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Fantastic Success! Food, Inc. Foodraiser raises over $2,250 for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle

What an event! Even on a beautiful Saturday morning, we nearly filled the Colony Theater with 278 people at a special showing of Food, Inc. We raised over $2,250 to bring wholesome food and essential kitchen equipment to needy families in our area. Teresa Jones did a great job of describing the new 5-Step Animal Welfare program at Whole Foods. And Richard Holcomb of Coon Rock Farm did a marvelous job with the Q&A session afterwards, with some great help from Jamie DeMent.

The suggested minimum donation for tickets was $10, with $6 going to the theater for the actual ticket price and the other $4 or more to be a donation to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. The Food Shuttle has been fighting hunger in the greater Triangle area for 20 years. It gets wholesome, nutritious food into the hands of hungry people through a variety of programs, including community gardens, and offers Operation Frontline classes that teach nutrition, cooking, and household budgeting.

The proceeds will mainly go to the Food Shuttle in the form of organically grown fruits and vegetables from Coon Rock Farm, a sustainable family farm just outside of Hillsborough, NC. Some money will also be used to provide kitchen equipment for families to help them cook good meals at home, such as baking dishes, slow cookers, and cutting boards.

People came early and lingered after the show to:

• Check out a CSA box from Coon Rock Farm's Community Supporter Agriculture program that allows people to subscribe to weekly produce or meat deliveries
• Buy the book Food, Inc. and a few related titles, with Quail Ridge Books donating 20% of the sales to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
• Learn about the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and other promoters of sustainable food systems in our region.

Just before the show, we heard a few words about Whole Foods' new 5-Step Animal Welfare program, now being tested in North Carolina, and got a big welcome from Cook for Good, which is coordinating this event as part of an ongoing effort to fight against hunger and to inspire people to eat in ways that promote their own health and the health of the planet.

Q&A session after the show. Farmer Richard Holcomb of Cook Rock Farm led a fantastic discussion about farming and food-production practices in our region. Richard is also co-owner of the award-winning local restaurant Zely & Ritz, so he really understands the whole farm-to-fork cycle. Jamie DeMent and other area experts chimed in for a lively and moving discussion.

Food Inc. lived up to the description on its website, saying that it "exposes America's industrialized food system and its effect on our environment, health, economy, and workers' rights."

Couldn't attend but still want to contribute? It's not too late!

Donate to the Food Shuttle online. Please pick "other amount" and end your donation with 18 cents, so they will know your gift is from a supporter of sustainable agriculture. Examples: $10.18, $25.18, $100.18. Why 18? It was the date of the Food, Inc. event.

Thanks to our generous sponsors for this foodraiser!

Coon Rock Farm is making a major donation of produce to the Food Shuttle as well as providing the produce that will be purchased with the funds raised by this event. Whole Foods is making a major donation in funds and is also donating meat raised using their 5-Step Animal Welfare Program. Whole Foods also helped publicize this event, including designing and printing the posters. Thanks so much to both of you!