Eat Local for Thanksgiving

Online, October 28, 2009 (Newswire.com) - When it comes to Thanksgiving, why should your food travel farther than your guests? This year, individuals throughout Washington can join Cascade Harvest Coalition's campaign to reconnect our Thanksgiving traditions with our local agricultural traditions of celebrating the harvest and take a stand for local farms, a healthier environment, local economies, and communities by signing the pledge to Eat Local for Thanksgiving.

"The campaign is a great place to start thinking about local food," says Cascade Harvest Coalition Director Mary Embleton. "The holiday is marked by giving thanks for the abundance of the harvest and bringing family and friends together in celebration and community. But we can also give thanks for the abundance of local farms throughout our region and the food they put on our tables."

The campaign consists of individuals signing a pledge to add at least one locally grown food to their Thanksgiving meal. The pledge can be taken at www.eatlocalforthanksgivng.org; and while it may seem a simple act, it is one with significant impact for every community says Embleton.

"Every pledge translates into support for preserving farmland, a more robust economy, and cleaner environment. You're also adding your voice to those of thousands of people throughout the region in saying how important this is to our communities, which is central to having a dependable, regional food supply. Having this type of public support in place allows Cascade Harvest Coalition to address the deeper, systemic change necessary to tackle some of the problems that have been created by our current highly-industrialized food system and allows us to work towards programs and policies that support a sustainable food system statewide."

In 2008, over 2,500 individuals took the pledge, with an average meal feeding five people. This year, by capturing 5,000 pledges, approximately 25,000 people will savor the pleasure of eating something locally grown and in season with their meal.

You can find what's fresh in Puget Sound and Washington for Thanksgiving at www.eatlocalforthanksgiving.org along with a culinary cornucopia of mouth-watering recipes (including entrees for vegetarians) from Puget Sound area chefs, restaurants, farms, and farmers markets.

Aspiring video-istas or those who want to go public with their pledge can enter the Eat Local for Thanksgiving Video Contest. Just submit your most creative homegrown effort no later than noon on November 20, 2009 and be sure and have "Take the Pledge to Eat Local for Thanksgiving" audibly or visually recognizable. Additional contest rules can be found on Cascade Harvest's YouTube Channel, www.YouTube.com/user/CascadeHarvest. All eligible contestants will be entered to win 6 months of premium seafood from Taylor Shellfish, Sur La Table cooking classes and much more.

Eat Local for Thanksgiving is sponsored by Cascade Harvest Coalition, Puget Sound Fresh, King County, King Conservation District, PCC Natural Markets, Seattle's Child, Foodista.com, Organic Valley, Sur La Table, edibleSeattle, KCTS 9, Taylor Shellfish and Klesick Family Farm.

The mission of Cascade Harvest Coalition, a Seattle based non-profit is to grow a better food system in the Washington state. Whether it's helping young farmers get on the land, connecting local farmers with local communities, or collaborating with other organizations to develop innovative strategies, we know that building a vibrant local food system in Washington will help strengthen our economy, provide environmental leadership, and ensure a healthy, tasty food supply for generations to come. For more information about Cascade Harvest Coalition, go to www.cascadeharvest.com