October...the month of food!

October is all about food! The pumpkin obsession, the apple sensations, the warm soups, and hot drinks. As the days get colder, we find ourselves leaning more and more towards food as a source of comfort.
October is Eat Better, Eat Together Month and Fair Trade Month. It's the month of World Food Day and National Food Day. There is even a national Taco Day and a National Candy Corn Day and I am sure there are many others!
The day that is coming up next is National Food Day which is October 24, 2013. "Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affortable and sustainable food" (Foodday.org).
According to Foodday.org, this year's National Food Day aims to:

• Promote safer, healthier diets: Currently in America, the top sources of calories for children ages 2-18 are grain desserts such as cake and cookies, pizza, and sugary drinks.
• Support sustainable and organic farms: The USDA estimates that of all the food sales that occur in the U.S. Market for agricultural products, only 1.6 percent of these sales come from local farms.
• Reduce Hunger: More than 16 million children in America live in a household that struggles to put food on the table on a daily basis.
• Reform factory farms to protect the environment and farm animals: 70 percent of all polution that occurs in U.S. rivers and streams comes from Agricultural practices and especially larger scale operations.
• Support fair working conditions for food and farm workers: The average annual income for crop workers is between $10,000 and $12,499 for individuals and $15,000 and $17,499 for families.

How can you help?

• "Write or call your U.S. senators, U.S. representative, governor, state legislators, mayor, or city council and ask them to support increased funding for healthy food initiatives, including promotions of fruits and vegetables, campaigns against junk food, or getting rid of junk foods from all city or state property and using the government’s buying power to support local and/or organic farming" (foodday.org)
• Visit the FoodDay.org website to find out more information about holding a Food Day event.
• Join the environmental club, People Helping People or Food Justice Committee on campus
• Volunteer in local schools and help teach kids about healthy eating

To find out about any of the opportunities listed above contact the Center for Community Engagement at cce@easternct.edu.