Light up the grill and celebrate locally sourced food for National BBQ Day on July 13th.

Meal Exchange’s National BBQ Day, proudly presented by Napoleon Gourmet Grills, will be asking people to celebrate locally grown food with a BBQ and a few friends in their own backyard this year.

“National BBQ Day is a great excuse for a BBQ get-together but also for a chance to support local farmers and producers - by grilling fresh, locally sourced food,” said Peter Kapler of Meal Exchange. “Supporting locally grown food benefits your food system, your local economy as well as your taste buds. On July 13, head to your market and local butcher and bring some delicious food back to your backyard for a fun grilling experience with friends.

To support National BBQ Day, Napoleon Gourmet Grills is giving away a Napoleon Prestige® Series 500 Grill to a lucky BBQ host who registers his or her home backyard BBQ at www.NationalBBQDay.ca.

“At Napoleon Gourmet Grills we love National BBQ Day and we are proud to be a part of the excitement once again this year,” said David Coulson of Napoleon Gourmet Grills. “It’s a great idea that’s fun for everyone involved and is easy to do. Even if you don’t have a BBQ, find a friend that does, bring the food and make a party out of it.”

National BBQ Day is inviting everyone to become an integral part of the local food movement by hosting their own event, or attending one, with as much locally raised and grown food as possible.

“Sustainable food farmers, producers, processors and retailers need our support,” said Kapler. “It’s important that we try and buy a little more locally sourced food whenever we can. Our hope is for National BBQ Day to help raise awareness about how easy, fun and delicious it can be to go local.”

On July 13th, invite your friends to your backyard BBQ and celebrate Canadian grown food and maybe even win a new BBQ for yourself - just for taking part in the fun.

For more information and to register your backyard BBQ and be eligible to win a Napoleon Prestige Series 500 Grill, please visit www.NationalBBQDay.ca.

About Meal Exchange
Meal Exchange is a national youth-driven, registered charity that engages, educates and mobilizes youth to work with their communities in order to alleviate hunger locally and achieve food security. Its programs have been run in over 100 communities across Canada and generated over $3 million worth of food.

We believe that when you buy local, it’s not just the producers you are supporting; it’s the processors, the manufacturers, the distributors, the retailers, and all of the associated businesses. The entire local supply chain benefits and that’s money that stays in the community to help create jobs.

About Napoleon Gourmet Grills
It all began in 1976 when a small steel fabrication business launched by Wolfgang Schroeter started manufacturing in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. At that time, no one could imagine the incredible future that lay ahead. Since the first wood stove rolled off the production line over 35 years ago, Napoleon’s commitment was to be distinctive and successful in everything they do. Napoleon’s commitment to producing quality products combined with honest, reliable service has proven to be a successful framework to ensuring the continued rapid growth of the company. Napoleon® is an ISO9001 - 2008 registered company and now operates with 750,000+ square feet of manufacturing space and over 700 employees. We are North America’s largest privately owned manufacturer of quality fireplaces, gourmet grills, outdoor living products and a full line of heating and cooling equipment, sold in over 30 countries around the world.