For Immediate Release

Preparing produce at the Chesterhill Produce AuctionThe Plains, OH — Did you know that for just $15 you can provide a week’s worth of fresh, local produce to someone who might not have access to healthy food otherwise? Rural Action and Community Food Initiatives have partnered again this year on Local Food For All, an initiative designed to counter food insecurity in Appalachian Ohio.

The initiative, fueled by donations from individuals, businesses, and members of the Chesterhill Produce Auction Buying Club, ensures that fresh, local produce is delivered directly and at no cost to people who need it.

“Local Food For All provides multiple benefits,” says Tom Redfern, Rural Action’s Director of Sustainable Agriculture. “We’re delivering healthy food for people who might not be able to find or afford it otherwise, and the donations from the campaign are spent with local farmers, which boosts the farming economy.”

Rural Action and Community Food Initiatives use donations from Local Food For All to purchase produce directly from farmers at Chesterhill Produce Auction, a social enterprise of Rural Action. The food is then taken to people in Glouster and Coolville via CFI’s Veggie Van.

Rural Action and CFI have raised funds for this initiative for a few years now, bringing more and more fresh, local produce to community members each time. “The veggie bag program really helped our family. It enabled us to eat healthier. On a very tight budget we cannot afford the amount of veggies we ate last summer,” a recipient of produce shared last year.

Local Food for All is striving to raise $5,000, which will purchase more than 350 half-pecks of fresh local produce. For a donation of $60, Local Food For All can feed someone for a month while $345 will provide produce for the entire season. No amount is too small since every dollar donated translates into about a pound of produce.

Contribute to the Local Food for All partnership and support our community and our farmers. Visit ruralaction.org/donate/local-food-for-all to donate.

Rural Action is a regional community development organization with a 32-county footprint working with members and community leaders on a range of quality of life, environmental, and economic projects across rural Appalachian Ohio. Its mission is to build a more just economy by developing the region’s assets in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. Learn more about Rural Action at www.ruralaction.org

Community Food Initiatives (CFI) has been growing and sharing the harvest since 1992. CFI fosters communities where everyone has access to healthy, local food. The organization seeks to improve access to an equitable, inclusive, and thriving local food system in Appalachian Ohio. Learn more at www.communityfoodinitiatives.org/

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CONTACT

Tom Redfern
Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Director
tomr@ruralaction.org
740.677.4047 ext. 600