For immediate release
Blacksburg, Virginia—The Appalachian Foodshed Project (AFP) has awarded grants to 9 community projects that seek to enhance community food security in West Virginia and the Appalachian region of North Carolina and Virginia. Funded projects are building on the work that is already happening in the region, while increasing access to local fresh foods, creating new opportunities for collaboration, and building capacity for advocacy and action.
“These projects all address community food security in some capacity and are wonderful examples of the creative food systems work in our region. We are excited to support efforts that truly embody the innovative spirit of Appalachia,” said AFP director Susan Clark.
According to AFP stakeholders, community food security involves:
- Ensuring that healthy food is accessible and available to all community members
- Empowering communities to determine where/how to focus work for food system change
- Cultivating ecologically and financially sustainable agriculture
- Balancing food security and farm security
- Engaging youth and young people
- Fostering a healthier community
- Working for justice and equity
A total of $56,000 was awarded to projects in the three-state region:
North Carolina
- Bountiful
Cities
Apprenticeship
Program
Lead Organization: Bountiful Cities
Counties Represented: Buncombe
$6,000
- WNC Youth-Led Food Access Project
Lead Organization: Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!)
Counties Represented: Buncombe, Cherokee, Graham, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Swain, Yancey
$6,000
- Toe River Food Security Network. Changing Collaboration.
Lead Organization: Toe River Food Security Advisory Team
Counties Represented: Avery, Mitchell, Yancey
$6,000
West Virginia:
- Alderson Community “Food Access for All”
Lead Organization: Alderson Community Food HUB
Counties Represented: Greenbrier, Monroe, Summers
$6,300
- SAGE, or Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurs
Lead organization: CADCO Foundation dba the Charleston Area Alliance
Counties Represented: Kanawha
$3700
- Farm to Pantry Matching Program
Lead Organization: Monongalia County Family Resource Center
Counties Represented: Monongalia, Preston, Marion
$10,000
Virginia:
- Regional Food System Council: Strategic Planning to Enhance Development & Organization
Lead Organization: Appalachian Virginia Food System Council
Counties Represented: All Appalachian Counties within Virginia; Alleghany, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Roanoke, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, Wythe
$5,000
- Healthy Food Production By, and For, Food-Insecure Rural Families
Lead Organization: Grayson LandCare, Inc.
List Counties Represented: Grayson County
$6,500
- Putting Local Food to Work: A Community Kitchen in Prices Fork
Lead Organization: New River Valley Planning District Commission
List Counties Represented: Montgomery, Pulaski, Giles, Floyd
$6500
The Appalachian Foodshed Project (AFP) is a collaborative effort among community-based organizations, three universities (Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, North Carolina State University) and Cooperative Extension in West Virginia, and the Appalachian regions of North Carolina and Virginia. The AFP’s mission is to help create a place-based food system that is resilient, accessible, affordable, and healthy for Appalachian communities. This USDA funded initiative aims to facilitate a network of organizations and individuals working to address issues of community development, economic viability, health, nutrition, food access, social justice, and agriculture in western North Carolina, southwest Virginia, and West Virginia. To learn more, visit www.appalachianfoodshedproject.org.
For more information, contact:
Susan Clark, Director, Virginia state lead, (540) 231-8768
sfclark@vt.edu
Cheryl Brown, Co-Director, West Virginia state lead, (304) 293-5461
Cheryl.Brown@mail.wvu.edu
Michelle Schroeder-Moreno, Co-Director, North Carolina state lead, (919) 513-0085
michelle_schroeder@ncsu.edu
Nikki D’Adamo-Damery, Deputy-Director, (540) 231-2264
nikkid11@vt.edu