Dining Out For a Cause....No Kid Hungry

Don't you love meeting a friend for coffee, or a bite for lunch, or dinner. We look forward to it. We text what time and where we are and we always feel better for it. We share pictures of our meals on twitter, facebook, and YouTube... food is the one thing we all share equally. Look around, see all those people on cell phones, trying to stay 'connected?' How connected do you feel when you share a meal with someone? For those of us that are fortunate enough to realize this, sitting at the dinner table with friends and loved ones has never been about the act of eating. Whether fine dining or casual, it is never about what we were eating. It was where and with whom. That is always first and foremost.

Well how about dining out and making it count? Throughout history, throughout cultures, the meal is the one constant that opens the discourse, bridges the gap, connecting rather than dividing us. The dinner table is where treaties were written, alliances made, scholarly discourse engaged in. Ideas that changed the world, in most cases, happened at a dinner table, or at a campfire, over a meal. For most now though, eating has become just a means of sustenance. Fuel. In the busy scurry of life, sometimes we forget what a meal with family and friends can do for us, both spiritually and emotionally. Think about the fact that there are children out there that not only can't dine out, but actually can't get a good, healthy meal at home.

Well this September, you can do something about it. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger by connecting kids to effective nutrition programs like school breakfast and summer meals. This work is accomplished through the No Kid Hungry network, made up of private citizens, government officials,nonprofit organizations, business leaders, and others providing innovative hunger solutions in their communities. These partners work together, implementing solutions that break down the barriers that keep kids from healthy food. End childhood hunger in your community by dining out this September.

Every year, the restaurant industry unites in an extraordinary showing of solidarity to prove we can do more than simply feed people for a living; instead we can feed them for life. An end to childhood hunger is within our reach and it's the entire foodservice industry that is leading the way. Restaurants, suppliers, media and trade associations all have strengths to share.

To find a participating restaurant in your community, click this link; http://dineout.nokidhungry.org/, make a reservation and make sure your next meal counts for something greater than just a night out on the town. You'll be glad you did....and so will our kids. Together we can make sure that we leave No Kid Hungry.

As always, Bon Apetit

Lou