People nationwide celebrated National Food Day on October 24th. The mission of National Food Day is “…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.”
This great idea came from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). CSPI has served the public by advocating for food labeling, better nutrition, and safer food since 1971 to help support the public’s health. The day also aligns with the Council’s work on food as a social justice issue.
In North Carolina, Food Day was celebrated in the NC Legislative Office where distinguished guests from UNC Gillings School of Public Health, Dr. Barry Popkin and Dr. Alice Ammerman, ushered almost 200 attendees to review a history of food and the great things happening now to change the latter part of our dreary food history.
Food Day in NC collected 1068 pounds of fresh produce which was donated to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. NC Food Day had support from Governor Beverly Purdue and Midday Remarks from Dr. Jeffrey Engel.
Follow future NC Food Day events on Facebook here, and take a look at the national page here.
–Joy Williams, PHW Regional Consultant
Partners in Health and Wholeness is an initiative of the NC Council of Churches. Please visit our website to view more resources on health and faith http://healthandwholeness.org/.
