September is whole grains month and every year the Whole Grains Council celebrates with special events and promotions all month. In 2015 we ran an Instagram photo contest throughout the entire month of September.
Our 2015 contest theme was Share the Goodness of Whole Grains. With this campaign, our goal was to encourage people to share their favorite whole grains with others. You could bake whole grain muffins for your neighbors… bring granola bars to your kid’s soccer game… donate whole grain products to a local food pantry… or simply share a photo of your favorite whole grain food on Instagram.
Whatever you did to Share the Goodness of Whole Grains, we asked you to tell us about it, by posting a photo and a few words about what you shared and with whom, and tagging our Instagram account (@whole_grains_council). Here’s the entry from our grand prize winner, Lauren, who won $500 in cash and a basket of whole grain goodies:
Below is the entry from our our second prize winner, Taylor, who won a $250 gift card for the King Arthur Flour Company store. To view the entries from our ten runners up who won a full year of Cooking Light magazine, check out our recap blog post.
Our grand prize winner selected Atlanta Community Food Bank to receive several cases of delicious whole grain foods. A big thank you to the following companies who were “Sharing the Goodness of Whole Grains” by donating cases of their products:
Freekehlicious — a case of freekeh; a case of cracked freekeh
HomeFree Treats — allergy friendly gluten-free cookies
TH Foods — a case of products
To Your Health Sprouted Flour — a case of sprouted flour
Way Better Snacks — a case of products
Carl Brandt / Mestemacher — 114 cases of bread, plus jam + tea (to a local CT charity)
Ancient Harvest — a case of quinoa
InHarvest — a case of Ruby Wild Rice
Wheat Montana — a case each of Prairie Gold Whole Wheat Flour, 7-Grain Cereal and 100% Whole Wheat Pancake Mix.
Ian’s — a case of NonGMO Savory Stuffing
Whole Grains Month happens every September. Use the buttons above to get the most out of Whole Grains Month.
Click on TOOLS to download graphics and social media messages – Tweets, Facebook posts, and our Instagram-ready graphic — all designed to make it simple for you to create your own online celebrations of Whole Grains Month.
Click on DEALS to find out about Whole Grains Month specials from manufacturers or restaurants.
Click on EVENTS to be inspired by others’ Whole Grains Month plans.
What can you do for Whole Grains Month?
Click on the graphic below to get some suggestions for your own personal celebration of Whole Grains Month.
What else does the Whole Grains Council do?
Here are a few more ways the WGC celebrates Whole Grains Month every year:
Support for Health Professionals. Teachers, RDs, doctors, and nurses are helping us spread the word about the health benefits of whole grains. And we’re supporting them with educational materials, “Just Ask for Whole Grains” buttons and stickers, and posters, through our “Just Ask for Whole Grains” campaign. If you’re an educator, order your free educational materials ahead of time, so you’ll be ready for Whole Grains Month.
Sampling and Coupons. Members of the Whole Grains Council offer special consumer promotions, including discount coupons, new product introductions and instore sampling.
The Whole Grains Store Tour. We’ve designed a great resource for supermarkets – or community health professionals – who want to introduce the public to whole grains. Click here to learn more about this kit, which can be downloaded from the Resources section of this website. It’s now available in both English and Spanish. You’ll also want to check out the whole grain resources on the website of our sister program, The Oldways Nutrition Exchange.