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Initiative to Help Grow the Local Food Sector is Holding Info-Gathering Sessions
There is strength in numbers. While the efforts of individual people and organizations have moved us closer to a better food system, I believe strongly that greater collaboration among us will accelerate the growth of a genuine Good Food movement.
So I was pleased to learn about the Illinois Food System Roadmap initiative that is about to launch a series of information sessions in locations around the state and online.
The first meeting will take place in Rockford on February 19. For Chicago-area residents, the second meeting will be part of the 19th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit, to be held March 14 in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood. The first online meeting will be on March 22. (The full schedule and a link to register are below.)
Here is how the project — presented by Chicago's Experimental Station non-profit — is described on its website:
Join us to build a local, sustainable, resilient Illinois foodshed — we need your input, your intel, your collaboration.
Supported by grant funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Experimental Station has convened a Task Force with an initial six-month goal of information gathering — what would an Illinois Food System Roadmap look like; what are the initiatives already underway in the state to improve the food system; who’s working with whom; what are the needs and gaps? This initial phase will not develop a complete Roadmap but will instead lay the groundwork for future development.
A roadmap would bring Illinois in line with many other states. 18 state plans have already been developed to grow their local food systems, and 11 more are in the process of developing (as of 2021 survey).
The following graphic shows what the project managers are seeking to learn in this first round of sessions.
The schedule, in chronological order, is as follows:
February 19, Rockford, 3-5 p.m.: Rockford City Market, 116 N. Madison St.
March 14, Chicago, 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.: South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr.
March 22, online, 9-11 a.m.
April 3, Downs (near Bloomington), 3-5 p.m.: Epiphany Farms, 23676 E. 800 North Rd.
April 8, online, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
April 23, Makanda (near Carbondale), 3-5 p.m.: Blue Sky Vineyard, 3150 S. Rocky Comfort Rd.
May 1, online 6-8 p.m.
May 14, online, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Click the button below to register for any of these events.