Community Food Projects

Every child deserves healthy, sustainable food. Toxic Free NC is here to help you start a food project in your community that connects small, sustainable farms with moderate and low-income families. Check out the resources on this page for ideas, and contact us to get started!

Toxic Free NC believes that every child in North Carolina deserves to eat fresh, healthy food that was not grown with toxic pesticides. But, the reality is that cost and inconvenience put locally-grown and organic foods out of reach for many NC families. Let Toxic Free NC help you start a food project in your community that gets more healthy and sustainable food to more people. Contact us to get started.

Community food projects meet the needs of "eaters" and farmers:

• Eaters. Many families, foodies and "eaters" of all kinds are looking for easier, more affordable ways to get fresh, high-quality food that is grown using just and sustainable practices.
• Farmers. Small and medium-scale farmers are looking for steady markets and fair prices for their produce so they can maintain a healthy business and keep their land.

Meanwhile, buying and eating local helps to keep more food dollars in the local economy, and cuts down on needless cost and pollution from food transport.

Eaters, farmers and gardeners all over the state - and all over the world - are putting their heads together to start food projects in their community that get more good food to eaters in innovative ways. These food projects break out roughly into three types:

1) Farm-to-Consumer: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model that's really taking off in NC, as well as farmers' and tailgate markets. Churches, child care centers, schools and office buildings are getting in on the act, too, by hosting tailgate markets or CSA pick-up spots in their lobbies or parking lots. This makes it extra convenient for their members, parents or workers to get that healthy food for their families and support a local sustainable farmer. Some even sponsor participation by their low-income members. Here are some resources for starting Farm-to-Consumer projects like these:

• Join a CSA Action Alert from Toxic Free NC
• Resources for Congregation-based food projects from Come to the Table
• Tuv Ha'Aretz network of Jewish "Congregation Supported Agriculture" projects from Hazon
• Workplace CSA at RTI International
• Establishing and Operating a Community Farmers Market from University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
• Starting a Farmer's Market the Right Way from the Rodale Institute
• 21st Century Farmers Markets program from Leaflight, which enables farmers markets to accept food stamps, debit and credit cards.

2) Farm-to-Cafeteria: Connecting the cafeterias at schools and universities, child care centers, hospitals or office buildings with local farmers so they can offer healthy, sustainable foods from local farmers as part of their menus. Some resources for starting Farm-to-Cafeteria projects:

• Growing Minds Farm-to-School program from Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
• Farm-to-School and Farm-to-College resources from the Community Food Security Coalition
• Resources for Campus Food Activism from the Real Food Challenge.
• Farm to Cafeteria resources from World Hunger Year

3) Community Gardening: Neighbors share a parcel of land and gardening supplies to grow their own food. Many community gardens are located in church yards, school yards, city parks, outside apartment complexes, and on other open plots of land in the community. Some community gardens also grow food for sale, or for donation to local food pantries. Some resources for starting Community Gardening projects:

• Starting a Community Garden, from the American Community Gardening Association
• Community Garden Start-Up Guide from the University of California Cooperative Extension
• Community Gardens program from NC Cooperative Extension
• Seeds, Hope and Concrete community gardening support program from Heifer International
• Listing of Community Gardens in NC from NC Cooperative Extension

Toxic Free NC is available to help you start a food project in your community! Please contact us if you're interested.

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