My new placement for graduate school is in the Healthy Schools NY program, which helps create cultures in schools across New York that promote increased physical education and physical activity, healthy eating choices and options, and limited tobacco use. We partner with high risk schools and offer them assessments of their current wellness plans, help them get up to snuff with national and state regulations and provide them with resources, education and tools that they can use to create a healthier environment. Sound right up my alley right? RIGHT! So far loving it. 🙂
One part of providing resources and education is connecting school’s to national and international events. One special event that is INCREDIBLY relevant is FOOD DAY. FOOD DAY is sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest which:
“…seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health
professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all
stripes-to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. We will work with
people around the country to create thousands of events in homes, schools, churches, farmers markets, city
halls, and state capitals.”
FOOD DAY has 6 core goals (each is a link so you can see more details):
With so many Gluten Free, Raw Food and Nutrition bloggers in general, FOOD DAY is very relevant to what we live and write about every day. We write about everything from the health benefits of eating without gluten and eating more fruits/vegetables, the importance of supporting local produce and grow or raise your own food, the value of joining Slow Food USA movements, the need to advocate for animal rights to the necessity of considering the environment when cooking/eating. We even go so far as using social media and the Internet to share our tips and recipes, and to get other people involved! Ultimately, we live FOOD DAY every day so why not get involved?
What can you do to support FOOD DAY? Here are some of my ideas:
1. Sign their petition for congress on their homepage to make congress aware of their goals for the future.
2. Join a local food day event already listed on their website.
3. Buy one of their many shirts, hats, bags, mouse pads, note pads, mugs, water bottles, buttons, stickers etc. to support the movement.
– Host a Potluck at an individual, school or community level.
– Form a Farmer’s Market for the occasion and get local growers, even if they grow in their garden, to participate and sell their produce at a reasonable cost.
– Hold a ‘town hall forum’ to discuss how your family, school, community, town etc. can become more reliant on locally grown and healthy foods.
With so many options it’s hard not to get involved and be active regarding the things you love, FOOD! I’ll be attending Stony Brook University’s event and Farmers Market as part of my internship. Any other local folks may want to check out the first Suffolk County Food Day where there will be booths, presentations, displays and more from food related agencies in the area!
One part of providing resources and education is connecting school’s to national and international events. One special event that is INCREDIBLY relevant is FOOD DAY. FOOD DAY is sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest which: