mom and child
mom and child

Jasmine’s Story

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Jasmine’s Story

Jasmine Delgado, 20, first became homeless at age 9 when she spent five months at a shelter in Connecticut with her mother. In 2013, Jasmine moved in with her father when her mother left for Lowell. When her father told her he needed to find somewhere else to stay because he could no longer pay rent, Jasmine called her mother. Jasmine and her three year-old daughter, Jenadie, moved to Lowell last February to stay with her mother in a single room. This single mother had just returned to Massachusetts from Connecticut, determined to create a better life for herself and her daughter.

Jasmine managed to get her GED on August 3, 2017 and earned the Student of the Year Award upon graduation. She discovered Community Teamwork’s YouthBuild Program and soon became part of a new emerging Culinary Training program. Through this program, Jasmine has helped to grow Community Teamwork’s Farmers’ Market and has become a tremendous resource to the culinary instructor. Jasmine’s leadership and professional skills have grown tremendously. She has become an invaluable part of the culinary program. Jasmine helps to bridge the gap between the instructor and the students in the program. As our culinary intern, she has supported other students through tutoring, encouraging their participation, and as a role model for professional growth. She received her OSHA 10, NCCER, SERVSAFE and allergen training and
is now a part of the ACF (Accredited Culinary Federation) curriculum and will be receiving an accredited certificate for culinary. She is currently working as an intern with Two Chefs Catering and will be starting another internship with Cobblestones Restaurant in the near future. In addition, Jasmine was chosen the 2018 YouthBuild AmeriCorps Spirit of Service Member of the Year.

Though she has overcome many obstacles from a young age, Jasmine was afraid that she could once again find herself in a shelter. “I’m scared because they tell me I can be placed anywhere in Massachusetts,” she said. “That’s the thing that worries me because my daughter has been going to the same school for a year and I want her to stay at the same school and I don’t want to change things. I want her to have that stability.”

With the help of Community Teamwork, Jasmine was able to get her first apartment this past July and was thrilled to celebrate her daughter’s 4th birthday in their very own home! With first-hand knowledge of being homeless and living in a shelter, she took part in panels with other homeless youth during a Youth Homelessness Summit hosted by Community Teamwork this past June. The day-long event was part of CTI’s new concerted effort to tackle this issue.

Jasmine has had her daughter enrolled at the Parker Avenue site since June of 2017. While attending the program, Jasmine has
been able to receive transportation services through the school. Jasmine’s daughter was enrolled at the Parker Avenue site because of their transportation needs and where they were living at the time. When the family moved in to their own apartment in June, Jasmine was able to transfer her daughter to a new center while also keeping her transportation. This was very important to Jasmine as she has no other means of transportation. Now at the Houlares Center, Jasmine’s daughter is transported to and from school. With her daughter being at school every day, Jasmine is able to continue her work in both of her internships.

Jasmine exemplifies the ideals of hard work, perseverance, commitment and follow through. She has learned the personal benefit of these qualities and has adopted them into the very fabric of her life. Jasmine stands out as a leader and role model among her peers but it is her strength and her positive spirit that shine through.

earth day
earth day

Celebrate Earth Day Today and Everyday

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April 22nd is Earth Day! Below is a list of all sorts of things you can do to make a difference on the planet, in your own lives, and for your loved ones.

Eat local
–  Commercially grown produce travels far distances equaling lots of fuel burned and fewer nutrients for you.
–  Grow your own produce when possible.
–  Shop local farmers markets. Lowell’s will open this summer at the Lucy Larcom Park.  See this listing of those in surrounding towns.

Go organic
–  Non organic produce is grown using pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, ect. Organic animals do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.
–  Remember: non organic produce is always better than no produce! Check out this list of organic foods to try.

Be a chef
–  When you cook your own meals and eat at home you are reducing consumption of packaging and plastic cutlery. Try a new recipe.

Try to eat less meat
–  Eating more plant based food is good for the environment, healthy for you and cheaper!
–  Start by going meatless on Mondays.

Re-useable water bottles
–  Oil is required to make bottled water and we barely recycle them leading to clogging of landfills.
–  Carry a reusable bottle and refill it.

Enjoy nature
–  Pass up the drive thru and plan a picnic, turn off the TV and go for a family hike, skip the coffee date and go for walk together.

Rebecca Foulkes, BS, CLC
Program Nutritionist
Lowell WIC Program
Community Teamwork
rfoulkes@comteam.org
978-654-4931

eating right
eating right

Challenge Yourself and Better Your Health

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NNM

March is National Nutrition Month. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics wants you to “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right” this month by exploring some new foods and flavors that will wake up your taste buds – you have 10,000 of them!

Start with a small goal. When you write your weekly grocery list, make a point to try one new fruit, vegetable, whole grain or protein that week. Or one that you have not tried in years. This could be as simple as trying a new type of apple, eating broccoli raw instead of cooked, or brown rice instead of white rice. As you feel more comfortable trying new foods you can add new spices or flavorings.

You won’t love everything you try and that’s okay. Some foods you may like a little and want to experiment with more or you might find a new food that becomes a regular on your grocery list.

To help you with this new adventure, try these websites for ideas on preparing whole grains and healthy ways to cook fruits and vegetables.

 Related Events:

Join WIC on March 8th at the Stoklosa Middle School 11:15-12:30 to learn about shopping on a budget. This event is part of Lowell Womens Week. Please register for this event by contacting Gladys at 978-654-5673 or email gsantiago@commteam.org. Check out the Womens week website for all the other great events happening locally! And regularly check the WIC page this month for more activities.

WIC banner x
WIC banner x

WIC’s Incredible 40 Year Legacy – Millions of Healthier Families

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WIC banner x xWIC’s 40th anniversary theme is Strengthening Families for 40 Years.  In partnerhsip with the National WIC Association, Community Teamwork’s WIC staff are promoting and highlighting WIC’s four pillars of health and nutrtion:

  • Healthy Food
  • Nutrition Education
  • Breastfeeding Support
  • Healthcare Referrals

WIC empowers mothers and expectant mothers to be confident caregivers to their children by providing nutrition and health education and free and healthy food . Here are just some of the ways WIC has given back to to families, communities and the country in the past year:

 WIC Fast Facts

  •  90% of infants in WIC received iron-fortified formula
  •  76% of WIC mothers in Massachusetts initiated breastfeeding.
  •  53% of infants born in the U.S. are served by WIC.
  •  52% of pregnant women enroll in WIC during their first trimester of pregnancy.

 Benefits to Your Children

  • Children enrolled in WIC have a regular source of medical care and receive up-to-date immunizations.
  • WIC improves the growth of nutritionally at-risk infants and children, by providing them with a  higher intake of iron, Vitamin C, thiamin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
  • Children who receive WIC benefits demonstrate an improved intellectual development with high vocabulary scores for children of mothers who participated in WIC prenatally.

For more information, visit our WIC program at how-we-help/family-children/wic/.  Also, please visit:

https://www.nwica.org/

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/consumer/basic-needs/food/wic/

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/consumer/basic-needs/food/wic/participants/wic-campaigns.html

 

 

american heart month
american heart month

Feel the Love – Take Care of Your Heart

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heart monthThe staff of Community Teamwork’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition program have a special message of love for you.

February, the month of love, chocolate, roses, teddy bears, and fancy dinners is upon us. Yes, this is a great distraction from our very busy, hectic lives which we all need sometimes. However, what we need now more than ever is a healthy heart. Eating up all of those caramel and peanut butter filled chococlate hearts will not get you there. February is National Heart Health Month! So you wonder, how can we keep our heart in great shape so that our lives are longer and more fulfilling. There are many ways. So look in to your heart and think about what you eat, how often you exercise, and what you are putting in to your body. Your choices may be doing more damage than you realize.

Be more mindful of the food choices you make. Food can be medicine. Get back to the basics and eat real food- the foods we were meant to eat and digest. Eat less prepackaged and processed foods like frozen meals, hot dogs, deli meats and fast foods, and sugary drinks and snacks. Eat more fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and WHOLE grains.

Exercise regularly. Exercise can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, reduce cancer and diabetes risk, build healthy bones, muscles and joints. All of which can lower your risk for heart disease.

Don’t smoke. Smoking greatly increases your risk, as well as those who ingest your smoke, for heart disease. When you smoke you are inhaling toxic metals, cancer causing chemicals and poisonous gases.

Keep your heart in the best shape you can so that you can give your loved ones many more special Valentines days to come.