Hi, all! I'm the local coordinator for the first-ever National Food Day (www.foodday.org) , begun by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.cspinet.org). I am also the Community Resources and Outreach Manager for the Pittsburgh Public Market. National Food Day has the following goals: Reduce diet-related diseases by promoting safe, healthy foods. Support sustainable farms and reform subsidies to big agribusiness. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms. Promote health by reducing junk-food marketing to kids. Provide fair working conditions for food and farm workers. A group of about 15-20 folks from local organizations with a stake in healthy, local foods met in mid-September and came up with the following plans to promote National Food Day: This weekend, Friday, Oct 21st - Sunday Oct 23rd, the Pittsburgh Public Market will host organizations wishing to share information/educational materials. Each will have information on their own organization, what they do, how they help, and how the issues represented by National Food Day are important to each of them. (If you are a member of an organization that would be interested, there is still space available, please contact me) During that weekend, folks from these organizations, as well as merchants from the Market and others, will be offering demos, samples, classes, etc. that will help to provide people with a better idea of how to utilize fresh, local food and how to do so ethically and humanely; The Public Market has committed to hosting a variety of classes throughout the year which will provide information on everything from how prep, plant, maintain and harvest food to how to prepare, cook and store it; (if you or someone you know would be able to teach a class, or have an idea, please contact me!) The actual Food Day event is set for the Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium at the Kaufmann Center in the Hill District. There will be a FREE screening of the documentary The Garden. (www.thegardenmovie.com) Please join us at these events. If you want to help, contact me to volunteer. We also have postcards that can be signed showing that you endorse the principles of Food Day. Come to the Market to get one! We are also working with the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project (http://tote4pgh.blogspot.com/) to collect tote bags for donation to the Food Bank. So, feel free to bring your reuseable totes for donation! (And, remember, totes do not have to be empty! Feel free to fill them with food staples such as peanut butter and tuna in water, with all the free items from your BOGO specials, with wrapped holiday gifts for children, with gift cards, or even with other totes!) Thanks, all. Hope to see you this weekend! Rachel Kudrick