It’s March, and chances are students and non-students alike will be preparing for green beer and a Guinness toast on March 17. But while one may think March is only about the Irish patron of saints, Saint Patrick, this month has many more holidays and recognitions than we give it credit.
March is National Noodle Month in the United States. During this month, Americans also celebrate Brain Awareness Week, National Aardvark Week, National Procrastination Week and American Chocolate Week.
Among the quirky holidays in the third month of the year, March is also known as National Frozen Food Month. The National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association sponsors this holiday, marking this year as the 20th annual. The holiday began in recognition of frozen food sales being highest during the month of March.
For holiday moral, the NFRA is sponsoring the Golden Penguin Awards Competition. The NFRA Web site states that “the Golden Penguin Awards annually recognize the outstanding promotional efforts for March National Frozen Food Month in a number of categories for both retail and food service.”
Awards for the competition will be presented Oct. 19-23 in Las Vegas, during the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Convention.
March also recognizes those that dog sit, cat sit and feed our fish when we’re out of town during National Professional Pet Sitters Week. Pet sitters across the globe are sent bouquets of flowers during the second week of March.
The Pet Sitters International Organization in North Carolina celebrates this week, and provides ample pet sitting information on its Web site. Not only can you celebrate National Pet Sitters Week on the site, you can also locate a pet sitter near you, chat with fellow pet owners about caring for animals when you’re away, get information on joining the Pet Sitters International Organization and find out about attending the convention.
All month long, doctors and patients are celebrating March as Eye Donor Month. The Eye Bank Association of America was started in 1961 to promote “eye banks,” which are similar to blood and sperm banks.
According to the EBAA Web site, “the EBAA is the oldest national association of transplantation organizations in the United States.”
The Web site also gives readers insight to the need for eye banks with “eye banking community facts.” The facts include: eye banks provide 97 percent of all tissue needed for corneal tissue transplants, over 90 percent of donation calls from hospitals are transferred to eye banks, eyes are the most common donated solid organ and because of the great number of donation, there is currently no waiting list for eye transplantation.
March is a versatile month, honoring professions, organizations and hobbies of all kinds.
So while you’re busy celebrating School Breakfast Week, National Craft Month, Girl Scout Week and National Peanut Month this March, don’t forget about St. Patrick’s Day.