On Labor Day, It's "Time for Lunch" Community Potluck!

Healthy Girls Initiative is co-hosting an awesome community event to raise support for healthy school lunches this Labor Day! Slow Foods of Greater Sarasota is hosting an “Eat – In” Community Potluck at Phillipi Estate Park from 12noon – 3pm on Labor Day September 7, 2009. Our Eat-In is part of a National Day of Action when thousands of people across the country will share a meal to demonstrate our commitment to getting high nutritional quality school lunches.
Attendees are asked to bring a dish that is in the “slow food” tradition, which means either home-made in the tradition of a specific culture or made from scratch as much as possible of fresh whole foods. Non alcoholic beverages will be provided. Attendees should bring their own eating utensils, cups, plates, and napkins.
Currently school meals are based upon the current USDA allotment $2.57 per child, of which less than $1 goes towards actual ingredients. Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA says “It is time to give kids real food: food that tastes good; is good for them; is good for the people who grow and prepare it; and, is good for the planet.”
In a time of escalating obesity and diabetes epidemics, our schools – due to this lack of financial resources and the complex administrative rules which hamper them - are often serving children precisely the fast food and junk food that endangers their health.
This year, Congress can give schools the resources to serve real food by:
1. increasing school lunch reimbursements by $1/child/day;
2. protecting against food that threatens children’s health by limiting high calorie, low nutrition foods; and,
3. teaching children healthy habits that will last throughout life.
More information on the campaign is available at www.slowfoodusa.org/timeforlunch and about Slow Food of Greater Sarasota at http://www.wholefood.meetup.com/192/.
To RSVP please send an email to slowfoodsarasota@gmail.com. For more information feel free to contact HGI Program Specialist Julia Onnie-Hay at (941) 921-5358 ext. 316 or juliao@gsgcf.org

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