How North Carolina’s Caswell County Local Food Council builds community through locally grown produce
Two bites. That’s the rule.
If kids take two bites of the featured produce at the Caswell County farmers’ market, they get $5 to spend on a locally grown delicacy of their choice.
Sometimes, the produce of the day is a kid favorite, like strawberries. Other times, it’s a strongly flavored vegetable, like kale or sweet onion, which gets mixed reviews.
“It’s so cute to watch the kids’ faces when they eat vegetables,” says Amanda Hodges, a board member with the Caswell County Local Food Council, the North Carolina not-for-profit that hosts the weekly market.
The Two-Bite Club makes kids want to “come back the next week,” Hodges continues. “And they bring their parents, who bring their friends, who bring their neighbors. We’re building community through healthy food.”
Community-building is what drives the food council and its three core programs—a free monthly community lunch, donations of local produce to county food pantries and the farmers’ market. These initiatives support local farmers, many of whom operate family farms on small acreages, and help residents with food insecurity, education and healthy eating.
“We are a food desert,” Hodges explains of Caswell County, located on the Virginia border.
“We have one grocery store, and we cover a big area. People traditionally go outside of our county or into another state to buy food. We want our local community to realize we have great sources of local fresh food here,” she adds.
As a not-for-profit, the food council relies on donations and grants to pursue its good work. Enbridge Gas North Carolina recently contributed a $10,000 grant to support the organization in its goal to build a vibrant community through healthy food grown by local farmers.
Their efforts are working. The farmers’ market, now in its 14th year, continues to expand, attracting more local farmers and neighbors. The community lunch, founded in 2015, is attended on average by 40 to 60 people of all walks of life who enjoy conversation over a delicious, healthy meal. The food council’s donations to community groups help stock six food pantries with locally grown food, ensuring those facing food insecurity access healthful produce.
“We are an agricultural county. We’re helping farmers make money while helping the community,” Hodges says.
“We want people to realize they can eat locally and eat healthy and fresh,” she continues. “If you need produce, if you need protein, we have farmers who are growing what you need.”
(N.B. All images courtesy Caswell County Local Food Council.)
