Food Day 2011

The first ever Food Day will take place on Monday, Oct. 24. Sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Day is a nationwide grassroots effort to encourage people to push Congress for healthy and affordable food produced in a sustainable and humane way. Whether through lobbying, participating in a community event or making a personal change, Food Day hopes to inspire people to transform the American diet. Though many of the goals for Food Day concentrate on reforming policies and laws, you can still take part on a smaller scale. Here are some suggestions of how to get you and your family involved: - Invite your children to the grocery store and tell them to pick out a fruit or vegetable they have never had before. Take it home and find a recipe to use it. - Visit a local farm or farmers market. Talk to a farmer about how the foods get to market. Try finding a pick-your-own farm for your family to select their own food. - Go through your pantry or select items at the grocery store to donate to a local food bank or shelter. - Get your kids in the kitchen! When kids are part of making the food, they are more likely to try new things and eat nutritious meals. Check out a kids cookbook from your local library. What will you do to promote Food Day? Visit their website for more information on the event and how you can get involved.