Mobilians Celebrate Food Day Oct. 24

MOBILE, Ala. - Oct. 21, 2014 - PRLog -- Mobile, AL – Over 160 elementary school children and teachers, staff and volunteers from Victory Teaching Farm (a project of the Center for Family and Community Development, Inc.), City of Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, Alabama Department of Agriculture Commissioner John McMillian and citizens of South Alabama will join in celebration of the Fourth Annual Food Day on Friday, October 24, at Victory Teaching Farm, 261 Rickarby Street beginning with the Food Day Press Conference at 9:45 a.m.

The students from Dodge Elementary School will tour the farm and get hands-on experience in urban farming. Resolutions from Governor Robert Bentley’s office will be read by Commissioner John McMillian and Mayor Sandy Stimpson and from the Mobile County Commission in honor of the first annual Food Day event in South Alabama.

Locally, Mobilians will join together to help students make healthy, informed food choices through a tour of the farm and learn about its importance to the community and in creating healthy food options for all citizens.

Several local restaurants are participating in this year’s event by donating a portion of their restaurant food sales on Friday, Oct. 24.

“Food Day is an opportunity to celebrate real food and the growing movement to fix the food system. I’m thrilled that we are participating and joining in the celebration and getting mobilized for change,” said Tarrant Lanier, executive director for Victory Teaching Farm.

The fourth annual Food Day will see thousands of events in all 50 states aimed at promoting real and just food for all. All year round, Food Day is devoted to mobilizing support for policies that advance healthier diets, promote sustainable and organic agriculture, reduce hunger, reform factory farms, and support fair working conditions for food and farm workers.

“Food Day is not just an event, but an opportunity to make a permanent change that supports a more sustainable and healthy future,” said Lanier.

For more information on Victory Teaching Farm or Food Day, contact Tarrant Lanier, 251. 599.0157 or visit their website at www.victoryteachingfarm.org.

About Victory Teaching Farm

Victory Teaching Farm is the first and only urban teaching farm in South Alabama and is located one block south of the historic cannon in Midtown Mobile. The farm serves as an educational resource for the community focusing on urban agriculture and the benefits of agriculture to our community. During World War I and World War II, the government enacted a program called Victory Gardens in which citizens were encouraged or required to grow food to help with the war effort. Front yards, rooftops, public parks, vacant lots and even schoolyard gardens were planted, resulting in 40% of food produced in the country coming from the everyday citizen. Drawing from the history of Victory Gardens, Victory Teaching Farm takes a modern day spin on the meaning of “Victory”.  Our victory is Increasing health and wellness; Reducing hunger; Environmental sustainability and repair’; Community development and beautification;  Economic development; and Increased access to locally grown food and the promotion and creation of a local food system.   Website: www.victoryteachingfarm.org

About World Food Day

Justice throughout the food chain—from farm workers to child consumers—will be a special focus for the fourth annual Food Day (http://www.foodday.org/), as will increasing Americans’ access to healthful food.  Culminating on October 24, Food Day is an event that organizers hope will inspire many Americans to improve their own diets and work toward solving food-related problems at the local, state, and national level.  Started by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (http://www.cspinet.org/) and other food leaders in 2011, Food Day quickly grew to 5,000 events from coast to coast last year alone. Food Day events aim to bring families together to enjoy sustainable food.  Highlight events include:

-          The National Geographic Museum (DC) will host a Harvest Festival on October 25 (http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/special-events/2014/10/25/harvest-festival/), featuring hands-on, family-friendly activities and demonstrations run by chefs, local nonprofits, and others.  The Harvest Festival is part of National Geographic's larger cross-platform initiative exploring all things food.  They will open its Food: Our Global Kitchen (http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/exhibits/2014/10/16/food-our-global-kitchen/) exhibition on October 16 and runs through February 22.  Across the country, conferences, summits, and other events devoted to mobilizing support for improved food policies are being organized.

-          The San Antonio Food Policy Conference (http://safoodconference.org/speakers-2/) will take place on October 24 and continue for a second day of field trips of October 25.

-          Food Chains (http://www.foodchainsfilm.com/), the documentary film on the grassroots movement to support farmworker rights produced by Eva Longoria and Eric Schlosser, will be joining Food Day as well. The film will be galvanizing its campaign partners around an online day of action to support the CIW’s Fair Food Program, which ensures safe working conditions and basic human rights for Florida’s tomato pickers.  Food Chains opens nationwide on November 21.