Food Check-Out Week Focuses on Healthy, Nutritious Food

JACKSON, MISS., February 22, 2011 – Farmer and rancher members of many local Farm Bureaus are reaching out to consumers in their communities during Food Check-Out Week (Feb. 20-26) by offering information and cost-saving tips on putting nutritious meals on the table.

“Stretching Your Grocery Dollar With Healthy, Nutritious Food,” the official theme of Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Week, reflects the fact that Americans from all walks of life continue to work through an economic squeeze. Dining out less often and preparing more meals at home is the new reality for many Americans.

“As today’s tough economic times continue, public health experts remain concerned that consumers may resort to buying less-nutritious foods that lack essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients,” said Terry Gilbert, a Kentucky farmer and chair of the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee.

(L to R) AFB Women's Leadership Committee members Terry Gilbert (chair) and Sherry Saylor (vice chair) shop for groceries at Kroger for the Ronald McDonald House of Jackson in Mississippi. Click on any photo on this page for a high resolution image.

Listen to a Newsline Report featuring Terry Gilbert, a Kentucky farmer and chair of the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee

“Tips for better nutrition on a stretched budget, making sense of food labels and understanding USDA’s MyPyramid are among the topics Farm Bureau members plan to talk about with consumers, at supermarket demonstration stations and other venues,” said Gilbert.

The Food Check-Out Week connection between Farm Bureau and Ronald McDonald House Charities was forged more than a decade ago. Since the program was initiated in the mid-1990s, Farm Bureau members have donated approximately $3 million in food and monetary contributions to Ronald McDonald Houses and other worthwhile charities during Food Check-Out Week.

“Through sustained donations during Food Check-Out Week to local Ronald McDonald Houses, as well as other charities, we’re doing our part to help these worthy organizations provide the people they serve with healthy foods on a stretched budget,” said Gilbert. “America’s farmers and ranchers are committed to producing safe, healthy food, but do share with consumers many of the same concerns about putting nutritious meals on the table on a tight budget.”

A number of studies have shown that rising energy costs for processing, packaging and transportation are the driving forces behind recent increases in retail food prices, Gilbert noted.

On behalf of the American Farm Bureau, the AFB Women's Leadership Committee shopped for groceries for the Ronald McDonald House of Jackson, Miss., and presented a check for $2,500. (Row 1, L to R) Ethel Nash of West Virginia; Ronald McDonald; Frances Price of South Carolina; Ginny Paarlberg of Florida; Sherry Saylor of Arizona, vice chair. (Row 2, L to R) Isabella Chism of Indiana; Terry Gilbert of Kentucky, chair; Gabe Ottolini, director of global development, Ronald McDonald House Charities; Margene Harris of New Mexico; Angela Ryden of Colorado; Ruth Ann Allen, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House of Jackson.

On behalf of the American Farm Bureau, Gilbert and the committee donated $2,500, as well as food, to the Ronald McDonald House in Jackson, Miss. They were joined at the Jackson event by representatives of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee and Gabe Ottolini, manager of development for Ronald McDonald House Charities Global. Ronald McDonald Houses provide a “home-away-from-home” for the families of seriously ill children receiving medical treatment at area hospitals.

Participating county and state Farm Bureaus will hold similar events throughout Food Check-Out Week. Links to state Farm Bureau Web sites may be found at: http://www.fb.org/state/.

Again this year, AFBF and the Soybean Checkoff are partnering on a joint Facebook page to promote Food Check-Out Week. AFBF will donate $1 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia for every person who “likes” the page by the end of April, up to $3,500. The Roanoke Ronald McDonald House in Virginia, the recipient of this year’s Farm Bureau donation, assists families with 9,000 meals each year on a very limited budget. Visit the page and add your “like” to help: www.facebook.com/NationalFoodCheckoutWeek.

Other Food Check-Out Week events in Mississippi this week include the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee staffing supermarket demonstration stations at Kroger and McDade’s grocery stores. In addition, members of the national committee will assist Mississippi Farm Bureau Women in outreach to legislators at information booths at the state capitol.

The third week of February was selected for Food Check-Out Week as a bridge to National Nutrition Month in March.

AFB Women's Leadership Committee members prepare to deliver groceries to the Ronald McDonald House of Jackson, Miss. (L to R) Terry Gilbert, chair; Sherry Saylor, vice chair; Frances Price of South Carolina; Ethel Nash of West Virginia; Ginny Paarlberg of Florida; Gabe Ottolini, director of global development, Ronald McDonald House Charities; Angela Ryden of Colorado; Isabella Chism of Indiana; and Margene Harris of New Mexico.