In celebration of National Food Day on October 24th, Lowcountry organizations are coming together to offer an array of opportunities to celebrate healthy, local, affordable food. All events are open to the public and family friendly. The “Lowcountry Food Day Crawl” will kick off with a screening of the documentary, “Soul Food Junkies” at 5:30pm on October 23 at the Cinebarre in Mt. Pleasant. The Crawl will continue on Friday with various activities throughout the area, including grocery store tours, farm volunteer session, locals lunch, Cooking Demos, Live Art, celebrity contests, healthy trick or treating and a Slow Sips Happy Hour. The finale will be held at the Charleston Farmers Market on Saturday, October 25th where participants can win prizes for participating in the Food Day Crawl Scavenger Hunt. See below for more information on each event.

Thursday October 23rd – Lowcountry Food Day Kick-off: “Soul Food Junkies” screening hosted by MUSC and Slow Food Charleston at Cinebarre Mt. Pleasant

Please join us for a screening of the acclaimed documentary, Soul Food Junkies. About the Film: Inspired by his own family’s complex relationship with “soul food” — fried chicken, ribs, macaroni and cheese, peach cobbler, and the whole panoply of down-home foods made with grease, sugar, and love — acclaimed filmmaker Byron Hurt asks whether this diet is nurturing or destroying the African American community. With humor and heart, Hurt questions the effects of “soul food” on the health of not only African Americans, but all who guiltily consume this most comforting of American comfort foods.

Tickets: $5 suggested donation with proceeds to benefit the Lowcountry Food Bank. Seating is limited so register today at

When: 5:30pm – 8:30pm. Reception begins at 5:30pm with complementary snacks and drink specials available for purchase at the bar. Food Day partners will be on hand and attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to support Lowcountry Food Bank. Screening begins at 6:30pm with a panel discussion immediately following at 7:45pm.

Friday October 24th :

Cooking Matters Grocery Store Tours hosted by Lowcountry Food Bank, SCAND, Charleston Trident Dietetic Association and Les Dames d’Escoffier:

What: Cooking Matters at the Store tours are 60 minute interactive, guided tours teaching participants how to shop for healthy food on a limited budget. The tour ends with a challenge to select items that make a healthy meal for under $10. Upon completion, each participant will receive a gift card to purchase the items!

Where: Tour these Bilo locations in the greater Charleston area:

• Bilo, 445 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29403

• Bilo, 4391 Dorchester Road, North Charleston, SC 29405

• Bilo, 142 Saint James Avenue, Goose Creek, SC 29405

When: 9am-1pm: Tours will be held at 9am, 10am, 11am, and 12pm. Please arrive early to register for the tour beginning at the top of the hour and expect to spend 90 minutes at the store.

Crop Mob hosted by Lowcountry Local First:

What: Get your hands dirty alongside Lowcountry Local First apprentices and farmers at Dirt Works Incubator Farm. Volunteers will join together to prepare the fields for the final fall planting. Wear your work clothes, boots, and gloves and prepare to have a good time with fellow farm supporters!

When: 10am-11:30am

Where: Dirt Works Incubator Farm, 3955 Betsy Kerrison Pkwy, Johns Island. Please RSVP to Avril@LowcountryLocalFirst.org for directions.

All Local Lunch hosted by College of Charleston Office of Sustainability and Growfood Carolina:

A collaboration between CofC Dining Services and the Office of Sustainability, the College of Charleston will be hosting a locally sourced lunch featuring multiple sustainable menu options at the City Bistro dining hall (80 St. Philip St.) from 11:30-2. All local produce and pantry items will be sourced through South Carolina’s only food hub, GrowFood Carolina. The lunch is available for all attendees (non-CofC at a price of $9.25 each) and includes unlimited portions and beverages. City Bistro is currently on track to become one of the first zero waste dining facilities in Charleston.

When: 11:30am-2pm

Where: City Bistro Dining Hall at 80 St. Philip Street. A limited number of courtesy parking passes are available by the City of Charleston in the St. Philip Street garage, ask for voucher at event.

MUSC Urban Farm Food Day Peanut Party hosted by MUSC Office of Health Promotion and Sodexo:

As part of the Lowcountry Food Day Crawl, we are hosting an event at the MUSC Urban Farm on Friday, October 24th. In addition to the following activities, we will also have local artist Everett White entertaining participants with Performance Art as well as helping children paint rain barrels donated to MUSC and Ashley Hall by Coca-Cola and several food vendors offering healthy lunches and snacks.

Schedule of Events:

11:30am – 12:00pm – Self-guided farm tours

Noon – Reading of Food Day Proclamation by Councilman Mike Seekings

12:05pm – 12:30pm – Cooking Demo and Tasting, featuring Chef Bob Tremayne and MUSC Dietitian Debbie Petitpain

12:30 – 12:45 – MUSC Culinary Competition judging & awards

12:45 – 1:00 – Louie’s Kids/Healthy Sprout Juicing Demo/Tasting

1:00 – 1:30pm – Celebrity “Build a Better Peanut Butter Bird Feeder” Contest

1:30 – Bird Feeder judging and awards

Food Day Trick or Treat in the Park hosted by City of Charleston Recreation Department, Lighten Up Charleston and MUSC Dietetic Interns:

What: A special Kids Halloween Food Day Trick-or-Treat in the Park for lowcountry kids with healthy tips provided by MUSC Dietetic Interns.

When: 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Where: Hampton Park, 30 Mary Murray Drive

Slow Sips Food Day Happy Hour hosted by Slow Food Charleston:

What: Lowcountry Food Day Crawl Happy Hour to round out a great day of events. We’ll be spicing it up with specialty, local jalapeño margaritas and some locally-sourced menu items in honor of Food Day with a portion of proceeds benefitting the Green Heart Project’s Farm-to-School Programs. Green Heart Project will have a booth providing information on how to get involved.

When: 5:00pm to 7:00pm

Where: Taco Boy, 217 Huger St. Downtown

Saturday October 25th: Lowcountry Food Day Crawl Finale

Charleston Farmers Market Food Day Finale, hosted by Lighten Up Charleston:

What: Lowcountry Food Day Crawl Finale. Stop by the tent hosted by Lighten Up Charleston for a meet and greet with organizers and learn about more opportunities to connect to health-promoting resources in our community. Food Day Crawl participants who have correct answers to 2 or more scavenger hunt questions will get to pick a prize from our “grab bag”. Participants who have answered 4 or more questions correctly will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize (TBD).

When: 8:00am-1:00pm

Where: Marion Square