06-12-2008

Eat Better Today: A new way to address hunger in RI

Downtown MarketNot to overshadow today’s opening of the Armory Farmers’ Market, but we hope you can join us tomorrow for a press conference that will mark the 2008 season kick-off of the Downtown Market. The event is Friday 6/13 at 12:15pm.

The Downtown Market is adjacent to Kennedy Plaza, a cross-roads of people from all walks of life in Rhode Island. After a successful pilot program last season, all Farm Fresh RI farmers’ markets will accept Food Stamps / EBT this year. So it makes sense for the Downtown Market at Kennedy Plaza to be the place to announce a new statewide campaign to address an issue that spans communities: access to affordable, healthful foods.

Eat Better Today is the theme of a new statewide campaign at the URI Hunger Center that simplifies the message of Food Stamp outreach and addresses rampant misperceptions that often cause families to not sign up. (For example, many people believe that if you sign up for Food Stamps, your participation will lower the amount of aid that other needier families will receive. That’s not true.) RI ranks 44th in the nation for participation by eligible households, meaning just half of those eligible actually participate, a scary statistic given soaring food costs. Come tomorrow to hear from elected officials and advocates in RI discuss hunger in our communities and the importance of the new Eat Better Today campaign:

  • Maria Cimini, Manager, Food Stamp Outreach, URI Hunger Center
  • Josh Miller, RI State Senator
  • Grace Diaz, RI State Representative
  • Seth Yurdin, Providence City Councilor
  • Jessica Knapp, Development VISTA, Farm Fresh RI, and Food Stamp user
  • Noah Fulmer, Executive Director, Farm Fresh RI
  • With our favorite host, Jen Huntley-Corbin, Jen’s Dish, WNRI 1380AM

See you tomorrow at the Downtown Market!