Today is Food Day

October 24, 2011
Today is Food Day across the nation as over 2,500 events have been or are being held from the Atlantic to Pacific and even across to other shores. Find out more at the National Food Day website

Saturday, Springfield Food Day Celebration
If we were leading edge, it wouldn't be the Monday after that you'd be reading about how the day went, but rather you would have seen it on your phone as it happened and ended. So la vie, we're not quite leading edge. But we are on the edge of satisfaction, after having been part of an event, we ourselves are most humbled to have been a part of.

This article in the I Love Springfield MO digital magazine had done a great job of describing what to expect, published just days before last Saturday's shin dig.

I Love Springfield Mo Magazine article

This News-Leader article came out yesterday and is a nice article. I DID see one correction though, It wasn't 3,500 pounds of chicken donated, rather it was approximately 750 pounds, which is a lot of chicken.

Article in Sunday News-Leader

As it turns out, not an ounce of the Smart Chicken was wasted because the extra went to Victory Trade School which runs the restaurant Cook's Kettle. In fact we want to thank the students and staff from Victory Trade School and Cook's Kettle for doing an excellent job assisting us to serve the Smart Chicken Sandwiches and Quinoi Salad from Mama Jean's (which was super yum).

So here's the scoop. With very few snags on the day of the event, to include ideal weather and vendors mostly set up on time, and bands mostly playing on time, it was just one big party for the people and the people seemed to really like it.

Between 1500 and 1600 people took part in the festivities to celebrate sustainably produced foods and to learn about needed food reform. Nothing will impact people and planet as much as a reformed food industry.

Thanks still forthcoming to the many partners and sponsors, exhibitors and volunteers. We are well aware that we can do it better next year, but we still find ourselves in the glow of the First Annual Springfield Food Day Celebration.

 all photos by Darby Riley

Two days away

Short reminders:
Admission is just one non-perishable food item or $2.
Time is 10 am to 6 pm this Saturday, Oct 22
Place is Wilhoit Plaza Shopping Center Parking Lot, corners of Elm and Jefferson

The weather is going to be perfect with a warm up and no rain! The bands are booked and ready to entertain all day. We will start the morning with The HillBenders. It won't be too early to have a beer for you music lovers! Sixteen ounce pours are only $3! Best deal in town!

The kids will be very happy on a bouncy house and coloring pictures of natural foods and agriculture and even getting their faces painted for free with pictures of fruits!

If you feel like cruising downstairs from the parking lot to the Moxie for a few free short films, have at it! These are very cute short videos from Parent Earth about Food and Families. You can also watch three very short videos about the 2012 Farm Bill and how it will affect families, right in the Food Day tent up in the parking lot. Make sure and pick up some of the materials about the Farm Bill in our tent and also about Parent Earth and easy ways to watch short videos to learn about how agricultural policy is affecting children and parents.

The second band will be the frolicking sounds of Fly by Night. Many people have heard Berry Wynn's band of blue grass and also his other band the South Wynn's. This is your chance to hear them while sampling local foods and local brews, out in the Autumn sunshine and perfect gorgeous day for an outdoor concert!

Do you like to watch cooking demonstrations? Well you'll be in the right place. There will be five or more chances to watch foods be put together in simple, easy to learn recipes, featuring delicious and healthy local foods.

Hungry? Stop over to the concessions tent and get you a plate of scrumptious fair featuring Smart Chicken sandwich and in-house made Quinoi Salad from Mama Jean's (while supplies last). After the salad runs out, the sandwich will come with a healthy chip from Mama Jean's. The sale of the concessions supports Springfield Food Day Celebration and helps cover costs. The goal is to raise a meaningful donation of cash for Ozark Food Harvest, besides the canned food drive.

Want to learn new stuff and make new community connections? Then walk around and talk to the exhibitors, from Mom's for Local Foods to Healthy Living Alliance to Mama Jean's and many many more. This is a community event, all about healthy diet, and brought to you in a format that isn't pushy or preachy, but fun and easy to enjoy.

Please tell your friends and come join us in just a few days!

Newest Creative Piece, Sep 26

This is our newest promotional piece. The four page insert will appear as the center spread of the October Springfield Cares Magazine and will also be handed out as a free standing brochure. Points of distribution will be through marketing partners, including the Greater Springfield Farmer's Market (notice their full page ad on page four of the insert).

We wish to thank everyone who invested resources and or energy. We especially want to thank Amy Michael from Springfield Cares Magazine and the primary sponsor of the piece, Greater Springfield Farmer's Market. Other advertisers of the insert are O'Reilly Hospitality Management, Farmer's Gastropub and Rolls-n-Bowls. Many thanks for valuing Springfield Food Day Celebration as a worthy place to invest precious marketing dollars in this challenging economy!

We also want to thank all the other partners, exhibitors and sponsors who are helping to make the first annual Springfield Food Day Celebration be a happening event. Indications by advance weather forecasts is that it is going to be a perfect early Fall day. Should be ideal for taking in an outdoor concert and also visiting with farmers, producers, food companies, watching cooking demonstrations, and letting the kids play in a supervised Kid's Play Area.

Art direction and layout was done by Debbie McClelland, who worked under an unreasonable constraint of time, to include the often thankless job of logo searching. Great job Debbie. Hope we haven't scared you away!

To get your printed copy, please contact our office or join us at the Farmer's Market any Saturday at the Mall.

Page Two

Page Three

Page Four

All Over the Country, People are Learning to Eat Real!

Even though there’s been a boom in the number of farmers’ markets, local food systems, and emerging food cultures throughout the US, folks are still taking the easy way out at meal times, driving up to the fast food trough to get cheap, “convenient” nourishment.  Still fueling up on salty, fatty, processed foods and high-calorie sweets, many Americans are not reaping the benefits of the wholesome foods that sustainable farmers sow and are suffering from record-high rates of food related illness and disease.  The time for change is now!

The first-ever national Food Day aims to transform the American diet and inspire people to eat real.  The grassroots campaign has blossomed into a movement to get healthy, affordable and sustainably produced food on every table in America.  Food Day not only celebrates the good food movement, but it encourages everyone to cook real food from real farmers together.  Food Day is committed to six principles:

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2. Support sustainable farms and limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms
5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
6. Support fair conditions for farm and farm workers

Join the movement by participating in a few of the hundreds of Food Day events and grassroots actions being held across the nation by joining us in the whole month of October, right here in Springfield. 

PARTICIPATING RETAILERS FOR FOOD COLLECTION

In the month of October, you can drop off canned goods (or as you've finished shopping leave a bag of canned goods) at nine participating retail grocers in Springfield:

1 and 2.  Both Mama Jean's locations

3-6.  All four Dillon's locations

7.  Smillie's

8 & 9. To be confirmed this week

October 22, 

Wilhoit Plaza parking lot, corners of Elm and Jefferson, 10 am to 6 pm. 

Lots of sampling opportunities, activities for kids, sign petitions for legislators on the 2012 Farm Bill and other important issues, beer garden featuring Mother's Brewery, live music featuring the blues grass sounds of the Hillbenders and Fly by Night and two other great bands, free mini film festival at The Moxie featuring video shorts about Food and Families, chicken sandwich meal for sale featuring sponsors, Smart Chicken, sustainably produced chicken and side dish by Mama Jean's, sugar free soda products from SoBe and Lipton's Naturals and much, much more!

Food Day Events around Springfield, October 24

Plan to take a tour of Ozark Food Harvest, 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave

Other events on Monday:

Well Fed Neighbor
MSU
Other events TBA