UVI Voice

Every day some of us wake up on go on with our everyday lives.   We complain about the simplest of things never taking the time to reflect on how fortunate we are, and how we can help those who aren’t as fortunate as ourselves.  

“World Food Day is a day to reflect on the abundance of food in the U.S, to reflect on those in the community who don’t have enough, and what can we do to help” said Clarice Clarke the Chairperson of the Committee and Public Information Specialist for the Cooperative Extension Services.   

According to press release on UVI website World Food Day is observed throughout the world on October 16 each year, commemorating the day in 1945 when the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization was formed. 

For almost seven years now, Clarice Clarke has helped to continue this legacy here at University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix Campus.   With the help of its sponsor the Cooperative Extension Services here at the University and its partners, the Department of Agriculture and the UVI Experiment Station World Food Day is being kept alive.

 “Last year the event had a turnout of roughly 2,000 people, with hopes of it being much more this year,” Clarke said.   

The event will be held on October 18 from noon until 6:00 p.m at the UVI grounds.

This year the World Food Day holds a theme of great meaning: “Global Food Crisis: Opportunities, Responsibilities, and Solutions”. 

As food prices have increased tremendously worldwide due to the rapid change in the economy organizers wanted a theme that truly meant something to the residents. 

Given out at the event are free seedlings of tomatoes, beets, peppers, collards, lettuce, and pak choi.  This is done to encourage residents to put together their own gardens. 

Some of the activities that take place during the World Food day include the Youth Super Chef.  This is a cook off open to all junior and senior high school students. 

Each year there are main dishes that the World Food day focuses on.   This year it s main focus is on goat, beets and breadfruit.  Using these three dishes this event will display the many different ways these foods can be made. 

All competitions that are held which include the Breadfruit Bonanza and Youth Super Chef prizes are given which is donated from Gallows Bay Hardware. 

Although the day is filled with many events one major event is the Food Drive which is donating non- perishable food items for the local food banks. 

Last year the proceeds from the Food Drive were given to the Rotary West which was then sent to Haiti.    

“World Food Day is not just about displaying foods but its deeper.  It’s about giving back to those who are less fortunate. It’s about using the resources that we have here in the Caribbean which include our great agriculture to help those in need as well as ourselves,” Clarke said. 

For more information contact Clarke at 692-4060.

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