Time sure does fly when you’re having fun!  It seems like yesterday when I came to Oldways and atop the list of achievements-to-be was “make this year’s Whole Grain Sampling Day the best yet!”  Well, I’m happy to say that with one month left till kickoff – we’re in great shape.  

Four weeks from today is the 3rd annual Whole Grain Sampling Day!  Go ahead, pull out a colored marker or highlighter and put a big ring around April 2.  There.  Now that your calendar looks like mine, let’s talk about what’s on the agenda!  

Since Boston is our home-base, the duckboat we commandeered in 2012 and 2013 was a great way for us to be noticed and get some attention here in our fine city, but this year we’re leaving the boats behind and going big, baby!  While we’re sad to see the duckboat staying parked this year, it’s for a good cause – we needed to expand our whole grain horizons to highlight a slew of great nationwide activities. 

All you tweeters and Facebookers out there can expect to see a lot of whole grains in your feed (pun intended) come April 2.  Partners like McDonald’s, Rubio’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and California Pizza Kitchen will be promoting their great whole grain menu items throughout the day on social media, and Genghis Grill will be incorporating WGSD into their Health Kwest Challenge.  You’ll also see some great health-related tweets and information from the American Institute for Cancer Research, Healthy Dining Finder, and the National Restaurant Association‘s Kids Live Well program.  

If you’re looking for freebies, grocery stores around the country will be sampling goodies, two dozen Whole Grain Ambassadors will be blogging about new products and hosting give-aways for their readers, and Roman Meal will have a month-long Facebook sweepstakes in April, with bread coupons and cash prizes. With one month to go, we’re waiting for final details on even more partner announcements, so check back on our site to see who’s joined in the grain give-away!

Manufacturers are in on the action, too.  Barilla, Lotus Foods and Freekehlicious are offering samples of their products to restaurants who will consider featuring these products on Whole Grain Sampling Day.  If you’d like to venture out for lunch or dinner to celebrate WGSD with friends or family, you can check out HealthyDiningFinder.com to see who’s serving up healthy dishes, or check out our site for an updated list of participating restaurants and food trucks – stay tuned!

Need more ideas?  WGSD isn’t just for companies; you can create your own good times. Declare Whole Grain Sampling Day a holiday in your house, and encourage family members and housemates to celebrate by tasting some of the great whole grains they might not have tried before.  Host a pot-luck at work or invite friends over for dinner.  Ask each person to make a new whole grain dish and enjoy a healthy, delicious meal with friends or family.  Is it your turn to provide a snack at school or a group gathering?  Check out our website for tons of great sweet and savory ideas, and print out recipes to hand out with your samples!   

If that’s still not enough, order a roll of stickers from our website and hand them out to people on the street!  Not your style?  How about sending them to your kids’ school, along with a cool poster?  Talk to your local community center, youth center, YMCA or other organization to ask about nutrition education programs in your area, and let them know about our great, free resources!  Then,  invite your friends and neighbors to go along.  While we’ll celebrate Whole Grain Sampling Day “officially” on April 2, there’s no need to stop at just one day.  Check out our website each month for the “grain of the month” and try something new!  Sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive great information about what’s going on with grains, read a new recipe, and see what deals we’ve spotted on the web. 

The countdown is on.  How will YOU participate in Whole Grain Sampling Day?  Visit our Forum and share your ideas.

(Danita)