Imagine a dream job that entails traveling around Pennsylvania -- eating ice cream – and getting paid for it.

It will become a reality for someone.

The American Dairy Association North East is looking to identify their first ever honorary "Chief Ice Cream Officer" to visit creameries and dairy farms throughout Pennsylvania in July – National Ice Cream Month. The person selected will vlog about their experiences, document their journey and create content for social media. And they’ll earn $5,000 for their efforts.

To talk about the Ice Cream Roads Trip on The Spark Wednesday was Patrick Carney, Vice President, Marketing and Digital Strategy with the American Dairy Association North East,"It's the greatest job I've ever heard of, right? I get to go around Pennsylvania, eat ice cream for just a couple of weeks, make $5,000. And we've had so many people already applying. I think the person that we will ultimately bring on board is going to have a mixture of creativity, originality, and of course, a love of ice cream and adventure, because going all around Pennsylvania and getting to go on actual dairy farms all over the state is going to be a lot of fun. And we want somebody who's really enthusiastic about dairy and really loves ice cream."

Carney indicated about 20 dairy farms and creameries are being identified throughout the state.

He said the Chief Ice Cream Officer would have choices as to what they like and what flavors to sample,"We want them to have fun so they'll pick whatever they want to do, whatever flavor that suits them. What's really cool is that there are so many great dairy farms in Pennsylvania that have these creameries, and a lot of them have fun, unique flavors that are unique to their farm and their creamery, and not always the flavors that we enjoy from the grocery store or our local ice cream parlor. So really getting a taste of the local ice cream is going to be great. Whether they want to try samples of a lot of flavors stick to one flavor at each farm. We're going to let them choose and really just talk about the experience."



Apply to become Chief Ice Cream Officer here.

Imagine a dream job that entails traveling around Pennsylvania -- eating ice cream – and getting paid for it.
It will become a reality for someone.
<a href="https://www.americandairy.com/">The American Dairy Association North East</a> is looking to identify their first ever honorary "Chief Ice Cream Officer" to visit creameries and dairy farms throughout Pennsylvania in July – National Ice Cream Month. The person selected will vlog about their experiences, document their journey and create content for social media. And they’ll earn $5,000 for their efforts.
To talk about the Ice Cream Roads Trip on The Spark Wednesday was Patrick Carney, Vice President, Marketing and Digital Strategy with the American Dairy Association North East,"It's the greatest job I've ever heard of, right? I get to go around Pennsylvania, eat ice cream for just a couple of weeks, make $5,000. And we've had so many people already applying. I think the person that we will ultimately bring on board is going to have a mixture of creativity, originality, and of course, a love of ice cream and adventure, because going all around Pennsylvania and getting to go on actual dairy farms all over the state is going to be a lot of fun. And we want somebody who's really enthusiastic about dairy and really loves ice cream."
Carney indicated about 20 dairy farms and creameries are being identified throughout the state.
He said the Chief Ice Cream Officer would have choices as to what they like and what flavors to sample,"We want them to have fun so they'll pick whatever they want to do, whatever flavor that suits them. What's really cool is that there are so many great dairy farms in Pennsylvania that have these creameries, and a lot of them have fun, unique flavors that are unique to their farm and their creamery, and not always the flavors that we enjoy from the grocery store or our local ice cream parlor. So really getting a taste of the local ice cream is going to be great. Whether they want to try samples of a lot of flavors stick to one flavor at each farm. We're going to let them choose and really just talk about the experience."
 
Apply to become Chief Ice Cream Officer <a href="https://www.americandairy.com/chief-ice-cream-officer/">here</a>.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

How would you like to eat ice cream across Pennsylvania and get paid for it?

UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, has been honored for its outstanding efforts in supporting Black maternal health by U.S. News & World Report. Notably, it is the sole hospital in Pennsylvania to receive this prestigious recognition, underscoring its commitment to health equity and positive birthing experiences for vulnerable populations, particularly pregnant people of color. This recognition stems from the U.S. News' comprehensive analysis of high-performing maternity care hospitals across the United States. In December 2023, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital was highlighted among a select group of 26 hospitals nationwide for achieving exceptional outcomes in cesarean sections and unexpected newborn complications among Black patients.

On The Spark we spoke with Dr. Sharee Livingston of UPMC who stated that, at the core of UPMC Magee-Womens' success is its holistic approach involving providers, nurses, hospital staff, and community members. She states that together, they strive to address and mitigate health disparities, ensuring that every patient receives equitable and high-quality care. This collaborative effort is particularly evident in their innovative use of doulas, which has been a major focus over the past few years.

Additionally, the Birth Circle Doulas of Magee program is a cornerstone of this initiative. It offers individualized doula support at no cost to at-risk women who face significant disadvantages due to adverse social determinants of health during pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. These services include both face-to-face and remote (telehealth) support, ensuring comprehensive care regardless of the patient's circumstances. The utilization of doulas is well-documented to improve clinical outcomes for both the birthing person and the baby. At UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, doulas provide crucial emotional, physical, and informational support, helping to create a more positive and empowering birthing experience. This support is particularly beneficial for underserved women, who often face higher risks of complications and less access to quality maternal care.

The hospital's recognition by U.S. News & World Report not only highlights its exemplary performance but also brings attention to the broader issue of maternal health disparities. By prioritizing health equity and pioneering effective programs like the Birth Circle Doulas of Magee, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital sets a benchmark for other institutions to follow. In a healthcare landscape where maternal mortality rates remain unacceptably high for Black women, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital's dedication to improving maternal health outcomes is both commendable and essential. This recognition serves as a testament to the hospital's unwavering commitment to providing equitable and excellent care for all mothers.

UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, has been honored for its outstanding efforts in supporting Black maternal health by U.S. News &amp; World Report. Notably, it is the sole hospital in Pennsylvania to receive this prestigious recognition, underscoring its commitment to health equity and positive birthing experiences for vulnerable populations, particularly pregnant people of color. This recognition stems from the U.S. News' comprehensive analysis of high-performing maternity care hospitals across the United States. In December 2023, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital was highlighted among a select group of 26 hospitals nationwide for achieving exceptional outcomes in cesarean sections and unexpected newborn complications among Black patients.
On The Spark we spoke with Dr. Sharee Livingston of UPMC who stated that, at the core of UPMC Magee-Womens' success is its holistic approach involving providers, nurses, hospital staff, and community members. She states that together, they strive to address and mitigate health disparities, ensuring that every patient receives equitable and high-quality care. This collaborative effort is particularly evident in their innovative use of doulas, which has been a major focus over the past few years.
Additionally, the Birth Circle Doulas of Magee program is a cornerstone of this initiative. It offers individualized doula support at no cost to at-risk women who face significant disadvantages due to adverse social determinants of health during pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. These services include both face-to-face and remote (telehealth) support, ensuring comprehensive care regardless of the patient's circumstances. The utilization of doulas is well-documented to improve clinical outcomes for both the birthing person and the baby. At UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, doulas provide crucial emotional, physical, and informational support, helping to create a more positive and empowering birthing experience. This support is particularly beneficial for underserved women, who often face higher risks of complications and less access to quality maternal care.
The hospital's recognition by U.S. News &amp; World Report not only highlights its exemplary performance but also brings attention to the broader issue of maternal health disparities. By prioritizing health equity and pioneering effective programs like the Birth Circle Doulas of Magee, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital sets a benchmark for other institutions to follow. In a healthcare landscape where maternal mortality rates remain unacceptably high for Black women, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital's dedication to improving maternal health outcomes is both commendable and essential. This recognition serves as a testament to the hospital's unwavering commitment to providing equitable and excellent care for all mothers.

UPMC Magee-Women's Hospital Earns Recognition for Advancing Black Maternal Health

Some 1.7 million Pennsylvania are food insecure. Many areas of the state are considered food deserts – meaning grocery stores aren’t close by or there isn’t access to healthy food.

This is an issue we’ve talked about many times over the years on The Spark, because it continues to exist and if anything, the problem has gotten worse between the COVID pandemic and rising prices on food.

Access to healthy food can be an event bigger challenge. With that in mind, Penn State Health is partnering with more than one hundred organizations with a unique approach to providing healthy food to those in need.

With us on The Spark Tuesday were Ashley Visco, Community Health Director at Penn State Health and Zachary Zook, Senior Policy Research Manager at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

Zook indicated there are more people who are food insecure than just a few years ago,"Relative to 2021 and the most recent data that we have available, nationally and in Pennsylvania is in 2022 -- food insecurity increased by more than 25%. So it now affects 12.8% of people nationally. And so that is a major jump from one year to the next. That's also the highest level of food insecurity that we have seen since 2014, since just getting out of the Great Recession. And I'll note that very low food security in particular jumped by 34%. From 3.8% to 5.1% nationally. And so 1 in 20 households in the U.S. experience is very low food security, which is extremely high."

Visco talked about what makes the Penn State Health program unique,"Food insecurity is very nuanced. It's not just individuals who live in food deserts. We often think of food deserts as where the individuals who are food insecure live. But there's food deserts across all of Pennsylvania, regardless of where you live. So we try to have programing that meets the different needs of different types of people. So for instance, we have community gardens that we work closely with. So we partner with with community organizations. And we either help them build or we enhance community gardens that may be already exist as just one avenue. But what we try to do when we build these partnerships, as we don't try to just have, like a food access point, right? It's not like, here's a food access point. There's nothing else that exists there. What we try to do is really layer on services. So one of our best examples is we've partnered with in Lebanon County. We partnered with the Chestnut Street Community Center inside the Chestnut Street Community Center. There's a homeless shelter, there's IU 13, there is a an elementary school directly across the street. We have a community fridge located there, which means anyone can come and get produce as available, but also individuals can have community when they come to the garden, or they can walk down the street, they can grab a cucumber and they can chomp on it and they can walk back down the street. So we really feel like our strength is in our nuance of programing is where we go directly to the community partners and we say what do you need? What is most beneficial in your community? And we work with them to hopefully develop that."

Some 1.7 million Pennsylvania are food insecure. Many areas of the state are considered food deserts – meaning grocery stores aren’t close by or there isn’t access to healthy food.
This is an issue we’ve talked about many times over the years on The Spark, because it continues to exist and if anything, the problem has gotten worse between the COVID pandemic and rising prices on food.
Access to healthy food can be an event bigger challenge. With that in mind, <a href="https://pennstatehealthnews.org/2023/07/a-seat-at-the-table-pantries-and-wellness-support-program-help-families-find-care/">Penn State Health is partnering with more than one hundred organizations with a unique approach to providing healthy food to those in need.</a>
With us on The Spark Tuesday were Ashley Visco, Community Health Director at<a href="https://www.pennstatehealth.org/"> Penn State Health </a>and Zachary Zook, Senior Policy Research Manager at the <a href="https://www.centralpafoodbank.org/">Central Pennsylvania Food Bank</a>.
Zook indicated there are more people who are food insecure than just a few years ago,"Relative to 2021 and the most recent data that we have available, nationally and in Pennsylvania is in 2022 -- food insecurity increased by more than 25%. So it now affects 12.8% of people nationally. And so that is a major jump from one year to the next. That's also the highest level of food insecurity that we have seen since 2014, since just getting out of the Great Recession. And I'll note that very low food security in particular jumped by 34%. From 3.8% to 5.1% nationally. And so 1 in 20 households in the U.S. experience is very low food security, which is extremely high."
Visco talked about what makes the Penn State Health program unique,"Food insecurity is very nuanced. It's not just individuals who live in food deserts. We often think of food deserts as where the individuals who are food insecure live. But there's food deserts across all of Pennsylvania, regardless of where you live. So we try to have programing that meets the different needs of different types of people. So for instance, we have community gardens that we work closely with. So we partner with with community organizations. And we either help them build or we enhance community gardens that may be already exist as just one avenue. But what we try to do when we build these partnerships, as we don't try to just have, like a food access point, right? It's not like, here's a food access point. There's nothing else that exists there. What we try to do is really layer on services. So one of our best examples is we've partnered with in Lebanon County. We partnered with the Chestnut Street Community Center inside the Chestnut Street Community Center. There's a homeless shelter, there's IU 13, there is a an elementary school directly across the street. We have a community fridge located there, which means anyone can come and get produce as available, but also individuals can have community when they come to the garden, or they can walk down the street, they can grab a cucumber and they can chomp on it and they can walk back down the street. So we really feel like our strength is in our nuance of programing is where we go directly to the community partners and we say what do you need? What is most beneficial in your community? And we work with them to hopefully develop that."

Penn State Health takes on food insecurity

When motorists stop to buy gasoline for their vehicles, it’s almost always at a business that doubles as a convenience store, whose main sales priority is often their food menus. And the driver is almost always pumping their own gas.

It didn’t used to be that way. Service stations were just that – the place to go to have an attendant pump gas, check the oil in a car, clean the windshield and doubled as the garage where a mechanic repaired or maintained cars.

A new book remembers a time when gas stations were often the center of activity in a town and the attendants became familiar and friends.

The Lost Service Stations of Central Pennsylvania is co-authored by Jimmy Rosen, who was with us on The SparkMonday, who talked about the nostalgia for gas stations,"back in the early days of full service, it was the focal point of neighborhoods. You, you you knew your mechanic, you knew your local service station, you trusted them, and you hung out there. Guys hung out there with their cars. They fixed their cars. And then a lot of times, girls hung out there to see the guys with their cars. And it was just a time mom and pop places like a lot of things, they've all but disappeared. And it's rare to find an independent, fueling station to service station at all."

Published as by Arcadia Publishing as part of their images of America series, the book is full of photographs of old service stations in Central Pennsylvania.

When motorists stop to buy gasoline for their vehicles, it’s almost always at a business that doubles as a convenience store, whose main sales priority is often their food menus. And the driver is almost always pumping their own gas.
It didn’t used to be that way. Service stations were just that – the place to go to have an attendant pump gas, check the oil in a car, clean the windshield and doubled as the garage where a mechanic repaired or maintained cars.
A new book remembers a time when gas stations were often the center of activity in a town and the attendants became familiar and friends.
The <a href="https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/collections/images-of-america/products/9781467161220">Lost Service Stations of Central Pennsylvania</a> is co-authored by Jimmy Rosen, who was with us on The Spark Monday, who talked about the nostalgia for gas stations,"back in the early days of full service, it was the focal point of neighborhoods. You, you you knew your mechanic, you knew your local service station, you trusted them, and you hung out there. Guys hung out there with their cars. They fixed their cars. And then a lot of times, girls hung out there to see the guys with their cars. And it was just a time mom and pop places like a lot of things, they've all but disappeared. And it's rare to find an independent, fueling station to service station at all."
Published as by Arcadia Publishing as part of their images of America series, the book is full of photographs of old service stations in Central Pennsylvania.

How would you like to eat ice cream across Pennsylvania and get paid for it?

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