The nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables hardly need explaining. While the stock of protein, carbs, and fat seems to rise and fall at random, the value of fruits and veggies never wavers. These health staples, though, can put a dent in your wallet if you’re not making the right choices at the market. One way to feed your family healthy and delicious produce on the cheap is to eat seasonally. Not only will this save you money, but you will also vary your diet, support local farms, and put the freshest foods on your table. Ever wonder why tomatoes cost so much more in December than in July? The answer is simple: shipping distance. The less a tomato needs to travel to make it to your plate, the less it will cost. Transporting produce long distances is expensive because it needs to be protected and temperature- controlled. Eating seasonally means you’ll save a ton on fruits and veggies. Even better is to cut out the middleman entirely and buy directly from a supplier. In his exceptional cookbook, “Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables,” Joshua McFadden writes, “The best way to eat with the seasons is to frequent and support local farms, markets, and grocery stores that are doing good things.” Farmers markets have exploded in number and popularity recently, and the USDA website (ams. usda.gov) has a directory of markets that you can search for by ZIP code. Learning what’s in season at a given time might seem like a daunting task, but there are plenty of tools to help you. Again, the farmers market is your friend here. You can ask what’s in peak season now and what to look forward to in the coming weeks. Apps like Farmstand will also let you know the freshest crops in your area and alert you to deals on produce. Even if you opt for a grocery store rather than farmers market, you can still save by eating seasonally. You’ll be shocked how much you save by buying what’s on sale. And guess which items are usually on sale? The ones that are in- season and abundant. Getting the nutritional benefits and great taste of fresh produce doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Eat seasonally and locally, and the savings will pile up. FRESHER, CHEAPER, TASTIER
There are many wonderful charity groups in the Pensacola area, but few are able to put as many people to work as The Arc Gateway. The organization provides 450 people with jobs, 250 of which are those with disabilities. That makes The Arc not only a finder of work for people with disabilities, but a provider. The Arc Gateway is one of 39 Arc locations in the state and 750 locations nationwide of the Arc charity organization. They aim to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through training, education, and work programs. Missy Rogers, the current CEO of The Arc Gateway, says you’d be hard-pressed to find work more rewarding than helping the disabled. “I love seeing successes in individuals we serve,” she says. “Sometimes those successes are small in scope, such as someone learning to brush their teeth properly, getting a job at McDonald’s, or a disabled child taking their first steps. But it means the world to those individuals.” Missy relocated to Gulf Breeze in 2014 to take the position as CEO after working as the chief operating officer at the Fort Walton Beach Arc. She has devoted her the last 20 years of her life to the disability work since it “fell into her lap” 20 years ago. “Since then, I’ve never looked in another direction,” she says. Beneficiaries of The Arc Gateway participate in several programs, including education and development programs and employment training. They are put to work in The Arc’s plant nursery, secure document shredding facility, gift shop, and more. Missy says one of the best ways to support The Arc Gateway is by using these services. Other ways to help include volunteering for events, helping at gift shops, and by donating through their website, arc-gateway.org. Florida’s Arc locations operate with a severe handicap, as the Sunshine State ranks second-to-last nationwide in funding for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. My Pink Lawyer® encourages you to support local charities like The Arc Gateway with your time, financial support, and however else you can! CHARITY SPOTLIGHT: THE ARC GATEWAY
2 www.MyPinkLawyer.com
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