CULINARY DELIGHT Chef R.J. Corley prepares entrees for Livingston Manor Central School students participating in the A Single Bite program during a healthy foods dining experience at the Arnold House in Shandelee last November. Hunter Krause photo
Program takes Bite out of poor health
Kids learn that good food can taste good
By Demi Budd | Manor Ink
Livingston Manor, NY – In late October of this year, Livingston Manor Central School’s Class of 2024 (the current 8th graders) went on the school’s annual Washington, DC, trip. This has been a running tradition for 8th graders since 2014, and it is by far one of the most memorable trips a Manor student will go on.
In DC, students attended a dinner at Art and Soul restaurant, arranged by Sims Foster, an LMCS graduate and co-founder of the non-profit project, A Single Bite. Executive Chef Douglas Alexander prepared and presented a dinner that reinforced the themes of A Single Bite’s program. The menu had a wide variety of options, including Pork and Gouda Croquette, Octopus Stew, Achiote Rubbed Grilled Amish Chicken Thighs and more.
A Single Bite is intended to educate students about real food and offer them unforgettable food-related experiences. The students vividly recalled the flavors and textures of the dishes, and many discovered that they enjoyed foods they were previously reluctant to try.
A Single Bite is a free, interactive, volunteer-presented program that empowers students to care about the food they eat and where it comes from. This food isn’t processed, filled with dyes or flavored artificially; it is all real, fresh food.
HEALTHY TASTES Sims Foster explains the A Single Bite program to students, introducing them to the idea that food can not only be good for them, but can also be delicious. Photo provided
During classroom presentations, dishes, or “single bites,” are prepared by trained chefs and served to students with only one rule – they must try everything they are given.
Why is such a program needed? Health statistics are more than enough to make the reason clear. Sullivan County is near the bottom of the list of NY State counties when ranked by health, at number 61 out of 62. Nearly 17 percent of Sullivan’s population is living in poverty, and choosing healthy foods can be a struggle, even with increased knowledge about options.
Food that is good for health is often inaccessible to those who most need it because it can be expensive. Even though they know that these foods are healthier, many people won’t buy them because other expenses come first. Some students must rely on the free breakfasts and lunches provided by LMCS to get full meals throughout the day.
A Single Bite hopes to teach young people the importance of choosing the right foods, and how that doesn’t have to be intimidating. It can be enjoyable and fulfilling with the right mindset. Page 7
Page 7 Sims Foster, a resident of Sullivan County, is co-founder of Foster Supply Hospitality. With his wife and partner, Kirsten Harlow Foster, he established the program to address the county’s dismal health rating and the pervasive food insecurity challenges regional families face.
“I was motivated to launch the program in response to Sullivan County’s health crisis,” Mr. Foster said. “Looking at the factors that impact our community’s health, especially that of food insecurity, I knew that was one area where we could help.”
NONPROFIT SNAPSHOT
A Single Bite
Education/health nonprofit
Board members: 2
Contributions: $215,000
Expenses: $200,000
Employees: 1
Volunteers: 12
*Data provided by staff and based on projections for 2020. A Single Bite operates under the 501 (c )(3) status of the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan.
Sims personally introduces the program to students and has committed the resources and talent of his highly trained professional management and culinary team to support A Single Bite. “The goal is to reach every eighth grader in Sullivan County.”
A Single Bite will expand to Roscoe, Downsville and Sullivan West schools in 2020. Trips to farms (with the help of Rolling V Bus Co.) and real food dining experiences are in the works for students taking Global Foods and Food Science courses.
“The program hits the mark as students explore two of the six FACS curriculum modules – Nutrition and Wellness, and Food Systems and Production,” said Mary Ellen Reynolds, Family and Consumer Science educator at LMCS. “Participants experience firsthand that where their food comes from and how it is prepared matters to their health and well-being.” Following an A Single Bite session, she recalled that one student said he didn’t know how food could be so fancy, so delicious, so simple – and yet so good for them.
With these expansions, A Single Bite has formed an advisory committee comprised of students who have experienced the program in previous years and will assist by making recommendations to improve and advocate for the program
A Single Bite is growing, and aims to spark change in Sullivan County, improving on its 61st place ranking. Expect much more to come from A Single Bite.