“Richmond Public Schools have put together a menu of options that different schools can select from, says Stacy Luks, a member of Slow Food RVa’s leadership board and the coordinator of Richmond Food Day 2012. “They are going to be doing kale-chip tasting on Food Day, if not the whole week.”

Local chef Ann Butler, the founder of Edible Education, has been working with the cafeteria staff of Richmond Public Schools to demonstrate how to prepare the crispy kale as part of first lady Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move to Schools program.

Food Day is a national event created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit nutritional advocacy group, to raise awareness about healthy, affordable and sustainable food.

“The idea is just to mobilize people in communities all across the country to have a day of celebration and awareness about food … kind of like Earth Day,” Luks says.

Slow Food RVa is partnering with the Bon Secours Richmond Health System, FeedMore, the Richmond City Health District, Shalom Farms, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Virginia Food System Council and the William Byrd Community House. Each group is addressing specific interest areas throughout the city.

VCU’s Wellness Resource Center has joined with the William Byrd Community House to offer $10 food boxes on Tuesday (Oct. 23) in an effort to encourage students to eat locally grown food. There will be a screening and discussion of the film Ingredients at the Byrd House Market (Cherry Street and Idlewood Avenue) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Luks says events will be going on throughout the week, but the highlight is a town hall talk at Pasture on Wednesday that will look at a timeline of the food system in Richmond during the last eight to 10 years.

The event organizers are hoping that Mayor Dwight Jones will make an appearance and officially release the proclamation that he signed to declare Oct. 24 as Food Day in Richmond.

Luks says the goals of Food Day are to promote healthy, fresh, local food that is available to everyone.