I’m pleased to announce the North Carolina Council of Churches has a new curriculum in the works! “Eating Well: For Ourselves, For Our Neighbors, For Our Planet” is an introduction to the issues surrounding the way we grow, harvest, and eat our food. Designed for groups of all ages, “Eating Well” uses games, activities, prayer and discussion to make us aware of our food over a six-week study.
I have worked with my colleagues on this curriculum for months, and yet I often still take what I eat for granted. When I’m driving to the store, it’s easy to forget that there are many who cannot easily go shopping for fresh food. When I’m buying fruits and vegetables, it’s easy to forget that someone had to work long hours to harvest them. When I’m going back for a second helping of my dinner, it’s easy to forget that there are many in our state and in our world who do not get enough.
As a student of social work, I know that awareness is the first step towards action. It’s time to stop forgetting. It’s time to stop taking for granted our food and how it impacts all of God’s creation. It’s time to be aware.
Look for the curriculum to be available online in April. In addition, those attending the 2012 Critical Issues Seminar on April 19 in Winston-Salem will have a chance to hear about the curriculum from the authors and discuss ways to use it.
– Leslie Forrest, NC State School of Social Work Intern
