WITH RECORD SUMMER HEAT, KIDS NEED FREE MEALS MORE THAN EVER TO KEEP COOL
82.4 Percent of Eligible Kids in Utah Fail to Get Summer Meals
National Hunger Hotline Seeks to Reach More Children in Need
National Volunteer Matching Website Connects Summer Volunteers and Organizations Across Nation in Fight Against Hunger
Given that humans must burn more calories over the summer to keep cool, record temperatures this summer will further increase the need for free summer meals for low-income children funded by the federal government.
That is why the nonprofit group Hunger Free America is now ramping up its efforts to publicize the USDA National Hunger Hotline – which can be reached at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (for Spanish) – through which callers can locate summer meals sites for kids, food pantries or soup kitchens for families, and/or other government and private meals programs near them.
Even though children need just as much, if not more, nutrition during the summer months, in Utah, only 17.6 percent of kids who receive free and reduced school meals, receive summer meals. Raising awareness about this program is the single greatest barrier to participation. Summer meals are available to all kids 18 and under, and no identification is required.
Hunger Free America also just launched, www.hungervolunteer.org. a state-of-the art volunteer matching portal to make it easier to mobilize the unique talents and skills of each individual volunteer in order to take the biggest bite out of hunger.
Hunger Free America’s CEO Joel Berg said, “Now everyone can get – or give – help. If you’re hungry or at risk of hunger, it can be a daunting task to obtain food and benefits. The hunger hotline can immediately help connect families with food providers in their area. We are starting a national awareness campaign and want to make sure that people who need help can get it quickly and easily. We also want to make sure that all Americans can give back, by volunteering in ways that move beyond soup kitchen work to attack hunger at its root causes. ”
Contact Magen Allen at MAllen@hungerfreeamerica.org to schedule an interview with CEO Joel Berg about the USDA National Hunger Hotline and the USDA National Hunger Clearinghouse.
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Salt Lake City, UT (July 7, 2017) — Libertas Institute has previously proposed legislation—which received unanimous support—that requires the government to furnish data each time it takes a person's property through asset forfeiture. The latest report, compiling data for 2016, was just released by the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.
The report finds, among other things:
A poll of Utah voters conducted last year showed that 86% oppose civil asset forfeiture laws that allow property to be permanently taken from a person who has not been charged with a crime.
In response to the report, director of policy Michael Melendez issued the following statement:
"A fundamental principle of our criminal justice system is that people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That idea is violated when the government can legally steal the property of a person who is supposedly presumed innocent.
"Sadly, police and prosecutors continue to fight efforts to reform this policy, despite strong objections from the public they serve. We commend the Legislature for ignoring this opposition and supporting recent reforms we've proposed, but this report shows that more reform is needed."
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About Libertas Institute
Libertas Institute is a free market think tank in Utah, advancing the cause of liberty in the state by supporting and defending individual liberty, private property rights, and free enterprise. The Institute promotes liberty by generating non-partisan analysis, holding public events, producing literature, and strategically engaging opinion leaders, policy makers, media, and interested Utahns.
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Opens, Friday, July 7, 6 - 9 p.m.
Poetry readings 7 - 8 p.m.
exhibition thru Aug. 26, 2017
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Live Judging Event Captures Excitement of 2017 Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Showdown
The Mississippi Comeback Takes Home Gold in Sixth Annual Wisconsin Cheese Recipe Competition
MADISON, Wis. (June 16, 2017) – In a special first-ever live judging event, classic southern flavors and Wisconsin cheese prevailed in the 2017 Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Showdown. A panel of culinary experts tasted, deliberated and ultimately selected The Mississippi Comeback as the winner of the sixth annual competition. Created by Lorie Roach of Buckatunna, Mississippi, this inventive grilled cheese creation beat out over 1,600 entries from competitors from across all 50 states in the Grilled Cheese Academy’s most competitive showdown yet.
The Mississippi Comeback expertly brings together Wisconsin cheese with classic Southern flavors. Sourdough bread is coated in tangy Comeback sauce – a Mississippi classic made with mayonnaise, chili sauce, lemon juice, mustard and spices. Wisconsin fontina and cheddar cheeses create the perfect combination of sharpness and creamy meltability, accented by bacon and corn confetti, roasted tomatoes and crispy fried okra.
“I thought the Comeback sauce was a unique idea, and I loved the fried okra. It literally tasted like Mississippi sandwiched between two slices of bread,” said Houston Chef Roshni Gurnani, winner of Food Network’s Chopped and contest judge. “Using both Wisconsin fontina and cheddar cheese really brought the sandwich to the next level – the flavors of the cheese stood out among the other ingredients.”
The Silver Award went to the Seoul Food by Susan and Monica Greene of Redondo Beach, California. They combined Wisconsin butterkäse, muenster and aged cheddar cheeses with coffee-spiked bacon jam and kimchi on a telera roll. The Mardi Gras by Shauna Havey of Roy, Utah, took home the Bronze Award. A homemade cheese spread made with Wisconsin mascarpone and mozzarella cheeses blended beautifully with olive salad, mortadella, ham, salami and Wisconsin provolone cheese on a ciabatta roll.
With so many delectable entries, three winners just weren’t enough. Three additional sandwiches – The Elote, The Flying Pig and The Medianoche – were given Judges’ Choice Awards. These competitors will each receive $1,500, a Wisconsin cheese gift basket and be included in the 2017 Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown Book of Champions.
In all, the judges were impressed with the expert use of Wisconsin cheese in each of the finalists’ grilled cheese creations. “If you are going to riff on a classic like grilled cheese then you better start with a good base – Wisconsin cheese is an excellent place to start,” said Trevor Meers, Editorial Director of Midwest Living and contest judge. “I can’t think of a better place to judge a grilled cheese competition than in the heart of Wisconsin.”
The judging panel also included Madison food blogger Alice Choi of Hip Foodie Mom, Milwaukee food and cheese writer Lori Fredrich, Chicago food blogger Kit of The Kittchen, Madison’s Melted Food Truck owner David Rodriguez, and cheese writer and educator Jeanne Carpenter.
Presented by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and Wisconsin cheese, the Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Showdown asked contestants from around the country to create an original recipe for the best grilled Wisconsin cheese sandwich. Contestants were judged based on their recipe’s overall creativity, taste, presentation and use of Wisconsin cheese.
“This annual competition is one of our favorite ways to celebrate America’s passion for the amazing, specialty cheeses of Wisconsin,” said Suzanne Fanning, WMMB Vice President, National Product Communications. “The judges were all blown away by the creative flavor combinations and innovative use of Wisconsin cheese varieties.”
Download a photo of The Mississippi Comeback here. To view all of the winning recipes, including the Judges Choice winners, visit GrilledCheeseAcademy.com. In August, complete recipes for the winning sandwiches will also available for download in the Grilled Cheese Academy's 2017 Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown Book of Champions.
For additional grilled cheese recipe photos or information, contact Rachel Kerr at rkerr@wmmb.org or 608-203-7235. For more information about Wisconsin cheese, visit EatWisconsinCheese.com.
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Bring the world together by hosting a foreign exchange student! World Heritage Student Exchange Program, a public benefit organization, is seeking local host families for high school students from over 30 countries: Spain, Germany, Thailand, Denmark, Portugal, South Korea, Italy, France, The former Soviet Union Countries, Norway and more!
Couples, single parents, and families with & without children in the home are all encouraged to host! You can choose to host a student for a semester or for the school year.
Each World Heritage exchange student is fully insured, brings his/her own personal spending money and expects to contribute to his/her share of household responsibilities, as well as being included in normal family activities and lifestyles.
Imagine the world of peace and greater understanding. Imagine yourself as part of the solution! Today’s teens are tomorrow’s parents, international business people and possibly even future political leaders! Share your corner of America by helping a foreign exchange student experience life in your area!
To become a host family or find out more about World Heritage and the prestigious program, please contact Regional Coordinator Courtney Wade, at (720) 209-1145 or (866)-939-4111, via email at Courtney@World-Heritage.org or visit www.whhosts.com. World Heritage looks forward to welcoming you to the ranks of host families nationwide contributing to world peace and understanding through student exchange programs.
