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id you know that eggs have their own month of celebration? Or that watermelons have a designated day of recognition? Many health organizations, food producers, and industry coalitions have created special events throughout the year that revolve around different foods.

Calendar Side One

These events provide natural tie-ins for special meals, parties, socials, activities, and family days. They are easy if you plan ahead, so click on the links to the right and use the two-sided calendar as a guide to get you started on your most exciting year of food events ever.
       Planning food-related events benefits everyone involved. At times, working in a long-term care facility can get tedious. Special events can renew staff enthusiasm and ignite the creative spirit. The most successful events involve the entire staff—not just the dietary department. Multidisciplinary committees can tackle decorating, menu planning, and invitations while building team spirit and staff camaraderie. For the residents, special themed meals and events help with socialization. Attending a special meal or celebration may even help a resident consume more calories. Families can be invited to join in. Plan a family event each quarter to keep loved ones involved and connected.

Calendar Side Two

       Special meals and events do not have to be expensive. Most food vendors run promotional offers to coincide with the special food months and days. Make sure to check with your food purveyors to find out if they, too, are celebrating. Many trade associations like the Dairy Council offer support materials, such as recipes, posters, and tabletop cards, for free or a very low cost. Food manufacturers also support events. For example, by visiting www.auntjemima.com you can find out about Pancake Week. There are many recipes and suggestions, such as using cookie cutters to make specially shaped pancakes (eg, hearts for Valentine’s Day or shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day). There is even a place to submit information about your own special pancake celebration to be featured on the website, if selected. A special family pancake breakfast in a nursing home has a great chance of being featured on the Aunt Jemima website and can be a great marketing vehicle for a facility.
       Send a press release to your local newspaper or health reporter and use these events for promotion within your community. You can team up with local scouting troops or dens, the 4-H club, or even the local high school, inviting them to help decorate and participate. There are dozens of opportunities.
       Creating an atmosphere of caring, fun, anticipation, and liveliness has countless benefits. Since the most difficult part is coming up with ideas and taking that first step, the following calendar contains dozens of ideas to get you started for every month of the year. Do not forget to take plenty of photos!