O.O. members to take the Food Stamp Challenge

Operation Others Core Team members and others will participate in a modified version of the Food Stamp Challenge. After watching the documentary Food Stamped, groups of four will attempt to purchase healthy food to create meals for one day.  Students will be given the average daily food stamp allotment for a family of four ($12).  A discussion will occur regarding the SNAP program and the experience of living on the program for one day. Students will attempt to find out if it is possible to eat healthy on food stamps. Stay tuned for more information.

Student Reflection: O.O. Members Pack and Deliver Lunches for Others!

On August 5, Operation Others members packed lunches with food provided by the Open Door Mission Streets of Omaha Project and delivered them throughout Northeast Omaha. Please read Molly and Tina's reflection on the experience below.  Please visit http://www.opendoormission.org/ for more about the Open Door Mission and visit http://creightonprep.creighton.edu/page.cfm?p=2115 for more information about Operation Others

We went to the Open Door Mission to make over one thousand sack lunches, and delivered them throughtout Omaha. As we drove around and gave the lunches to people on the streets we witnessed a part of Omaha that we haven't really seen before. Everyone was so grateful and kind, someone even hugged us. This was a very eye-opening experience for us because we've heard a lot about the lack of food in many people's lives, but we never truely saw it. This helped us to see the hungry people in Omaha directly and let us feel a little bit of their pain. This experience helped us to connect with our community through food, which is what Operation Others is all about. It felt great to help others in need and we would definitly recommend this to others!


Peace, Love, & Food
Molly and Tina

Report on hunger ‘alarming' - Omaha.com

Report on hunger ‘alarming' - Omaha.com

Can you eat healthy on a budget? Local experts and consumers discuss

Is is possible to eat healthy on a budget? A new study says no, but some local experts and consumers disagree.  Click the link below to access the article describing reactions to the study.  Feel free to comment on this post and express your thoughts. 

Eating healthy on a budget - LivewellNebraska.com


For more information please seek out the article published in the journal Health Affairs.

Following Federal Guidelines To Increase Nutrient Consumption May Lead To Higher Food Costs For ConsumersHealth Affairs August 2011 30:81471-1477

Following Federal Guidelines To Increase Nutrient Consumption May Lead To Higher Food Costs For Consumers

Here is the abstract from a new University of Washington study regarding the consumer cost of meeting the federal food guidelines:

The federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, emphasized the need for Americans to consume more potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D, and calcium, and to get fewer calories from saturated fat and added sugar. We examined the economic impact of meeting these guidelines for adults in King County, Washington. We found that increasing consumption of potassium—the most expensive of the four recommended nutrients—would add $380 per year to the average consumer’s food costs. Meanwhile, each time consumers obtained 1 percent more of their daily calories from saturated fat and added sugar, their food costs significantly declined. These findings suggest that improving the American diet will require additional guidance for consumers, especially those with little budget flexibility, and new policies to increase the availability and reduce the cost of healthful foods.

source: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/30/8/1471.abstract
the complete study was published in the August 2011 Health Affairs Journal (vol. 30 no. 8)

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