The Abbey Group

Employee LoginCareers

Back to All Stories ›

We made the news! Raising Money to Solve Summer Hunger

The Abbey Group has been working along side Hunger Free Vermont for years with the same mission: to get every child in the state continuous access to healthy foods. To help fortify this mission, we have started our own hunger awareness campaign coupled with fundraisers to help support Hunger Free do what they do best.

We  hosted our first FREE BBQ fundraiser in St. Albans  last week and it was a huge success, nearly 500 people from around the county come out to support the cause and together raised over $1,000 for Hunger Free Vermont.

Hunger Free Vermont is an organization dedicated to educating and advocating against the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for Vermonters. They are actively involved in public schools around the state, dedicated to providing nutrition education and expanding access to nutrition programs that nourish Vermont’s children.

For the full article from the St. Albans Messenger click here ->Solving summer hunger 2014

 

Read more ›

Swanton on track to become only gold standard ranked school in Vermont for Healthy US School Challenge

Abbey Group team member,  Tina Bushey, and the NEI (Nutrition Education Institute) committee at Swanton School have worked extremely hard to develop and adhere to the rigorous nutrition and health guidelines needed to meet the criteria to achieve the gold standard for the Healthy US School Challenge. To put this into perspective, currently there is no other school in the state that has this distinction.

The HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) establishes rigorous criteria for schools’ food quality, participation in meal programs, physical activity opportunities and nutrition education–the key components that make for healthy and active kids. This program is designed to bring promotion and support of good nutrition and physical activity from the entire school and greater community. All aspects of the school and cafeteria staffs are included in these efforts.

This nationwide award program, created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2004, recognizes schools that create healthier school environments through their promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Schools that are doing the very best work to keep kids healthy are recognized, and high-achieving schools even receive monetary incentives (information provided by the USDA website).

Tina Bushey, and the NEI (Nutrition Education Institute) committee at Swanton School  were a big part of creating a brand new resource publication about school wellness. Make sure to click the link below to read this amazing guide.

 

http://education.vermont.gov/documents/EDU-School_Nutrition_Serving_Up_School_Culture.pdf

Read more ›

The Abbey Group Made the News! What would you do if your Mom told you to cook the Thanksgiving turkey? – The Milton Independent

Please check out the the latest Milton Independent for a few laughs with some kindergartners at Georgia Elementary when they answer “What would you do if your Mom told you to cook the Thanksgiving turkey? Our own Scott Choiniere makes the article posing with Georgia’s Thanksgiving turkey. The Abbey Group served over 17,000 Thanksgiving meals, 600 alone at Georgia.

 

What would you do if your Mom told you to cook the Thanksgiving turkey?

An employee of the Abbey Group slices turkey breast in advance of Georgia Elementary and Middle School's annual holiday luncheon for families last week. The food service provider prepares a turkey dinner for about 600 people, Food Service Director Scott Choiniere said. (Photo courtesy of Scott Choiniere)

An employee of the Abbey Group slices turkey breast in advance of Georgia Elementary and Middle School’s annual holiday luncheon for families last week. The food service provider prepares a turkey dinner for about 600 people, Food Service Director Scott Choiniere said. (Photo courtesy of Scott Choiniere)

Answers by kindergarteners in Sue Tougas’ class at Georgia Elementary and Middle School

First I would shoot the turkey. Then I would cook the turkey for 220 minutes at 10 hundred degrees. – Ryan

I would go to the market to get the turkey. I would bake it in the oven with gravy on it for 30 minutes at 32 degrees. – Alex

I would take Mom’s car and go to Price Chopper and look for a 10 pound turkey. I would cut the little bag open and take the turkey out of the bag. I would put it in the stove for 30 minutes at 10 degrees. – Oliver

I would go to Costco and buy a big turkey, the biggest one. I would put it in the refrigerator. I would cook it for one minute in the microwave. I would also cook potatoes and corn in the microwave. – Kaitlyn

I would go into the woods and hunt for a turkey. I would shoot it with my bow and arrow. I would take it home and put it in the oven for 6 hours at 52 degrees. – Emmett

I would go to the freezer and get a turkey. I would cook it in a pot for 10 minutes. I would share it with my family. – Brandan

I would take the turkey out of the bottom of the cupboard. I would put in the big white rectangle pot. I would cook it for 15 hours at 81 degrees. – Kylie

I would go to Price Chopper and find a medium sized turkey. I would cook it in the microwave for 4 minutes.  – Gabby

I would go to the woods and catch a turkey with a net. I would bake it in the oven for 8 minutes at just a little hot. – Leah

I would take my bow and arrow into the woods and walk a long, long, long way. I would shoot the turkey by bringing the bow way back to kill it. I would rip the feathers off and cut it in half and cut the skin off. I would cook the turkey on the grill for 5 minutes. I would eat Chinese chicken with it. – Cody

I would go out into the woods and shoot a turkey.  I would take it home in my truck. I would get all the blood out of it with a little scooper. I would cook it in the stove for 20 minutes at medium hot. I would take it out when it was done and share with my family. – Joe

I would go out into the woods and shoot the biggest turkey. I will put it in the oven for fifty one hundred hours at 100 degrees. I would also cook an apple pie with the turkey. – Ben

I would go in the woods and shoot a turkey. I would take it home and give it to Daddy to cook in the crock pot. I would make and orange pie to go with it. – Connor

I would go to the turkey store and get a regular turkey. I would put it in the oven at 100 degrees for one day. I would cook pizza and cupcakes with the turkey in the oven. – Samantha

Read more ›

The Abbey Group Made the News! Vermont Expands Free, Reduced-Price School Lunch Program

WCAX stopped by one of our accounts, the Barre Town School,  to talk about new changes to the Free and Reduced lunch program here in Vermont! See below for the full story.

Vermont expands free, reduced-price school lunch program

Posted: Sep 03, 2013 8:47 AM EDTUpdated: Sep 05, 2013 5:00 PM EDT

By Alexei Rubenstein – bio | email

BARRE, Vt. -Hot dogs are on the menu at Barre Town Elementary School. And with a new state law taking effect this school year, there’s enough to go around.”And now this sweet deal for families who qualify for reduced-priced lunches,” said Tim Crowley, the principal at Barre Town Elementary School.Gov. Peter Shumlin, flanked by educators and nutrition advocates, announced the implementation of a law that will now provide free lunches for all income-eligible students. While free breakfasts have been around a few years, reduced-priced 40-cent lunches have been the norm, even for families meeting federal poverty guidelines.

“I hope that this is a model for other states to be looking at,” Vt. Education Secretary Armando Vilaseca said. “The population of children that are struggling, particularly during these tough economic times– and as we push and push our children in our schools to do more, one of the things that we can do is to provide them with these simple opportunities to be full and not to worry about being hungry.”

The state is paying for the program with $400,000 from the general fund.

Crowley says the effort should be viewed as part of a multipronged effort to boost achievement.

“To make sure that our students meet academic standards, particularly those students who only coincidentally also qualify for free and reduced-priced meals,” he said.

“Common sense tells you that kids can’t learn when they’re hungry and to split hairs between free and reduced lunch population– to me, isn’t worth it,” said Brian Ricca, the superintendent of schools in Montpelier.

Across the state, some 40 percent of Vermont students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Officials estimate the new program will be taken advantage of by upward of 6,000.

“The meal system does not identify anyone differently, so whether they’re paying full price or whether they’re getting free meals– it’s completely anonymous,” said Nina Hansen, the director of food service at Barre Town.

For hungry Vermont school kids– a new exception to the rule that there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Read more ›