skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump attacks Liz Cheney using violent war imagery; Election insights: What 50 Ohioans want to hear from candidates; Consumer groups slam CA Supreme Court ruling on lemon law; On National Brush Day, new resources in KY to boost oral health.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris says her campaign is prepared for Trump to prematurely claim victory, Pennsylvania election officials say safeguards in the system are preventing vote fraud, and Montana Senate race could hinge on the "political refugee" vote.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A Cambodian poultry farmer who lost his livelihood could be a hero for others, rural Montanans are anxiously awaiting a court ruling over a climate lawsuit brought by young people, and Northeast states say more housing for working families could boost jobs.

Serving Culturally Relevant Food for the Holidays

play audio
Play

Monday, November 28, 2016   

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. – Even when people are down on their luck, not every meal is the same. Some food-assistance programs in Oregon now take into consideration the cultural relevance of the ingredients and foods they are serving. The extra thought helps.

Mike Fleck, executive director of Community Sharing in Cottage Grove, said the idea to cater meals to certain communities came about while his organization was giving out holiday food boxes at Christmas time almost five years ago.

"Our Latino family advocate brought it to my attention that Latino families do not know what to do with the turkey, and all of our box ingredients were not culturally specific for that demographic of clients here at our agency," he explained.

Fleck said that year, they decided to add culturally specific food to their meals for the Latino community, including tortillas and chiles. Funded through various grants over the years, Community Sharing was able to provide culturally relevant meals to about 50 to 75 Latino families year round. He said the organization now is looking for a new funding stream so they can continue the program.

Katie Pearmine, the strategic sourcing manager with Oregon Food Bank, said her organization takes a step back from the Community Sharing approach. Instead of providing tailored meals, Oregon Food Bank provides the ingredients that can become the building blocks for meals in any culture.

"For instance, rather than giving someone a pasta sauce, we would give a can of tomatoes. You can do so much more with a can of tomatoes than you can once it's already a pasta sauce," she said. "So that's one example."

Pearmine said Oregon and its neighbors are uniquely qualified to grow the foods that most cultures use to cook with. For instance, the region grows many storage crops, such as apples, potatoes and onions.

"What we have in abundance in our own backyard is some of the most culturally accessible food, and we can land it here at a much lower cost than a lot of other products," she added.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Signal Ohio found overarching issues such as climate change, reproductive rights and safety were on the minds of many Ohioans. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Election Day approaches, the online outlet Signal Ohio interviewed 50 people across Cleveland and Akron to find out what is on the minds of …


Environment

play sound

Wild Chinook salmon have returned to the Upper Klamath River less than two months after the largest dam-removal project in U.S. history to remove …

Social Issues

play sound

Millions of Californians buy used cars still under a manufacturer's warranty - but consumer groups say those warranties are now essentially unenforcea…


Even with the rise of social media and email blasts, traditional "Get Out the Vote" rallies are seen by experts as key to helping boost participation in elections. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Political rallies and large-scale "get out the vote" events might conjure images of a packed arena in a major city but in states like North Dakota…

Environment

play sound

As North Carolina communities continue to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Helene, they have faced a new obstacle: A surge of misinformation is …

As of Oct. 31, Minnesota election offices had accepted nearly 1 million absentee ballots. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

In the final sprint toward Election Day, some Minnesotans might worry their absentee ballot won't arrive in time. Experts say there's no cause for …

Social Issues

play sound

New York's affordable housing crisis is being made worse by corporate landlords, according to groups trying to reform the system. The state …

Social Issues

play sound

By Mariah Alanskas for Kent State NewsLab.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021