Bulletin Board

Trying new foods is good for your health.

We hear that it’s important to try new foods—whether a child, adult, or caregiver. Eating a variety of foods gives us the nutrients our bodies need to grow. Getting children to try  new foods can be a challenge. Beginning in childhood, eating habits often stay with us through adulthood, so it is important to start healthy eating habits early. Follow these tips for introducing new foods to your family.

• Avoid pressuring anyone to try a new food—this may make them hesitant to try it.
• Learn what the nutrients in these foods do for our bodies. Knowing how beneficial they are can motivate us to try a new food. For example, carrots, butternut squash, and cantaloupes have vitamin A, which helps our eyesight.
• Ask your family or friends how they cook a certain food. This can give you some new ideas when choosing and preparing foods for your family.
• Start with a small amount of a new food and keep trying it. It may take up to 15 times of tasting a food before you know if you like it or not.
• This spring, introduce your family to rhubarb. Rhubarb can be baked, roasted, stewed, or even used in muffins. Try something new and treat your
• family to the rhubarb muffin recipe in this newsletter (see below).

Recipes and Nutrition Tips

Try this sweet way to cook with rhubarb.

Whether you eat a muffin at breakfast or as an afternoon snack, this Rhubarb Muffin recipe will add spring to your step. Rhubarb is a vibrant pink or red stalky vegetable available in Massachusetts in the spring. Rhubarb adds vitamin K for healthy blood and bones and antioxidants for reduced inflammation, healthy skin, and prevention of cell damage. This tart vegetable also provides fiber, which will keep you feeling full and helps digestive health. If you are looking to add more fiber to this muffin recipe, swap out all-purpose white flour with whole-wheat flour and maybe add some chopped nuts.

Watch how our friends at UMaine Cooperative Extension prepare this rhubarb muffin recipe at https://youtu.be/ZNxYnqdWGM4.

The City invites all residents and community members to participate in the Chelsea ¡Pa’Lante, Onward! Spring Survey. Whether residents have called Chelsea home for decades or are recent arrivals, whether they own a business or rent an apartment, their input is invaluable. The City seeks to hear from everyone, as every voice plays a crucial role in shaping the future of Chelsea.

The community’s survey responses will help inform the development of Chelsea !Pa’Lante, Onward! –  Chelsea’s first comprehensive master plan since 1970. Chelsea ¡Pa’Lante, Onward! is a community-driven planning initiative focused on creating a comprehensive, 15-year roadmap to guide Chelsea’s growth and development.

The survey can be completed online at onward.chelseama.gov. We encourage everyone to take part and share their thoughts.

For more information, contact Devon Fields, Deputy Director of Operations for the City of Chelsea, at dfields@chelseama.gov.

Chelsea residents can purchase discounted rain barrels for $89 (usually $120-$150) through the City’s participation in the Great American Rain Barrel Program now until April 20, 2025.

“Rain barrels can help residents reduce their water bills; water collected via rain barrels can be used to water gardens and lawns, offsetting the cost of running a hose. Rain barrels also reduce the City’s municipal water demands by reducing runoff and also saves energy at regional treatment plants.” – Cate Fox-Lent, Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Chelsea.

Learn more here: www.chelseama.gov/news_detail_T2_R488.php

Hop on over to our annual Spring Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.! Kids will enjoy searching for brightly decorated eggs in a fun, festive atmosphere. Remember to bring your own basket!

The cost is $2, and pre-registration is required, but walk-ins are welcome (space is not guaranteed).

Location: Mary C. Burke Complex, 300 Crescent Ave.

• Ages 2-6: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (begins at 10:00 a.m. sharp)
• Ages 7-10: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (begins at 11:00 a.m. sharp)

Don’t miss out on the fun!

The Chelsea Police Department (CPD), in partnership with the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, is calling on the community to donate gently used prom attire and accessories for Chelsea High School students in need through the Chelsea PROMise Initiative.

The Chelsea PROMise Initiative aims to provide prom attire to students who may not have the resources to afford these items on their own. CPD and the Chamber are requesting donations of dresses, tuxedos, dress shoes, heels, and accessories to help ensure that all Chelsea students can attend prom.

Items will be collected until April 17, 2025, at the following locations:

• Chelsea Police Department Wishing Well – 19 Park St, Chelsea, MA 02150
• Chelsea Chamber of Commerce – 308 Broadway, Chelsea, MA 02150

Additionally, the department is accepting monetary donations, which will be directed to the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, a registered 501(c)(6) non profit organization.

For more information, including how to submit a monetary donation or any questions, please contact the Chelsea Police Department at 617-466-4855.