Midland County Extension
220 West Ellsworth Street
Midland, MI 48640-5194 /
P: 989-832-6640 F: 989-832-6758
/ E-mail:Web: msue.msu.edu/Midland
April 2006Non-profit organizations receive food safety training
Providing limited-resource families with the food they need is not useful if the food that is provided is not safe and healthy.
Hidden Harvest, a non-profit organization that coordinates food rescue and redistribution to shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, after-school programs and senior centers in the tri-county area asked the Tri-County Food Safety Task Force (of which MSU Extension is a member) to offer a safe food handling training session for the 15 non-profit organizations that receive food in Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties.
Three two-hour sessions were offered at the Hunger Solutions Center in Saginaw. Eighty-five people attended. MSU Extension educator Lisa Treiber was one of the presenters.
Topics include staff health, food transportation, thermometer use, food sources and donations, storing, cleaning, thawing and cooling food and the importance of handwashing.
Participants received handouts and posters that they could post in their food distribution areas. Basic, easy-to-apply standards were offered that could improve and protect the people who serve and receive food. / Participants were asked to complete evaluations after the trainings. Participants said they would be using freezer and refrigerator thermometers, washing their hands more frequently, using a chart to record temperatures of food when it is received and heated or cooled, and dating foods with discard dates and use-by dates, something they had been unclear about prior to the presentation.
Comments from the participants included:
“I will post the signage resources in our kitchen to share with all of our employees. These are all great resources!”
“This was a lot of information presented in a short amount of time in a very easy way to understand. Thanks for making it fun and keeping it interesting!”
“We should have something like this twice a year to remind us of what we should be always doing.”
Following this program the task force presenters were asked to offer the same training for a Saginaw church that had experienced a food borne illness outbreak late last year. More than 30 church leaders attended the session.
Contact: Lisa Treiber MSU Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences
/ Michigan State University Extension helps people improve their lives through an educational process that applies knowledge to critical issues, needs and opportunities. Offices in counties across the state link the research of the land-grant university, MSU, to challenges facingcommunities. Citizens serving on county Extension councils regularly help select focus areas for programming. MSU Extension is funded jointly by county boards of commissioners,the state through Michigan State University and federally through the US Department of Agriculture. /
Collaboration works for youth, communities
One of the greatest strengths the 4-H Youth Development Program brings to Midland County is its ability to work across the spectrum with many public and private organizations. Midland County is blessed with numerous human service organizations and businesses that believe in supporting youth.
Some of the new innovative programs which build upon this networking and collaborations include Shooting Sports at the Freeland Sportsman Club and archery at the Midland County Armory. While most consider 4-H shooting sports an outside, summer activity, 4-H leaders have successfully completed a winter shooting sports learning opportunity.The archery class included over fifty archers shooting at the Midland County Armory. Successful participants received certificates at the conclusion of the program. One of the leaders commented, “I was searching for a long time for a location to have the archers shoot at during the winter months; thank goodness for the cooperation from the Midland County Armory.”
Another similar program had over forty youth during the winter. However, it incorporated BB gun, pellet gun and shotgun. The partnership with the Freeland Sportsman Club made it possible to watch the shooters gain confidence in their shooting ability, concentration, and leadership skills. Awards were presented in May for team participants as well as individual sharp shooting.
In both cases, short evaluations at the end of the programs showed that both programs made a difference in the participants’ lives. Parents in both groups were impressed with the difference it made with their kids, specifically a positive attitude and more concentration during school.
Contact Information: Dave Thomas, MSU Extension 4-H Youth Educator / Local leaders help identify issues for MSU Extension programming
Local leaders representing nearly 20 areas of interest convened to help the Midland County MSU Extension staff identify community issues and programming priorities.
This process was part of a statewide effort that will enable MSU Extension leaders to allocate resources to best meet the needs of Michigan residents and identify research to support those efforts.
The group came up with this list of issues that affect Midland County.
- The need for a diversified economy
- Education and training for new and emerging jobs
- The importance of incorporating green space, access to parks and lakes when deciding land use
- Develop opportunities for Midland residents similar to those in the “big cities”
- Proactive vs. reactive education programs
- Education for parent of teenagers
- Sound research-based information regarding agricultural markets
- Preparing teens for the job market
The Midland County MSU Extension staff will use this information as it prepares educational initiatives to further MSU Extension’s educational mission.
Contact information: Elizabeth Szymanski, Midland County Extension Director
MSU is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity institution, Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Thomas G. Coon, Extension Director, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI 48824