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February 2022
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
CHCC 2nd Annual Art Contest
CHCC is hosting our 2nd annual Art Contest. The theme this year is: What Makes You Feel Valued and Loved? The art submissions will be on exhibit at Engine in Biddeford during the first two weeks of March. Bring your family and friends to see your artwork in the upstairs studio!
  • Winners will be announced on March 10th at 6:30 at Engine. You do not need to be present to win, but we hope to see as many of you in person as we can. Masks will be required.
  • The community will have the opportunity to vote on the winners online and a ballot box at Engine.
Prizes include a Samsung tablet, wireless headphones, and a Bluetooth speaker that you can clip to your backpack!

For more information visit: www.chccme.org.
We can't wait to see your submissions!
Test Your Child for Lead
Check out the new lead educational videos from CHCC and learn why it is so important to test young children for lead poisoning.

The Maine CDC states that a blood lead test is the only way to know if your child has lead poisoning. Toddlers at ages 1 and 2 are more likely to be poisoned by lead. Young children can get lead dust or lead paint chips into their bodies because they often put their hands, toys, or other things in their mouths. Paint used to contain lead. Paint today does have lead in it, but older homes or apartment buildings often still have lead paint in them. Dust from old paint is the most common way children get lead poisoning.

Effective June 27, 2019, Maine law requires blood lead tests for all children at 1 and 2 years of age.

Psychological First Aid training
Last month the Project Alliance Coalition spoke to Margaret Norbert, LCSW, from Sweetser about bringing Psychological First Aid training to northern York County. This training is an evidence-informed approach that provides the skills for identifying and responding to individuals who have experienced trauma, strategies for connecting individuals to resources, and skills for self-care. Project Alliance is looking for partners who would like to have this training to learn how to not only help others but how to empower yourself.
If you would like to bring this to your community, please reach out to Morgan Bates at mbates3@une.edu or visit our website www.chccme.org to learn more. 
SNAP-Ed Team Update
Our SNAP Educators have been continuing to teach virtually and are finally starting a slow transition back to in person classes!

In recent weeks our team has:
  • Discussed smart snacking and offered banana and yogurt sundaes to pre-k students
  • Taste tested parsnips, sweet potatoes, and carrots with K-3 students
  • Demonstrated how to make whole wheat blueberry pancakes with 5th graders
  • Worked with teens at Biddeford Alternative Pathways and Thornton Academy on shopping and cooking healthfully, reading nutrition labels, and understanding food advertisements
  • Collaborated with adults at GATHER on how to incorporate more foods from MyPlate into their daily diets
February is Marijuana Awareness Month
Maine Good to Know campaign offers a resource to help understand Maine laws around marijuana. Here are a few quick facts:
  • Marijuana is legal in Maine but is illegal at a federal level. 
  • It is is illegal to cross state borders with marijuana products. 
  • Federal lands such as national parks and forests do not allow marijuana products on the premises. 
CHCC urges everyone to store their marijuana products in a locked cabinet and out of reach from children and pets to avoid marijuana poisoning.
SNAP-Ed is going GREEN for March
Add some more GREEN into your diet this month!
Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition
207-602-3551
Tcote3@une.edu
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