January 2018 Garden Update

It's been an exceptionally cold and snowy year so far, but the winter has offered stunning beauty and spring is already peeking through.

Our bees are collecting pollen for their new babies as we prepare the beds for lettuce, cabbages, and radishes .

The beautiful spinach planted in October by members of Edenton Street United Methodist Church Missional Community has flourished, despite the snow and 8 degree nights!  We're now harvesting these leafy greens and providing them to patients.

Planting begins this week, but the garden will be bursting before we know it. We’re so excited for this season!

Save the Date:  Spring Garden Launch

Saturday, April 28 |  9:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Alliance Community Garden | 101 Donald Ross Drive

RSVP or inquire to Jesse Crouch, Garden Coordinator:  garden@alliancemedicalministry.org.

Regular Garden Workdays: April - October 2018

Second Saturdays, 9:30 am - 12:00 pm |  Fourth Wednesdays, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Help us provide fresh produce to patients!  Join us for a Garden Workday -- individuals or groups welcomed.  Learn about organic gardening, composting, and the importance of honeybees.  No previous experience required; Garden Coordinator will provide instructions and oversight!

RSVP preferred to Jesse Crouch:  garden@alliancemedicalministry.org.

January 2018 Wellness Update

We're excited for big year for Wellness in 2018.

We’re expanding almost all of our programs and bringing back the Million Step Challenge!

Offerings will include quarterly  Cooking Matters @ Alliance courses, two Seed to Supper courses, a new daytime mat yoga class, evening Zumba class, and our Spring Healthy Harvest CSA.

Already underway with our first Cooking Matters @ Alliance course, we’re blessed yet again with an amazing group of individuals.

So far this course we’ve prepared "Burrito Boats”, ditching the tortilla for a finely baked zucchini. 

This year we will focus our curriculum on offering low-carbohydrate/smaller portion options. Hoping this will give our patients more tools to manage and prevent diabetes.

Zucchini Boats

Yield: 8 “BOATS”  Prep time: 25 min   Cook time: 30 min   Total time: 55 min

Ingredients

• 4 large zucchini
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1 jalapeno (or poblano pepper), cored and diced
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 packet of McCormick Taco seasoning
• 1 cup shredded cheddar/monterrey jack cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Start by greasing a 9 x 13” casserole dish then set aside. Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a metal teaspoon, hollow out the center of each zucchini. Lightly brush the tops with one teaspoon of olive oil then place them skin side down in the casserole dish.
2. Warm the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and the peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Then add the rice, corn, and beans along with the salt and taco seasoning. Stir everything together and continue to cook for about 5 minutes then remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
5. Spoon the filling inside of each zucchini until they are all full. Sprinkle each one with cheese, arrange them in the dish and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
6. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes then serve and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Volunteer Spotlight: Edenton Street United Methodist Church Missional Community

A fantastic group of young families from an Edenton Street UMC Missional Community adopted Alliance Medical Ministry in 2017. Here's a highlight of their service:

• Garden Launch labor prepping our garden for spring planting
• Providing breakfast for staff
• Manning the Wine Wall at the Farm to Table Dinner
• Building boxes for Share the Pie
• Donating glucometers and strips for diabetic patients

They adopted an Alliance family for Christmas, gifting everything from scrubs, toys, clothes, and even a PS4!

From Missional Community leader Becca Edwards: "We have been so blessed by this experience! God is so good. We can't wait for the family to receive these items given with such love."

Welcome New Funder: The Leon Levine Foundation

The Leon Levine Foundation joined Alliance Medical Ministry as a foundation partner this month, making a $30,000 gift to the clinic, supporting healthcare services for the uninsured.
 

The Levine Foundation, started by Leon Levine from Charlotte, North Carolina, strives to improve the human condition by creating permanent, measurable, life-changing impact. 

“The Leon Levine Foundation is very pleased to partner with Alliance Medical Ministry, an organization so closely aligned with the vision of our founder, in supporting access to quality healthcare for low-income working, uninsured adults,” says Tom Lawrence, Executive Director.

Thank you to the Levine Foundation for investing in our mission and programming!

NCAFCC Accreditation News

Alliance Medical Ministry was recognized this month for receiving accreditation through the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.

The NCAFCC’s accreditation program offers organizations the opportunity to strengthen their programs and services by demonstrating their compliance to standards shared by similar organizations. Obtaining NCAFCC Accreditation status illustrates the organization's values and commitment to performance.  

Randy Jordan, CEO of NCAFCC said, “We are extremely proud of the commitment to delivering quality health care to the uninsured of Wake County represented by Alliance Medical Ministry achieving the goal of NCAFCC accreditation.  Congratulations to Executive Director Megg Rader and her talented team!”       

Governor Cooper at Alliance for ACA Enrollment

Governor Roy Cooper and NC Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen spoke at an Affordable Care Act open enrollment event held at Alliance Medical Ministry on December 13th, encouraging uninsured North Carolina residents to enroll for health coverage. The enrollment deadline was December 15th. 

"I want a North Carolina where people are better educated, where they are healthy, where they have more money in their pockets, where they have the opportunity to live more abundant and purposeful lives. That is what I want.” - Governor Roy Cooper

Alliance Executive Director Megg Rader recognized and thanked the navigators, assisters, and outreach workers who work diligently to help individuals across North Carolina get covered with health insurance.  

Volunteer Spotlight: Merz North America

We are finally saying goodbye to summer veggies we look forward to December harvests and January plantings! Spinach and Cabbage plantings are looking great as we tuck the bees in for the Winter! Our volunteers from Merz Raleigh did a fabulous job helping and working in our garden in preparation for winter! 

These awesome volunteers got a lot accomplished:

• Spread five yards of mulch in garden pathways
• Painted six benches and one teepee
• Raked leaves, picked up fallen limbs
• Planted new plants/spruced up prayer garden
• Pruned roses and other bushes around campus

Our volunteers also assembled 75 travel kits! Each kit containing deodorant, toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, shampoo, kleenex, chapstick, and a few more everyday necessities. 

Now that summer is officially over and the first frost has finally hit, we bid farewell to our okra, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. This was not before we had a blast harvesting a bonus 120 pounds of green tomatoes to share with our community. They are great green and fresh and will even ripen up on their own in a couple weeks. This harvest brings us to 2,043 pounds for the year!