Help end childhood hunger by making virtual toast!

Nearly 17 million children in America – almost one in four – struggle with hunger. The families of these children have a hard time putting food on the table. The non-profit Grain Foods Foundation has teamed up with Food Network host Melissa d’Arabian and Share Our Strength®, a non-profit leading the charge to end childhood hunger in America by 2015, to help give hungry children in our country access to nutritious meals.

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Shocking. And Surprising. Thankfully, there is something you can do to help. You can participate in the Bread Art Project – from the comfort of your computer!  The Bread Art Project was created in 2009 by the Grain Foods Foundation to help increase awareness of the growing hunger problem in our country. Last year, visitors to breadartproject.com created more than 25,000 pieces of Bread Art to raise more than $25,000. This year, goal is to double that amount.

Now through June 30, 2010, you can create a personalized piece of bread art – at no cost – by uploading a favorite drawing or photo, or designing a new one using a digital slice of bread as the canvas. It’s fun. And a great project to do on your own or with a youngster.

For each piece of bread art created, the Grain Foods Foundation will donate $1 to Share Our Strength*. One dollar can help provide three nutritious meals to a hungry child; $25 can help feed one child three healthy meals every day for a month; and $100 can help provide 25 children facing hunger backpacks full of healthy food to feed them and their families over the weekend.

It’s just that simple to lend a helping hand: www.breadartproject.com

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Food Network host Melissa d’Arabian was in Atlanta last week to talk about the program. “Our children deserve healthy meals,” d’Arabian said. “As a mother of four, I understand a parent’s desire to properly nourish their children. It’s heartbreaking to know there are families in our own country struggling for the basics. Staples like bread and grains provide many essential nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy.”

For families looking for help with their own kitchen cutbacks, d’Arabian has developed recipes and tips to help us save time and money in the kitchen:

• My kids like sandwiches without crusts, so I am constantly cutting them off sliced bread. Instead of throwing them away, I save them in resealable freezer bags. I turn them into “dippers” which my kids use for dunking in jam (crusts are apparently completely delicious, just not on a sandwich when you are five), or I use the crusts to make fresh and fluffy bread crumbs.
• Keep different varieties of pasta in your pantry for weeknight meals that are as nutritious as they are quick. Your weeknight strategy: get the pasta started and while it’s cooking, pull out a large sauté pan. Add a little olive oil and then check your crisper drawer, freezer and pantry for aromatics, herbs, veggies or meats to sauté in the olive oil. You can always go simple with just minced garlic, red pepper flakes and some slivers of broccoli, for instance. Once the pasta is cooked, toss it into your sauté pan, adding a little of the pasta water and some Parmesan cheese to make a light sauce.

Mama Says: Thank you for taking a minute to create a work of art while providing nutritious meals to a hungry child. Enjoy playing with your food.

Thank you to Jennifer James of the Mom Bloggers Club for the invitation.