SFKT Labor Day event to shed light on country's school lunch program

Slow Food Katy Trail—the mid-Missouri chapter of Slow Food USA—will show the movie, "Fresh" (see movie synopsis below), on Labor Day, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. at Ragtag Cinema in Columbia. It will be one facet of the 4 to 7 p.m. event that will help shed light on the state of our nation's school lunch program.

This event is being held in conjunction with Slow Food USA 's national campaign, "Time for Lunch," to garner support for the federal Child Nutrition Act reauthorization. We want Congress to make the act a stronger mandate for real foods in schools. The act dictates all the regulations for public school food, including the money the federal government provides for school lunches. The "Time for Lunch" campaign is about showing Congress that Americans throughout the country care about providing real food to our school children.

We also will be showing a film short from the Appleton, Wisconsin school system that highlights its success with real food in schools. A panel discussion, led by local food activists, will follow the films.

Afterward, we'll socialize in the Uprise cafe and patio with fresh watermelon, sweet and savory crepes, heirloom-tomato bruschette and bratwurst bites—all local, of course. We also will have a variety of food-related activities for young children, supervised by adults, while the movies are being shown. We will get the children to write letters to legislators, and have information for adults to use to contact their legislators about the Child Nutrition Act.

Please join us for great local food, provocative documentary films and stimulating discussions. Use this opportunity to become part of the grassroots campaign that we hope will change forever the food being served in our nation's schools.

Only 75 tickets are available, and will be sold in advance at the Ragtag Cinema box office beginning Aug. 12. They are $10 each for adults and children older than 12; admission is free for children under 12, but movie is not included. Even if you aren't able to attend, you can effect change by writing your legislators. Please see the Slow Food USA Web site to sign the REAL FOOD AT SCHOOL petition and to learn more about how you can help:

www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/

For additional information on Slow Food Katy Trail activities, please visit us at: slowfoodkatytrail.blogspot.com

About "Fresh," the movie:
FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, a 2008 MacArthur’s “Genius Award” fellow; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, "The Omnivore’s Dilemma"; and supermarket owner, David Ball, who is creating a new market model for our family farmers. FRESH’s focus on these inspiring individuals and their initiatives throughout the country provides the audience with actionable solutions. FRESH is a call to action.