Category: Food Security

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Vegetable Prep Basics Cooking Class

Recipe: Salad Rolls with Peanut Sauce (Chicken and Tofu)

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The vegetable Prep Basics class was our first class Fall term. Our goal for this class was to learn some knife skills that are essential for vegetable and ingredient prepping. When cooking, you’ll often end up prepping the same ingredients/ vegetables repeatedly, for example, onions, garlic, bell peppers. Learning the best, fastest and safest technique could make your cooking more enjoyable and save you lots of time in the kitchen.

Holding a Knife

The way you hold a knife can make a huge difference in the amount of control and force you have. Your other hand should be used to safely hold the ingredient/ vegetable you are cutting securely in place.

Protecting your fingertips

“Bear-claw” grip

In order to protect your fingers on your other hand, it is important to use this technique to tuck your fingers away from the knife and let your knuckles rest against the side of the blade.

Types of knife cuts

There are several kinds of knife cuts, and depending on what you are preparing each cut could be useful.

Common types of knife cuts

For our cooking class, we mostly used the Julienne method. Julienne/French cut is cut into long, uniform strips like matchsticks. Julienne cut is often used for salad ingredients and green veggies, like cucumbers, bell peppers or zucchini.
In order to achieve this safely, it is important to ensure if the vegetable is round, cut a thin slice off one side to make a stable base.

Julienne cut carrots, bell peppers, and cucumbers

Dorm hacks 101

We also wanted to highlight cooking techniques for students living in the dorms. Students who live on campus may not have access to a lot of kitchen equipment and therefore this can make cooking more challenging. Here at OSU pots, pans and other kitchen supplies are available to be checked out at the dorms. We wanted to take on the challenge to prepare the proteins required for this recipe in the microwave. We used canned chicken( cooked) and Tofu with soy dressing.

Assembling the Salad rolls

To assemble the wraps, you will need rice paper wraps. These are available at most Asian stores. Soak rice paper wrap in warm tap water for 10 seconds, or until pliable; carefully transfer to a slightly damp kitchen towel. Arrange your choice of vegetables and protein on the wrap and fold it over and its a WRAP! Serve with peanut sauce and enjoy!

We’re grateful to everyone that showed up to the cooking class!

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Emily Faltesek: Food Security Programs Coordinator

“Eating is so intimate. It’s very sensual. When you invite someone to sit at your table and you want to cook for them, you’re inviting a person into your life.”

Maya Angelou

Food is more than sustenance, more than nutrition. Food provides an invitation to hear stories. It is an intersecting point for cultural debates about values and class identity. Food influences how we show up in the world and how we are seen. This multi-faceted understanding of food—one that embraces both the everyday and the profound—informs the way I see my work and fuels my excitement to join the Student Life team at OSU in the Human Services Resource Center as Food Security Programs Coordinator.

mugshot of emily
Emily Faltesek, Food Security Programs Coordinator

My professional background is in food service management as a registered dietitian nutritionist. I attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and completed a dietetic internship there with a college support services/food service emphasis. Next, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, I managed the main kitchen, from assembling ingredients through all phases of food preparation. We mashed potatoes in an eighty quart mixer, pumped seventy gallon batches of soup in the cook-chill unit, and dry-rubbed pork butts ready for the smoker. This last task was a big deal to the pulled pork lovers in Hawkeye country! Through these experiences at a hospital serving a diverse population, I developed a passion for making quantity food and for assuring access to healthy and culturally appropriate food choices. When I arrived in Corvallis, having followed my spouse for his faculty position, I found both community and a use for my skills at Stone Soup, the local soup kitchen. There I worked in different roles including meal planning, volunteer coordinating, and as a member of the board. Stone Soup’s philosophy resonated with me: A meal for anyone in need. 

My workdays here at the HSRC are varied and changing—the only constant is the great team of student staff and professional co-workers. I’m involved in meetings to build and maintain partnerships connecting the pantry to sources of food on and off campus. I receive deliveries from the Food Bank and Linn Benton Food Share and drive a van to pick up donations from community gardens. I serve as preceptor to interns and practicum students from dietetics and public health and coordinate shopping and storage at the food pantry. I help students sign up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (what used to be known as food stamps).

At the HSRC I aim to bring my expertise in food logistics and my commitment to food justice together to support the work of colleagues in creating and sustaining student-centered community. I hope to contribute to providing an affirming space for student voices to seek out needed resources in a manner that busts stigma and makes the request feel as natural as a haircut. In our work, we try to make receiving food assistance comfortable, and part of this role involves responding to the systems and structures that contribute to food insecurity and amplifying the voices of students saying food insecurity is a problem. In short, we need to do better.  We need to emphasize the message of the buttons we hand out: “College hunger isn’t a rite of passage.”

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What is Fresh Food Friday?

What is Fresh Food Friday?

Fresh Food Friday is pantry service we provide the first Friday of every month. It is currently a two hour pantry held from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Coming soon in the fall, it’ll be a one hour pantry every first Friday. At FFF’s we only provide fresh produce from our garden or from Linn Benton Food Share, these differ from the Shopping Style Pantries where we walk clients through the pantry to get dry goods.

Why do we have a pantry dedicated to produce?

Ask yourself, how often you eat something that has come directly from a tree, the ground or a plant? Did you eat a fruit or vegetable today? Yesterday? Students don’t have easy access to affordable produce. That’s why we provide produce at our shopping style pantries as well as our Fresh Food Friday’s. The last year we learned a lot at the HSRC and our goal is for everyone who walks away from our Fresh Food Friday to have a few days worth of fresh produce.

Students and fresh produce? Is it an actual need?

To put it simply, yes! We also connect students to a resource here in Oregon called SNAP that can get them a monthly allowance to buy expensive items like produce. 

Below are some real examples of students expressing interest in produce.

“A few weeks ago, we helped a student sign up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps), connecting her to $192 in monthly grocery money. She was emotional as she shared that she’d been getting all her food from the dollar store and was so excited to be able to afford some fresh produce and buys salads again.” – Miguel Arellano Sanchez, Basic Needs Navigator at HSRC

“Having SNAP has been so great. I am less stressed about buying food. My month started again last week. I invited my friends over for dinner this Sunday and I even bought asparagus & salad!” – Student

– Breonna

 

 

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Accessing HealthCare

Navigating healthcare can be tricky, here is a break down on how to access affordable healthcare and coverage plans

Oregon Health Plan

What is it?

  • The Oregon Health Plan (OHP) provides health care coverage for Oregonians from all walks of life. This includes working families, children, pregnant women, single adults and seniors.

Benefits?

  • Physical health: Doctor visits, preventive services to help you stay healthy, tests to find out about your health, treatment for most major diseases, emergency ambulance and 24-hour emergency care, family planning services, and pregnancy and newborn care.
  • Behavioral health: Mental health and counseling, and help with addiction to tobacco, alcohol and drugs. (You do not need a referral from your primary care provider for these services.)
  • Dental health: Cleanings and preventive treatments, dental check-ups and x-rays, fillings, tooth removal, 24-hour emergency care.
  • Prescriptions: OHP with Limited Drug only includes drugs not covered by Medicare Part D.
  • Eye care: Medical care; glasses to treat a qualifying medical condition such as aphakia or keratoconus, or after cataract surgery.
  • Vision care: Exams and glasses (only for pregnant women and children under age 21).
  • Other needs: OHP can pay for hearing aids, medical equipment, home health care, skilled therapy, hospital care, and rides to health care appointment

Who is eligible/can apply

  • To get OHP, individuals must meet certain income and asset requirements and other non-financial eligibility requirements such as residency and citizenship/alien status.
  • CAWEM is an emergency only coverage that you can only use in a hospital ER visit, typically those who are undocumented are eligible to receive this kind of Medicaid
  • Those who are pregnant and meet income eligibility
  • Immigrant children and teens younger than 19 who meet income and other criteria. This includes youth with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

How to apply and where to get help with the application process

  • One can apply online through the Oregon Health Plan website
  • There are multiple health navigator trained to help people apply, those in you area can be found online at OHPHelp 

Free clinics around Linn-Benton County

  • Linn-Benton County department
  • By using the website Freeclinics.com it is possible to search nearby income based clinics within your area

Student Health Services

  • Options at OSU:
    • Student health fees covering some services
    • Insurance through SHS partnership with PacificSource and The First Health Network
  • Student fees covers:
    • Visits with SHS psychiatrist (with referral from SHS clinician)
    • Most office visits (excludes all lab work or procedures)
    • Nutrition consults with a registered dietitian
    • Health coaching services
    • Access to health and wellness web resources, including Healthier at School® Online Self-Care Guide
    • Health promotion outreach programming and events
    • Nurse advice by phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
    • Toll-free long distance access to Student Health (1-877-824–9355)

Other options

  • Co-pay/payment plans/appealing payment:
    • Some hospitals will offer payment forgiveness when submitting an application that demonstrates the financial burden of the medical cost
    • There are payment plans one can set in place to help reduce financial burdens and do not always build interest
    • Co-payments allow for a percent of your visit be covered by you insurance provider or the hospital and a percentage comes out of your pocket
  • Sponsorship: There are some specific illnesses that have non-profit organizations in which they can help with your bills costs for example We Care and Can offers financial support related to healthcare cost to people in need.

*Most of this information was found online at OHP

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How the Human Services Resource Center (HSRC) helped me

The summer of 2018 was a difficult time; I experienced severe food and housing insecurity. I was homeless and had to look through trash bins for cans/bottles to deposit in order to eat.

In July, I met with Miguel Arellano, the Basic Needs Navigator at the HSRC to talk about Emergency Housing. Unfortunately, this resource was unavailable during the summer. However, we brainstormed other solutions and he shared resources regarding housing insecurity with me. I ended up couch surfing at different friends houses. Miguel was very nice and committed to help me through this difficult time. He asked if I was experiencing food insecurity as well and informed me about SNAP benefits (food stamps). Not only did he help me apply for SNAP, which I now receive, but also put some money on my student ID card which allowed me to grab something to eat on campus so I could focus on my classes. All these resources and connections helped me more than words can describe.

I also met with Nicole Hindes, the Assistant Director of the HSRC who welcomed me and shared other resources the HSRC offers. She informed me of the shower students are able to use and set me up with a locker to store my belongings. This helped tremendously as it relieved me from carrying my stuff around and worrying my car would get broken into (as most of my belonging were in my car).

I think it is important for people to know what the Human Services Resource Center does and the resources it offers students experiencing any basic needs insecurities.

This is my story. This is how the HSRC and their staff helped me. They are incredible people! They make THE difference! They care. I will always remember the generous helping hand they offered me.

Submitted Anonymously by an HSRC student

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Cherish your Perishables

Our primary supplier of fresh produce is LBFS. The fresh produced is ordered along with perishable goods. Once the delivery is made the fresh produce is inspected for rotten, squished and moldy produce. Then the quality approved produced is stored in the cooler present in the community kitchen.

HSRC cooler for fresh produce and other perishable items. The cooler is also used to store eggs, margarine and fresh milk. 

Produce for the People is the primary community partner we obtain fresh produce from in addition to the produce received by LBFS.  

Sometimes, HSRC staff goes out to different organizations when they have produce to donate.

The HSRC also has a garden which was built and maintained in partnership with the OSU Center for Civic Engagement. When the garden is in full production, we will harvest produce for pantries from there. When planting produce in the garden we usually conduct a survey with our patrons on what they would like to be planted in the garden.

The HSRC garden

For the Pantries, the produce is laid out in crates and trays almost 30 minutes before the start of the pantry and restocked from the cooler once it is low in quantity by our volunteers and staff members.

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Recipe: Banana Pancakes

As college students we hardly have time to have breakfast. Having something to eat before starting the day keeps our energy up and makes it a little easier to go on with the day! For our cooking class we prepared easy breakfast recipes that you all can try. This recipe was adapted from Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown. We have several copies of the book, you are welcome to come check out the cookbook!

Banana Pancakes:

Serves 4 (Makes 10-15)                                                           

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

4 bananas

2 eggs

1.5 cups of milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter

Syrup for serving

  1. Combine the flour, brown sugar,baking powder,baking soda, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.
  2. In another bowl, mash 2 of the bananas with a fork. Add the eggs,milk and vanilla, and mix well to combine.
  3. Add the dry mixture to the bananas, stirring with a spoon until everything just comes together. Tender pancakes come from not over mixing the batter.
  4. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile slice the 2 remaining bananas.
  5. Turn the griddle to medium heat. Once its hot, melt a small amount of butter, about ½ teaspoon, in the skillet and ladle some pancake batter into the center of the pan.

Cook until it’s browned on both sides, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side.

Serve hot with syrup plus the remaining banana slices.

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Here to help

Navigating college as a first-generation college student can feel like making your way through a maze with no map, filled with “learn as you go” lessons, and “crap, I wish I knew this then.” When you combine that with being low-income, it can feel like you’re navigating the same maze blindfolded, on a tightrope, balancing multiple responsibilities. It should not be like this.

I started OSU in 2008 and graduated with my masters in 2014. Recently, I returned to OSU to serve as the first ever Basic Needs Navigator at the HSRC. My role boils down to connecting students to resources that help ensure basic needs are being met. I also support students as they navigate institutional policies and procedures in search of resources.

At the end of the day, I am most concerned with connecting students to resources (this often means $$$), so they may only worry about studying for midterms, not about how they will eat or pay for rent. Since July, I’ve helped students access over $161,500 dollars in resources. Keep reading to learn how I can help alleviate financial stress.

 Above are some common ways I help students access $$

I know firsthand how difficult it is to navigate college on your own. Of seven siblings, I was the first one to attend college. I have one memory in particular about my transition to OSU, no matter how far removed I am from it, I feel what I felt then by just thinking about it. 10 years ago, I was walking across from where my office is now, Champinefu Lodge, eating cheerios out of the box- it was the only thing I had eaten that day. I had no money to buy anything else. Out of the blue, I began to sob as I stuffed handfuls of Cheerios into my mouth. It was 10pm, dark with no lighting, I assumed no one would see me cry. I had never felt so alone in my life. Not knowing where to go or who to turn to for help, I felt like I had no choice but to get through this experience alone. “Who else would be experiencing this in college?”I thought to myself.  

The reality was that I was not alone in my experience. Of the 970 OSU students who applied to the Food Assistance Application in the Fall of 2018, 54% percent were “very-low food secure” as determined by USDA’s Definition, with 18%  of applicants reporting to have gone an entire day in the past 12 months without eating because of financial concerns. That is 172 students, 42% higher than last year when 117 students reported that!

I was not alone in my experience back then, and you are not alone in your experience today, WE SEE YOU! The HSRC is here to help.

What can I help you with?

Almost anything! I’m kind of like a generalist who is pretty savvy about finding things out and navigating resources. I get paid to navigate, it’s literally in my title! If I do not know the answer to your question, I  know the person who does & I will walk you over to meet them (unless it’s raining. I can’t do wet socks). Here are some common things I can often help with:

      • Access to  food & groceries
      • Unforeseen emergency expense causing barriers to enrollment
      • Tuition refund due to an extenuating circumstance
      • Lost scholarships due to unforeseen circumstances
      • Finding help paying for utility bills
      • Signing up for Oregon Health Plan
      • Grant money!- parent lost a job/financial situation does not reflect that of 2016 tax year?
      • Financial Assistance with a medical bill/emergency
      • Pell/financial aid running out a few terms away from graduation!
      • Hard time making ends meet
      • Feeling like you are a bill away from homelessness
      • Place to stay- homeless or housing insecure
      • Financial stress!

Why should you come see me?

“Miguel came in clutch when I needed help with resolving a hold I had on my account.” – HSRC student fall 2018

I helped 120-ish students access over $161,000 since I started in July. You might be missing out on resources that you would otherwise be receiving. Looking back at my college experience, I identified over $10,000 dollars that I missed out on because of bad advising or not being aware of resources. I will do everything I can to try to make sure that you will leave our meeting with knowledge of at least one new to you resource ($$) that you have access to, if not more.

Don’t take my word for it. Here are what your peers have to say:

I will try my hardest to figure things out together

“I took your advice… and I was awarded a scholarship of $1360 to cover my balances. As of right now, I have been able to sign up for a few of my classes…. I am forever grateful”

“Miguel’s best quality is empathy, he connects with the student in a way that he feels the student’s pain and stress, this leads him to want to fight and resolve the issues!…”

You might leave with a lot more than what you came in for

“Miguel has your back. Not only will he help you with what you’re seeing him about, but if he overhears another concern he will help with that too.”

“…Meet with Miguel about financial aid, food stamps and finding other financial help. He helped me so much!!! I really appreciate him”

Wrap around support in a supportive space

“Going into these types of meeting can be difficult because suddenly you are talking about yourself and the difficulty of your situation, which is hard to talk about in itself…Miguel works with you to meet you in a spot that you leave with a plan or next move and is focused on your overall well-being and your individual needs.”

“Miguel is very understanding and knowledgeable. He’ll ask you questions to get a full understanding of your situation without prying for any personal detail. He’s really pleasant and easy to talk to.”

I am here to support you!

You should not feel alone in your experience. College and academics are hard as it is- financial stress is the wrong kind of rigor many student face. Let me work alongside you to make it a little less stressful by connecting you to resources.

If you would like to find a time to meet or have questions, please email me at miguel.arellanosanchez@oregonstate.edu.

 

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Black Bean Chili with Acorn Squash and toasted pumpkin seeds

 

Serves 6

  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 acorn squash, peeled and diced
  • 2 cans (15-ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 2 cans (14-ounce) fire-roasted tomatoes
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds, for topping

Directions

1.In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add acorn squash and onion. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add black beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste and fire-roasted tomatoes.

2.In a small bowl, combine spices and mix. Add to chili pot.

3.Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4.Top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

 

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Inside the HSRC – Breonna

My major is Liberal Studies, with the theme of Human Rights and Government. Liberal Studies is a program where you can design your own major by creating a plan with 2+ majors in it. I’m currently studying Ethnic Studies, Women Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as Political Science. I bring this up because my major is an intersectional lens on how government systems can affect marginalized communities. The Human Services Resource Center is financially supported through Oregon State University, which is a federally funded institution that works with multiple minority groups, and identities unique to a university like first-generation students. In my major, I learn about textbook definitions of poverty, homelessness, race, gender, sex, sexuality and many other identities. At the Human Services Resource Center, I see these situations actually happen in front of my eyes. They don’t always appear the way classes say they do.

Since working at the HSRC, I’ve noticed that people from all walks of life come in to use the food pantry, the textbook lending program, laundry facilities, or meet with our Basic Needs coordinator. There is no uniform, cookie-cutter description for what food insecurity looks like. My position is the Food Pantry Volunteer Liasion, I work directly with volunteers and train them how to stock the pantry or how to work food pantry days. I work with university organizations to host food drives or bringing in more regular volunteers. I walk clients through the pantry and explain our point system and every time it’s a different experience. I make emergency food boxes for people who come in. The one huge lesson, I’ve really taken away is that struggling materializes in many different ways. It’s not always the people who’d think it is. Often times, especially with college students, food insecurity and houselessness are invisible. It’s sometimes easy to hide that you need help. This has taught me that there is never a wrong time to tell people about the Human Services Resource Center.

P.S. If you’re reading this, November of 2018, we have a surplus of all kinds of squash at Champinefu Lodge. Please come get some free squash.