About
Local Foods Connection
Welcome!
We are Local Foods Connection, a group of Iowa City community activists
who donate fresh produce to needy families in southeast Iowa.
Our Purpose Since 1999
Local Foods Connection purchases produce, bread, eggs, meat and other
products from local earth-friendly farms and donates these goods to
families who cannot afford such nutritious, tasty and fresh food.
We provide opportunities for families to visit a farm and to learn
healthy cooking methods. With your support, we assist families in
need of a helping hand, strengthen our local foods network and empower
the farmers who live and work just outside of your neighborhood.
Click on the links below to read about our accomplishments in the
past nine years.
Families Who Care
Local Foods Connection works with families who, throughout a four-
to five-month period, are committed to preparing good, healthy meals
using our donated produce. We are matched with families who care about
what they eat and the environment in which they live with the help
of local charitable, religious, and social service organizations,
such as the Arc of Johnson County, the Johnson County Crisis Center
and the University of Iowa Lion's Club.
Our families include single mothers, immigrants, racial minorities
and people with exceptional medical needs. In 1999, 15% of the Johnson
County population lived below the federal poverty level. Another 12%
were eligible for food assistance programs. Limited household income
can hinder access to nutritious foods.
We enroll families in a community supported agriculture (CSA) program.
CSAs link people with their food, the land on which their food is
grown, and the farmers who grow and produce it.
Small Family Farmers
We purchase goods from farmers who use sustainable farming practices,
such as growing vegetables without chemical pesticides and raising
animals in a humane environment. Farmers in Iowa City, Solon, Brighton,
West Branch, Atalissa and Wellman provide us with fresh fruits, vegetables,
bread and eggs through CSA shares.
A share is a promise of a box full of fresh produce every week for
about twenty weeks. A box is filled with a mixture of vegetables ready
for harvest, from greens, turnips and radishes in the spring to squash,
eggplant and potatoes in the fall. Shares can include bread, eggs,
fruit and flowers. CSA members pay for their shares in the spring,
guaranteeing farmers the income to produce the crop, and CSA farmers
supply members with high-quality, affordable food throughout the growing
season. Local Foods Connection purchases chickens and turkeys from
Kalona farmers.
Our Future
For 2007, we plan to enroll 30 families and organizations in CSAs.
We will continue our expansion to Fairfield, North Liberty, and Des
Moines.
What You Can Do
You are invited to make a financial donation to Local Foods Connection
and to volunteer. If you know of an organization which might be interested
in referring a family to us, please request a Sponsor Form.
Your Donation
Your donation is safe: Local Foods Connection is a state-certified
non-profit organization. In addition, we are 501(c) (3) tax-exempt,
so your contribution is tax deductible. More than 90 cents of your
donation dollar goes directly to our families and local farmers, with
a small portion paying for office supplies.
