.png)
We are so grateful to our community for the continued and deepened commitment to leverage the power of local food. Thanks to your kind support, we made significant leaps in 2018. This year, we:
* Embarked on a Community Food System Strategic Plan in partnership with University of Idaho and Blaine County Food Council - collaborating with more than 40 farmers, ranchers, wholesale buyers, and other stakeholders to identify actionable projects to strengthen our regional food system.
* Launched a new website with more resources to connect consumers to good food grown in our community - including 63 listings in our new Fresh Food Guide and 224 events promoted through our Local Food Event calendar.
* Provided critical support for the 2018 Hemingway FarmRai$er, which earned a record $31,121 in total sales and donations, generating $14,538 for local food producers and $16,733 for Hemingway school programs.
* Introduced and made a strong case for the inclusion of responsible regional food procurement in Blaine County School District’s food service management Request for Proposals.
* Applied for and received a grant to purchase and install aeroponic Tower Gardens for fruit and veggie production in 4 public school classrooms.
* Held 3 Elevated Table dinners to connect community members with homegrown food and the farmers who produce it.
* Showcased 19 farmers and 13 restaurants in our annual Wood River Valley HarvestFest event.
* Procured more than 2,500 pounds of regionally produced food for our summer and fall events.
* Deposited more than $30,000 into our regional food economy through our food procurement initiatives.
* Played key role in organizing a local food system workshop attended by more than 45 farmers and other community stakeholders.
* Worked with Wood River Farmers’ Market and University of Idaho to initiate a rapid market economic analysis to determine the economic benefits of keeping the Ketchum market in Town Square.
* Attended 7 conferences, workshops and webinars to deepen our knowledge of value chain coordination, the economics of local food, soil health, and more.
* Participated in Blaine County Resilience Workshops process with Sun Valley Institute and Blaine County to help shape and inform community projects to benefit local food and lasting quality of place.
Huge gratitude to our farmers, donors, community partners, and volunteers for all the effort to drive us toward a safe, healthy and responsible community food system that benefits our families, economy and environment. We depend on you to do what we do. Here's to more good food and continued progress in 2019!
