Bag the Junk Highlights
Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s the weekly roundup from BagtheJunk.org, NEA HIN’s sister website dedicated to all things healthy school food:
- How to Make Healthy Foods Accessible for all Students describes how students and families living in “food deserts” are getting access to healthy options, thanks to community-based efforts.
- How Tech Tools Can Help Teach Kids Healthy Habits shares how new technology like iPads and digital wristbands and online resources like apps and twitter chats are helping schools and families stay healthy.
We hope you enjoy reading our blogs this week, and look forward to seeing you here next Thursday!
Let Us Remember How Fortunate We Are
For a third year in a row, during the week leading up to Thanksgiving, my students and I spend our classes reflecting upon and sharing what we are thankful for. While a relatively new tradition, it has become my favorite way to start the holiday. My students’ willingness to step outside of their comfort zones as they share powerful anecdotes that speak to their gratitude for family, health, and life never ceases to amaze me. It is an important reminder of what this holiday represents.
For many of us, Thanksgiving is a time when we sit down with those whom we hold most dear, and give thanks for all that we have. As we do so, we often indulge in the sort of feast that only comes around once a year – a cornucopia of sustenance that leaves us waiting 364 more days until we can do it all over again.
As we sit down around the dinner table, however, let us remember how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy the sort of meal many of us will partake in.
Let us ensure that we are not abusing this privilege and wasting food that would otherwise sustain someone who does not have any.
According to a report from the University of Arizona in Tucson, 40% of food in the United States is thrown out every year – about $165 dollars worth.
For a country where one in seven households do not know where their next meal is coming from, this is a sobering and startling statistic. Thankfully, simply increasing public awareness around the issue can curb much of this waste. While a large amount is lost across the “farm to fork” system – farming, harvesting, packaging, processing, distribution, grocery stores – the most significant amount of waste takes place within the household. Nearly 25% of all food purchased is never used. As one might expect, this phenomenon is exacerbated during a holiday at which food is front and center.
So before putting five scoops of macaroni, three turkey legs, and the entire bowl of mashed potatoes on your plate this year, remember that you can always go back for seconds. If you have unused cans of beans or vegetables after Thursday that might otherwise sit in the back of your pantry the rest of the year, take the time to bring them to a food bank in your city. By saving just 15% of the food we throw away, we could feed 25 millions Americans.