Re-Focus to Local Projects
mo_tr...@msn.com
Tuesday, April 12th.
After reviewing our most recent projects, Soup Supper and Everybody
Eats, our attention moved to the up and coming season.
Conversation about the Farmers Markets opening in our area and ideas
to encourage folks to shop locally encouraged me.
At my recent presentation at the Everybody Eats Conference, I
presented statistics from our local communities.
According to our most recent census of 2009, if our community
households would commit just 10% of their food budget based on 9.3% of
their median income to their local farmers markets we could bring the
following revenue to our communities:
Williams County: $6,588,801
Fulton County: $7,453,620
Henry County: $5,131,795
Defiance County: $6,984,673
It makes more than "cents" to do this people it makes MILLIONS!!
How can we "re-focus" our attention to our local food projects in our
communities in our churches, at our schools, and in our business
organizations and ask them to spend just 10% of their budget on local
food?
Cynthia Poe
> communities in our churches, at our schools, and in our business
> organizations and ask them to spend just 10% of their budget on local food?
Very good question.
I think some progress can be made if we remember who's acquiring food for households. Is it a busy mom who barely has time to finish her errands? If so, she may disregard any appeal that requires her to go out of her way to buy "specialty" food. When I first started buying local food, it was kind of a nightmare to figure out which stores had local produce, and when they might have it, and how I could fit even more shopping errands into my routine.
There might be a way to position local foods as an easy choice, convenient to find, and of higher quality than imports. In the Toledo area, we're blessed with multiple farmer's markets, as well as The Andersons stores and MacQueen's orchard store. I know I can buy local apples and cider nearly year-round, so I rarely buy imports. It took me about two years to realize that local apples are plentiful AND convenient.
Then I started buying local eggs. Again, it took a year or so for enough vendors to bring a consistent supply to the markets. But now I know that I can get really great eggs locally, so if I have to skip a week I am willing to wait for the next opportunity. Between the three items (cider, apples, and eggs), autumn squash, and some Wood County beef, we are probably close to spending 10% of our grocery budget locally.
Other items are more in the hit-or-miss category: I catch them when I can, but am not interested in making multiple car trips to search them out.
In Defiance-Henry-Fulton-Williams counties, how convenient is it for the average shopper to find local food close to home, during her free time? Do the grocery stores carry local produce, or is all the action at the farmer's markets? I really enjoy stopping at farm stands when I'm passing through those areas, but I know that's not necessarily a viable shopping strategy for busy people.
Cynthia Poe
Toledo
On Apr 16, 2011, at 5:03 PM, mo_tr...@msn.com wrote:
> I was greatly inspired by our most recent ELF Network meeting on
> Tuesday, April 12th.
>
> After reviewing our most recent projects, Soup Supper and Everybody
> Eats, our attention moved to the up and coming season.
>
> Conversation about the Farmers Markets opening in our area and ideas
> to encourage folks to shop locally encouraged me.
>
> At my recent presentation at the Everybody Eats Conference, I
> presented statistics from our local communities.
> According to our most recent census of 2009, if our community
> households would commit just 10% of their food budget based on 9.3% of
> their median income to their local farmers markets we could bring the
> following revenue to our communities:
> Williams County: $6,588,801
> Fulton County: $7,453,620
> Henry County: $5,131,795
> Defiance County: $6,984,673
>
> It makes more than "cents" to do this people it makes MILLIONS!!
>
>
>
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Eating Local Foods Network" group.
> To post to this group, send email to eatinglo...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to eatinglocalfoo...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/eatinglocalfoods?hl=en.
>
Cynthia Poe
poel...@accesstoledo.com
mo_tr...@msn.com
searched the more resources I found.
I have personally come in contact with local farmers/producers in the
four county area that are already going around to area businesses
asking them to purchase their local food items they are producing.
Consumers need to step up and start asking for it so those in charge
will start seeing the importance as well!
This is a contagious effort!
We all need to catch the local food "bug."
First step: Make the decision to do it!
Won't everything else fall into place as the priority is shifted?
The Farmers Markets advertise in each area their times and location.
Eating Local Foods Network Website offers a directory of local
producers.
At www.localharvest.org you can search by zip code .
www.williamscountyalliance.com offers a directory which is in printed
form at local health food stores.
What about local restaurants? grocery stores? school lunch programs?
Places we already frequent.
What if we started asking those in charge whether or not local food
items are available on the menu? or in the produce isle? or on our
child's lunch plate at school?
On Apr 16, 9:49 pm, Cynthia Poe <poele...@accesstoledo.com> wrote:
> > How can we "re-focus" our attention to our local food projects in our
> > communities in our churches, at our schools, and in our business
> > organizations and ask them to spend just 10% of their budget on local food?
>
> Very good question.
>
> I think some progress can be made if we remember who's acquiring food for households. Is it a busy mom who barely has time to finish her errands? If so, she may disregard any appeal that requires her to go out of her way to buy "specialty" food. When I first started buying local food, it was kind of a nightmare to figure out which stores had local produce, and when they might have it, and how I could fit even more shopping errands into my routine.
>
> There might be a way to position local foods as an easy choice, convenient to find, and of higher quality than imports. In the Toledo area, we're blessed with multiple farmer's markets, as well as The Andersons stores and MacQueen's orchard store. I know I can buy local apples and cider nearly year-round, so I rarely buy imports. It took me about two years to realize that local apples are plentiful AND convenient.
>
> Then I started buying local eggs. Again, it took a year or so for enough vendors to bring a consistent supply to the markets. But now I know that I can get really great eggs locally, so if I have to skip a week I am willing to wait for the next opportunity. Between the three items (cider, apples, and eggs), autumn squash, and some Wood County beef, we are probably close to spending 10% of our grocery budget locally.
>
> Other items are more in the hit-or-miss category: I catch them when I can, but am not interested in making multiple car trips to search them out.
>
> In Defiance-Henry-Fulton-Williams counties, how convenient is it for the average shopper to find local food close to home, during her free time? Do the grocery stores carry local produce, or is all the action at the farmer's markets? I really enjoy stopping at farm stands when I'm passing through those areas, but I know that's not necessarily a viable shopping strategy for busy people.
>
> Cynthia Poe
> Toledo
>
>
>
>
> > I was greatly inspired by our most recent ELF Network meeting on
> > Tuesday, April 12th.
>
> > After reviewing our most recent projects, Soup Supper and Everybody
> > Eats, our attention moved to the up and coming season.
>
> > Conversation about the Farmers Markets opening in our area and ideas
> > to encourage folks to shop locally encouraged me.
>
> > At my recent presentation at the Everybody Eats Conference, I
> > presented statistics from our local communities.
> > According to our most recent census of 2009, if our community
> > households would commit just 10% of their food budget based on 9.3% of
> > their median income to their local farmers markets we could bring the
> > following revenue to our communities:
> > Williams County: $6,588,801
> > Fulton County: $7,453,620
> > Henry County: $5,131,795
> > Defiance County: $6,984,673
>
> > It makes more than "cents" to do this people it makes MILLIONS!!
>
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Eating Local Foods Network" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to eatinglo...@googlegroups.com.
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to eatinglocalfoo...@googlegroups.com.
> > For more options, visit this group athttp://groups.google.com/group/eatinglocalfoods?hl=en.
>
> Cynthia Poe