Idaho FFA officers Tierra Perman, Sentinal; Anna Pratt, Vice President; Nathan Rindlisbaker, Treasurer; Rep. Roy Lacey; Jacob Lake, President; Erin Curry, Secretary; and Cara Pantone, Reporter.

The FFA is an agriculture-education and leadership organization for high school students. In other words, many of today’s FFA members will be the people who feed America in the coming years.

For the second consecutive year, Idaho FFA officers found another way to feed hungry people. They organized a fund drive at their winter leadership conference in late January and donated the proceeds to The Idaho Foodbank. Last year the check was for $704, enough to provide food for a family of four for 25 weeks. This year the amount grew to $1,100, enough to feed that same family for 39 weeks.

The officers presented the check at the Statehouse to Rep. Roy Lacey, D-Pocatello, who is also special assistant to Foodbank President and CEO Karen Vauk.

About 600 FFA members aged 14-18 came to Boise for this year’s conference. The focus of this year’s gathering was service, and the officers decided to take up a collection of loose change for the Foodbank. Members were asked to chip in what they could.

Our thanks go out to the entire FFA membership for all their service and to those who attended this year’s conference and helped continue this fine tradition of working to end hunger in Idaho.

Thursday, March 8, was “What’s on MyPlate?” Day, a national effort to heighten our awareness of how important it is to choose healthy foods. But really, every day is “What’s on MyPlate?” Day.

The MyPlate icon, unveiled last summer, is the fresh, new U.S. Department of Agriculture food graphic that replaces MyPyramid. It is designed to be a visual cue to remind consumers to make healthful food choices. It supports the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, features the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy), and points users to ChooseMyPlate.gov to learn about and apply the guidelines for themselves.

At The Idaho Foodbank, we have piloted Cooking Matters,Share Our Strength’s national cooking- and nutrition-education program that teaches participants how to identify and easily prepare healthy foods that are low cost and delicious. The Cooking Matters curriculum focuses on MyPlate and simplifies the message of how important it is to eat a balanced diet.

Whether consumers are low income, high income, or somewhere in between, whether an individual has access to fresh, frozen, or canned produce, whether a family’s primary source of food is through its own farm or garden, SNAP (food stamp) benefits, an emergency food pantry, or directly purchased from a local grocer, MyPlate guides consumers to choose a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, with a healthy balance of protein, dairy, and grains. The simple visual of MyPlate summarizes the USDA’s key Dietary Guidelines for Americans and provides a user-friendly tool for choosing a balanced diet. Take a look at your plate. How closely does it resemble MyPlate?

Use this link to get more information about MyPlate and the Dietary Guidelines…