Neighbor Loaves (& Meals) Update

It’s been nearly a year since the Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative launched our version of Neighbor Loaves to include restaurant meals and other prepared foods that use at least 50% local staple crops. In the last month, another bakery, a restaurant and a grocer have joined Neighbor Loaves & Meals (NLM). The Athens Bread Company has been offering a sliced sourdough Red Fife bread, Casa Nueva is cooking up their vegetarian chili, and Kindred Market is making a black bean burger. All of these items are available for purchase online!

NLM is now partnering with Community Food Initiatives to pick up directly from these businesses at least once a week and then distribute them through their network of food access sites.

To date, more than 1,500 Village Bakery loaves of spelt bread have sold to customers whose purchases added up to more than $7,500. This means that neighbors who depend on supplemental food received sliced whole grain bread.

“This program could not happen without the team of local businesses, farmers and food access programs working together,” said Michelle Ajamian, network manager of ASFC. “Next, we want to find a way to develop and fund prepared food that can be a regular part of the meals at local schools, like breakfast muffins and taco bar beans.”

Want to know more? Email us HERE with Neighbor in the subject field.