Help Share Our Strength with the Bread Art Project

I took our budding little artist along with me into the city recently to learn more about the Bread Art Project, a program created by the non-profit Grain Foods Foundation and launching in 2010 with Food Network host Melissa d'Arabian and Share Our Strength, working toward the goal of ending childhood hunger in America by 2015. (Food Network fans may remember Melissa as the winner of season five of The Next Food Network Star and now host of her own series, "Ten Dollar Dinners.")

We listened to Melissa speak about why feeding hungry kids is so important to her and how critical whole grains are to nourish growing bodies. (Whole grains being a good source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and nutrients and can play a role in lowering a person's risk for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.) I was surprised to learn that 17 million children - nearly one in four struggles with hunger, and the ways children can suffer because of hunger:

 

• Children suffering from hunger are more likely to have weaker immune systems and suffer more everyday ailments like headaches, colds and fatigue;
• Hunger impairs children's cognitivite function and growth and development, and may diminish their capacity to learn; and
• Ironically, children facing hunger are more susceptible to obesity.

We then learned how we can help with the Bread Art Project by simply going to the site and decorating a slice of bread. I know, simple, right? For each slice of bread art completed, the Grain Foods Foundation will donate $1 to Share our Strength. Last year the Bread Art Project donated more than $25,000 to Share our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign, and they're hoping to double that amount this year. Now through June 30, 2010, you can go to www.breadartproject.com and create your own piece of personalized bread art like ours (see our fancy artsy toast above?) and you'll be contributing to a solution for ending childhood hunger in the U.S. (Don't worry if you're not the creative type - they show a huge gallery of decorate bread to inspire you with your own creation.)  

 

Li'l Boo and I enjoyed ourselves amidst the sea of some of my favorite NYC-area bloggers and their kiddos. We were at a swank West Village studio, were treated to whole grain lunch snacks (loved the white bean bruschetta!) and had the opportunity to chat with Melissa. (I think Li'l Boo was telling her that he liked her whole grain breaded chicken, and that she was pretty.) Li'l Boo was transfixed on the mini cupcakes, Melissa (duh, she's pretty), SelfishMom (he has a mom crush on her) and Miss Christine, whom was there to entertain the kids too young or just not interested in listening to Melissa speak about childhood hunger. Miss Christine excelled at her role - armed with stickers, artwork supplies and even making balloon shapes for the kids. Li'l Boo literally walked his out the door: a dog on a leash. He was upset that I made him get into a car with me instead of walking his balloon dog around the West Village. This suburban mom has somehow raised a city boy.