A story was brought to my attention today and I was immediately inspired by the impact of Real Food on our children.  Every week we talk about ways to bring the Real Food movement to our families…we cook with our kids, we take them to farmers markets, we teach them about what is in processed food and why it is so damaging to their bodies. This story exemplifies the impact of why we do what we do.  Real Food nourishes our families’ bodies, minds, and as you’ll see in this story…souls.

When Katie Stagliano was in the third grade, she planted a small cabbage in her backyard.  When that cabbage grew she found herself with an amazing 40 pound vegetable and a question about what to do with it.  Thinking about the stories her father told her about never wasting food, and the many people who rely on soup kitchens for a meal, Katie donated that giant cabbage to a local soup kitchen.  She fed 275 people with that cabbage.  With one piece of produce and a heartfelt decision, Katie changed many lives that day – including her own.  Now at age thirteen, Katie has donated thousands and thousands of pounds of fresh produce to homeless shelters and soup kitchens and has organized 17 gardens across the country.

I was so inspired by this story that I thought it worthy of an Out of the Box Food midweek post.  By sharing this story with our children, who knows what kind of creative ideas they might come up with to help feed people in need.  I hope it inspires you and your families as much as it did ours.

Episode 5, featuring Katie Stagliano and New York Times bestselling author and registered dietitian, Elie Krieger,  will air on local ABC stations this Saturday, October 1st.  Tune in to be inspired by Katie Stagliano and her movement designed to gets kids to grow food and feed the less fortunate in their communities.

For more details on the show, recap episodes and other information, check out:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/tv