VCU news

By James McCue

Healthy food is coming to Virginia Commonwealth University as the Wellness Resource Center, Office of Sustainability and other organizations unite to host a series of Food Day events, including cooking demos, documentary screenings and an expert panel discussion that features Todd Haymore, the Virginia secretary of agriculture and forestry.

National Food Day aims to promote healthy eating habits, to increase local and sustainable agricultural practices and to address community food insecurity issues.

“Food Day is kind of like Earth Day,” said Katherine Vatalaro Hill, assistant director at the Wellness Resource Center.

While Food Day is typically a one-day celebration, VCU will be hosting multiple events throughout the week.

It is important that students practice healthy eating habits and one of the best ways to achieve this is through homecooked meals rather than fast food. On Oct. 22, Aramark hosts a cooking demonstration to show students how to create healthy meals in their dorms or off-campus apartments. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Shafer Court Dining Center.

That same day, the William Byrd Community House celebrates Vendor Appreciation Day at the Byrd House Market, 224 S. Cherry St., from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event features local growers and farmers providing fresh and healthy foods to the community. Students with ID can purchase produce boxes for $10.

On Oct. 23, the Wellness Resource Center, which is also known as the Well, hosts a panel discussion on “Why Choose Local Food?” in the University Student Commons Theater at 1 p.m. The panel will feature Haymore; Janet Aardema, executive director of the Virginia Association of Biological Farming; and Heidi Hertz from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. Van Wood, Ph.D., from the School of Business, will moderate. Speakers will discuss why local food is good for Virginia, good for the environment and good for individuals.

At 7 p.m., the Well presents the documentary, “A Place at the Table,” which addresses the challenges facing this nation’s underfed, impoverished communities. The screening will take place in the Student Commons Theater.

On Oct. 24, Shafer Court Dining Center hosts Food Day’s premier event, a planting party to teach students how to create their own sustainable food source. The course will provide students with planters, dirt and seeds to grow their own produce. Additionally, the dining center will feature an expanded menu with local food options in Market 810 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Catholic Ministry at VCU created a food drive to help provide a food pantry with emergency rations for students on campus. Throughout the week, they ask that the VCU community drop off canned good donations at The Well, 815 S. Cathedral Place, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

“Many international and first-generation students face hunger issues,” said Liz Swilley, the director of the VCU Student Food Pantry.

The mission of VCU’s Food Day is to educate students about the benefits of consuming locally grown and sustainable food and to wean them off fast food. The majority of prepackaged meals contain high levels of sodium and sugar that can lead to health-related issues such as obesity, high-blood pressure and diabetes.

The event is sponsored by the Wellness Resource Center, the Office of Sustainability, Aramark, School of Social Work, William Byrd Community House and Green Unity.

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