Families can make local food choices that are healthy for people and for Earth. The Food Justice Movement encompasses communities around the world exercising their right to grow, sell, and eat healthy food which is organically grown locally while caring for the land, workers, and animals. Kids love to go to the Farmers’ Market and taste organic food that has just been picked. Some families buy a share in a Community Supported Agriculture program and get a box of fresh produce from their local farm every week. Many schools are serving healthy locally grown food with the Farm to School programs, and last year there was a 105% increase in local food to schools.
People like Erynn Smith, pictured here at the Abundant Table Spring at the Farm event, are working as farm educators, providing organic farming, environment, and nutrition education to the community, local schools, and politicians across the country. Community Gardens are becoming more and more popular as people want to eat organic food grown without toxic chemicals. Kids can grow an organic container veggie garden on the patio or the roof to bring healthy food to the table. The local food choices that families make can cut down on the use of fossil fuels and chemicals that harm the people and planet. Kids can learn to respect and honor the land using organic growing techniques that preserve our resources.
CSA projects are seeking creative ways to balance financial support for their farmers by including members that pay for their share by working as farm staff. CSA food is donated to food pantries and soup kitchens, and many are connected with local meals on wheels, senior centers, and emergency shelters. CSA also partners with churches to get fresh food to the hungry. Some food banks are starting their own farms and teaching lower income families how to grow fresh produce. These farms foster responsible stewardship of the land by using exclusively organic methods and encourage personal involvement in the farm. On a farm run with ecological methods, ugly looking food and produce with bad spots can still be used to feed the hungry, the livestock, and the compost pile. Kids can make a difference by encouraging their parents to make local food choices, share in their local farm, and grow an organic container garden.
Cooking Magic for Kids 