The Wood River Futures Food Group will start to make May a "food awareness" month with a free screening of the documentary "Food Matters" on Saturday, May 7.
The Wood River Futures Food Group is an outgrowth of a Ketchum Community Development Corp. conference held in January and designed to find a common vision or a "future search" for a "vibrant and sustainable community."
"Everyone involved is a concerned citizen who wants to see our local 'food shed' become more vital," said Steve Brown, an organizer of the Wood River Futures Food group. "We want to encourage a much more vital 'food shed' with local farmers, food processors, consumers and restaurants."
Brown said the weekend workshop discussed everything from food transportation to energy and education.
"We talked about what the valley would look like 15 years from now," he said. "We created action items to bring about change."
The Wood River Future Food Group includes local farmers and other people throughout the Wood River Valley who are involved in organizations such as Idaho's Bounty, Glow Live Food Café, NourishMe, Wood River Valley Farmer's Markets, Community Rising, the Sustainability Center in Hailey, the Sawtooth Botanical Garden and The Hunger Coalition. All are volunteers.
"Our short-term goal is to start to facilitate awareness," Brown said.
"Food Matters" is a hard-hitting, fast-paced look at the relationship between food and health and the current state of people's health. It discusses which foods and therapies are ideal for optimal health, as well as nutrition and natural therapies for people with chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes and depression. The film is produced and directed by James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch, who also funded it.
"Our current food system is giving us nutrient-depleted food," Brown said. "This food also comes with chemicals and genetically modified aspects. The health of the nation is at risk. The growing rate of obesity and chronic disease is a result of chronic malnutrition."
The screening will be at the Community School Theatre in Sun Valley at 6:30 p.m. NourishMe and Glow Live Food Café will provide local food appetizers at a reception beginning at 6 p.m.
A panel discussion will follow from 7:30-8:30p.m. with local food and health practitioners Lynea Newcomer of Idaho's Bounty, Molly Peppo Brown of Whole Person Nutrition and Judd McMahan of Wood River Farmers Market. Dale Bates of the Ketchum Community Development Corp. will moderate the panel discussion.
The evening will include a free raffle with goodies from Idaho's Bounty, Glow Live Food Cafe and NourishMe. Raffle participants must be present to win.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
The documentary film “Food Matters” will screen at the Community School Theatre in Sun Valley on Saturday, May 7.
Courtesy photo
