Locally
Delicious, a nonprofit organization that works to support a sustainable local
food system, has produced the Local Food
Guide since 2017. Established as a resource for the community to access
information about local, organic and freshly prepared foods, the guide lists
Humboldt County farms, bakeries, markets and more. It’s designed to help visitors
and residents alike find restaurants that source local produce and seafood, and
to shre information about CSA (community supported agriculture) memberships and
how to eat seasonally on the North Coast.
“The Local Food Guide shines a spotlight
on our vibrant local food scene,” says Locally Delicious founding member Ann
Anderson. However, fellow member (and Journal contributor) Pat Bitton says, “we’re all seniors now and
it’s simply too much work for our core team…, not to mention the distribution
challenges we’ve encountered this year because of COVID-19.”
After four
years, Locally Delicious is ready to pass on the project to an organization
with more energy and resources. In 2021, publication of the Local Food Guide will be taken on by
another nonprofit organization, Cooperation Humboldt. With a focus on building
a “solidarity economy,” Cooperation Humboldt is already invested in food and
sustainability programs like community gardens and fruit trees, Free Little
Pantries, and Food Not Lawns. Read more about Cooperation Humboldt’s roots and
programs here.
“We’re
taking on this project because a strong, sustainable local food system is a
critical piece of our organization’s vision to transform our bioregion into a
thriving and regenerative society,” says Cooperation Humboldt’s Tamara
McFarland. As the food and garden programs coordinator, McFarland hopes to
enhance the education component for homesteaders and backyard gardeners who
have grown in number during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ll be
keeping many aspects of the existing guide, including the directories, while
adding information to help readers understand how critical it is to work toward
true food sovereignty at this moment of climate chaos and societal
uncertainty,” says McFarland.
During the
transition, members of Locally Delicious will support Cooperation Humboldt as
they take on the significant work involved in publishing the annual guide.
“We hope there
will be many more successful Local Food Guides in the future,” says Anderson.
This article appears in Maze of Measures.