In Fall 2010, I raised more than $1,000 for The Food Trust for running the Philadelphia Marathon on November 21, because its mission – to make healthy food available to all – is something I believe in…for my family, my community and myself. Working with neighborhoods, schools, grocers, farmers and policymakers, The Food Trust combines nutrition education with a greater availability of affordable, healthy, real food.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED ME AND HELPED ME REACH MY GOAL!
Read on below for some more background on The Food Trust and why I chose to raise money for them.
One of the first books I read when I first started learning about healthy eating was Michael Pollen’s In Defense of Food. This book changed the way I thought about food. In short, Pollen states “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.” I absolutely loved this. After years of reading diet books and magazines that promoted low carb/fat/sugar, the idea of eating real food for your health was such an empowering concept. I began to make small changes in my diet – I cooked more, read the ingredients list on food labels and spent more time in the produce aisle. I began to eat real food…and I felt great.
I’m very fortunate to have easy access to real food. Others aren’t so lucky. Residents in many areas surrounding Philadelphia need to take two buses to reach the nearest grocery store, which leaves the ‘corner store’ – which only carries packaged/processed foods – their market of choice. The lack of fresh food in these areas leads to obesity, diet-related illnesses and a generation of children without proper nutrition education. The Food Trust is tackling this problem from all angles.
For more information, check out this interview with The Food Trust’s executive director about their history, mission and plan for the future. Or feel free to email me with any questions.
Thank you so much for your support!
