We’re partnering with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® Campaign to end childhood hunger in America. The No Kid Hungry Campaign supports local youth groups, schools, faith-based institutions, food banks and other community programs in providing meals to children in need.

Here are four easy ways you can help:

Donate Online & We’ll Match It

Go to our online holiday meal ordering site and select “SOS Donation” as one of your items. Make a donation and we’ll match it, up to a total of $25,000. (You can donate even if you don’t place a holiday meal order!)

Buy Organic Fuji Apples

For every pound of organic Fuji apples sold at our stores, a donation goes to the campaign. Together, Whole Foods Market, Rainier Fruit Company and Columbia Marketing International will donate two cents for each pound of organic Fuji apples sold from November 14 to December 25, up to a maximum of $30,000.

Order Gift Cards Online

For each Whole Foods Market gift card ordered online from November 16 to December 31, we’ll donate $1.

Use Special Coupons

Arrowhead Mills, Celestial Seasonings and Terra Chips will donate 40 cents per redeemed specially marked coupons featured in The Whole Deal value guide.

Watch this video to see how your donation to Share Our Strength’s No Child Hungry campaign can help the children in your community:

No Kid Hungry creates partnerships with anti-hunger groups, government agencies, corporate partners and political, education and business leaders at the state and city level to break down barriers to accessing healthy food. Learn more details about our partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign and find out how Share Our Strength is making a difference in your area.

Food Day is centered on 6 basic principles:

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2. Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms
5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

Sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the nonprofit watchdog group that has led successful fights for food labeling, better nutrition and safer food since 1971, Food Day is people-powered and does not accept funding from government or corporations — though restaurants, supermarkets and others are encouraged to observe Food Day in their own ways. But the most important ingredient in Food Day is you — and we invite you to organize an event and help make Food Day a success.

Check out these region-specific seasonal menus, choose a charitable cause to support (here’s a food bank locator) and send out your invites! We partnered with Epicurious to provide this free, downloadable Food Day Dinner Party Kit, which contains great ideas for planning any party big or small, plus conversation starters, recipes and even pumpkin-carving stencils.

Also, Epicurious is hosting a Facebook contest where you can submit a photo and description of your Food Day event for a chance to win a matching donation (up to $1000) for the food-related charity of your choice.

Aren’t quite up to hosting your own event? Visit Food Day to find out about events happening across the country and find one close to you.

Which of the six Food Day principles means the most to you? What will you be doing on October 24^th, the first annual Food Day?

Plus, you’ll get a $10 bonus on your auto-load gift card when you purchase it using your American Express card and sign up for the $100 auto-schedule. On top of that, with every third auto-reload you’ll get an additional $5 added to the gift card. Check it out:

Who in your life could use an auto reload gift card?

Supporting the health of a child’s skin is an important consideration for every parent. From baby to teen, discover which ingredients are most beneficial and how to choose better body care for kids. Jessica Iclisoy is the founder of California Baby, a full line of natural skin care products for babies, kids and sensitive adults.

Choosing better body care products to support the health of a child’s skin is an important consideration for every parent:

• Most conventional skin cleansers include ingredients that are harsh and stripping of the skin’s protective oils, leaving the skin dry and open to irritation. Reading labels is a must.
• Look for glucosides in shampoos, hand cleansers and bubble baths, which are very mild, non-stripping and extremely biodegradable natural cleansers.

Stocking the household with body care products that the whole family can use may not be the best solution for different ages and skin types:

• Babies and kids have different skin types and different needs than adults for their personal care products.
• Adults with sensitive skin and teens have a similar skin profile as babies in that they all need very gentle cleansers, non-irritating moisturizers and a natural mineral-based sunscreen. The entire family can share products formulated for baby.
• Start with a baby shampoo that can be left in the hair for a minute to clean away gel or styling products. A baby shampoo leaves the hair’s natural oils intact resulting in soft shiny hair.

Give careful thought when choosing products like diaper area washes, powders and creams for baby’s sensitive skin:

• Diaper rash cream is classified as an over-the-counter-drug (OTC) and must be made in an FDA approved facility.
• Look for an ultra-purified (USP) grade lanolin to act as a water barrier vs mineral oil or fish oil.
• Talc-powder should be avoided because it is very light weight and can burrow deep into the lungs. Look instead for bases of moisture-absorbing clays and cornmeal.

Sunscreen plays a significant role in protecting the health of a child’s skin:

• Choose non-chemical mineral-based sunscreens with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These are physical barriers that scatter and reflect the UV rays as opposed to absorbing them.

Also look for “VERY water resistant” as this indicates that the sunscreen stays effective for 80 minutes while in water or sweating. Water resistant = 40 minutes

Once you have spent the time, energy and love creating a healthy, nutritious and delicious lunch for your kids, it makes sense that you would want the perfect container to pack it in.  Whole Foods Market and The Container Store have teamed up to create this video that gives you great healthy lunch ideas and tips for choosing the perfect containers to pack them in. Lunch is no longer just a sandwich and chips, kids love a variety of different finger foods and finding the perfect containers for these items can make a difference in the lunch getting eaten or not. We hope you enjoy this video as much as we enjoyed making it with The Container Store. For more information about the products featured in this video or to see their full selection, please go to containerstore.com.

Leave a comment with your ideas for fun and nutritious lunches by August 24th for a chance to win a $100 gift card from The Container Store.

Don’t know where to start when it comes to products designed for children? Join us as we clear up the confusion and outline the most important nutrients and supplements to support growing kids and teens. Malia Curran, MS, MPH, is a nutrition consultant, speaker and mother of 2 young children.

A multivitamin is the most important supplement to give to children:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a multivitamin for kids with poor appetite or erratic eating.
• A balanced healthy diet with a variety of whole foods can provide all the nutrients kids need; but children are all different and some eating patterns pose specific problems that can cause nutrient deficiencies.
• Children have special nutrient requirements and therefore need special multivitamins. Additionally, requirements change as they grow – such as calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C – these all have specific recommendations for children and teens.

The additional nutrients to focus on for children are:

• Essential fatty acids, which are the good fats vital for growth and development.
• For children who are not dairy or fortified non-dairy milk drinkers, a calcium/magnesium/vitamin D supplement is important.
• Green powder drinks designed specifically for kids can be mixed into drinks, water or smoothies for additional vitamins and minerals, as well as countless antioxidants.

When giving supplements and snacks to children and teens, keep in mind:

• It really is important to buy children-specific products. Nutrient needs (and upper limits) do change often as children grow.
• Healthy adult snacks are usually fine for children, and sometimes even have fewer sweeteners than kids’ versions.  Just be aware of potential choking hazards for young children like whole nuts in granola bars.
• Look out for caffeine and herbal content in adult energy snacks and beverages, as these may not be appropriate for children and teens.
• Choose snack bars for kids that have some protein and fiber in them, which can often be missing.

Interested in switching to a better deodorant but don’t know where to start? Tune in to this encore podcast presentation to educate yourself on the variety of options and hear what makes natural deodorants effective. Malia Curran, MS, MPH, is a nutrition and health consultant.

Educate yourself on deodorant options:

• Natural deodorants do not contain aluminum chlorohydrate, which works by clogging pores and thus inhibiting sweat – a natural and necessary function of the body.

• There is no compromise on selection. Natural deodorants are available in sprays, sticks, roll ons, and crystals, and in a variety of scents for both men and women.

Natural deodorant supports the natural function of the skin:

• Sweat is not the source of under arm odor; bacteria is.
• Natural ingredients like baking soda, fruit extracts, and essential oils of tea tree, lavender, aloe, and lemon grass are proven to be effective in reducing bacteria.

It is important for the body to sweat:

• The skin performs many of its jobs through sweating: releasing toxins, controling body temperature; allowing the skin to heal and breathe.  Without sweating, the body can’t naturally rid itself of potentially harmful toxins.
• Natural deodorants allow skin to work naturally while reducing odor.
• Natural deodorants may need to be applied more than once throughout the day, but the health benefits are truly worth the extra effort.

Are you the outdoors fan who’s loved just a little too much by the bugs? Fortunately, nature almost always provides a solution. Learn about essential oils, vitamins and homeopathic remedies in this encore podcast presentation. Malia Curran, MS, MPH, is a nutrition and health consultant.

There are a few ways to keep the bugs away that change the taste of the skin:

• Taking B-complex vitamins and eating garlic and onions may make skin less attractive to mosquitoes.
• Avoid floral and sweet-smelling scents.
• Disguise your body scent and change the taste of your skin with essential oils that bugs don’t like. Essential oils for mosquitoes include citronella (lemongrass), evergreen and/or eucalyptus. Essential oils for biting flies include lavender, basil and/or geranium.
• Neem oil and geraniol (from lavender) are effective also.
• Look for a combination of these essential oils in products to keep bugs away.

Homeopathic medicines can help with swelling and stings from bugs:

• Ledum (wild rosemary) and Apis (from the honeybee) are two helpful remedies to try.

Tune in to learn about the important connection between your liver and weight control. Get the scoop on the role of healthy cleansing for weight loss, and pick up some smart tips for lasting lifestyle changes that help maintain healthy weight.

Dr. Holly Lucille is a licensed naturopathic physician, specializing in women’s wellness and family medicine. She is an expert on women’s health issues and past president of the California Naturopathic Doctor’s Association.