchen Program with their Souper Stars Hot Lunch Program for the 270 children in Connaught School. We unpacked the van and set up tubs of food for each classroom; the volunteers delivered egg burritos, salsa, bananas, carrot sticks, cookies and juice boxes to the classrooms. The children, from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, were a bit hesitant at first but soon enjoyed the special treat of a hot lunch.  One boy created a new food experience by dipping his carrots in salsa which was a big hit!  

Three players from the Calgary Hitmen hockey team were on hand to play a floor hockey game with some of the students at the school.  The hockey players seemed to have the edge until the children decided it was time to switch to indoor soccer! Quickly the competitive advantage disappeared as the students showed their prowess at soccer.  An enthusiastic audience from the rest of the school cheered on their friends and the interaction with the hockey players was wonderful. 

During the lunch, each hockey player visited several classrooms to answer questions and sign autographs.  

A big thank you to everyone who participated!

Emergency Food Hampers

October 2007

On October 10, fourteen members and two non-member assistants of the Junior League of Calgary gathered at the Storehouse-39-3-10 Warehouse to prepare emergency food hampers for partner Neighbour-Link.  At least a hundred or more plastic grocery bags full of non-perishable food contributions were opened and sorted onto shelves, but they didn't remain there for long!  To the sounds of "We need more peanut butter!", or "Where is the Mac & Cheese?" the shelves continuously filled up and then emptied as we focused on packing hampers.  Other items that went into the baskets included breakfast cereals, canned fish and meats, canned fruits and vegetables, fruit juices, soups, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, beans, salad dressing, jam, syrup, Cheese Whiz, tea and coffee.

At the end of the two hour afternoon shift all the bagged food contributions had been stocked and 64 hampers had been prepared, stacked on wooden pallets and shrink-wrapped - Good to go!!

The evening shift sorted and stocked more food donations, particularly those from the Food Bank, which were all mixed together in one HUGE box.  This almost caused us to lose one or two of our more petite members as they dove in to collect the food!  So many hampers were assembled that Neighbour-Link exclaimed, "Amazing" but we answered "No, the Junior League!"

Talbots 3rd Annual Clothing Drive 

October 2007

The 3^rd Annual JLC/Talbots Clear Out Your Closets Clothing Drive was an overwhelming success!  With 7,100 pounds of clothing being donated we well - exceeded last year’s collection of 4,500 pounds! The basement room of the JLC was filled to capacity - bags and boxes of clothing, shoes, purses and even luggage were piled up shoulder high.  

Our initial thoughts were “How on earth will we get this sorted!”  But of course, with typical JLC determination, woman-power and the invaluable assistance of volunteers from the Walk In Closet, this feat was accomplished in just four clothing sorts, or a total of 117 volunteer hours! 

Once the clothing was sorted and bagged, it had to be delivered!  Twenty bags of clothing plus several carloads of pajamas and luggage were delivered to the Awo Taan Healing Lodge.  Several deliveries were also made to the Walk In Closet.

Fortunately, the Women In Need Society sent over an empty truck which we filled with 100+ orange bags - it was quite a sight to see!  In letters from and conversations with the recipient agencies, we know that the clothing and pajamas were well received and all agencies commented on the high quality of the clothing. 

A huge thank you goes out to the Calgary community for its generosity.  A special thank you to Terry Guidry for her administrative assistance with photocopying, gathering supplies, etc. and another thank you to the volunteers who gave of their time; a total of 43 volunteers working over 198 hours in seven shifts, to help make this project the success it was!