2006 Testimonials

These are statements written by adopted families about their experience of participating in the Local Foods Connection programs. All statements are anonymous on this web page; see back issues of newsletters for original publication.

1. My family and I enjoyed participating in the local foods program. My husband, who has had a lifelong dislike of vegetables, enjoyed the majority of the dishes I prepared using the CSA vegetable shares. We were even able to store some vegetables for winter: potatoes, corn, and green beans. Although our child is only three months old, the program has benefited her as well. I think that observing her parents eating vegetables will encourage her to eat them in the future. We have also processed some acorn squash into baby food and frozen it until she is old enough to try it. Thank you Local Foods for including us in your program, and thank you Oak Hill Acres for providing our shares.
   
   
2. Once again our family had a positive experience with the vegetable boxes this past summer. The boxes were filled abundantly and we enjoyed the variety. Sometimes we didn't know what a particular item was but we tried it anyway. (Sometimes with good success and sometimes not so good) We appreciate all the hard work and effort that goes into these boxes so that we can enjoy healthy eating. Thanks so much for the coordination of getting the boxes from the farmer to our house. It all went very smoothly.
   
   P.S.: The cooking contest was fun and gave me some good ideas. I would like to do that again.
   
   
3. I would like to thank the people at Local Foods Connection, for letting me participate one more year. I have learned so much about organic foods. I will try to buy organic whenever possible. You all have made a big difference!
   Happy Holidays!
   
   
4. My family's involvement in the Local Foods Connection program in Iowa City for the past few years is for sure one of the most exciting experiences of our stay in the U.S. so far. We are all impressed by the extraordinary dedication and enthusiasm of Laura Dowd in running the program, caring for others, striving to make needy people have access to earth-friendly foodstuffs.

   Beyond just providing us with healthier food, the program played an invaluable role in making us understand and value organic food, a unique experience that we wouldn't have had a chance to make anywhere else. The program enabled us to discover new types of vegetables and find out how to use them, to have access to healthy products including bread, eggs and meat, to learn several healthy cooking methods. In addition to that, the quizzes (that I always shared with my entire family) were remarkably instructive.

   Highly edifying and exciting were also the visits that we made to ZJ farms where we particularly appreciated Susan's friendliness, availability and patience in introducing us to farm work as meant for the production of organic food. Not only did we find her commitment and hard work profoundly inspiring, but we were all sincerely moved by her boundless generosity, especially in providing us with as much produce as we could carry home.

   Ultimately, what makes me and my family appreciate the value of the Local Foods Connection program to such a great extent is obviously the fact that we come from one of those parts of the world where access to the most basic foodstuffs is regarded as a privilege and never taken for granted. With such background, we can only be impressed and appreciative in seeing a program so strongly dedicated to providing needy people with free food. In various regards, the Local Foods Connection has been a perfect helping hand to us, at a time we needed it most. Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to Laura, Susan and all other actors of the program for their thoughtfulness and generosity. Our very best wishes to all of them in pursuing this wonderful program that deserves to flourish more than ever!

   Even away from Iowa (that you make us miss so much!), we'll always have all of you in our hearts! MERCI BEAUCOUP!

5. We at the North Liberty Community Pantry really enjoyed our partnership with Local Foods and ZJ Farms. Being a part of the Local Foods Connection allowed us to have far more fresh produce at the pantry than would otherwise have been possible. We have a refrigerator that is dedicated to fresh produce throughout the summer, and this enabled us to have it full each week. It was a great supplement to the individual donations we receive from community members. The descriptions of food and recipes we received with the material provided by Local Foods gave us the chance to educate the families we serve (and often ourselves) about the value of fresh foods and ways to prepare them. In some cases our families also offered us help and advice on what to do with vegetables such as mustard greens. It was a wonderful process and helped us to provide healthy fresh food for families that many would not have been able to afford otherwise.
   
   
6. I must admit I was not completely prepared. The Veggies came marching one by one, two by two and ten by ten. WOW! Soon my frig. was a jungle. Some of these things I had never gotten at the store and the ones I might have would not have been as fresh or as plentiful. My more recent idea of Veggies was carrots and celery (if that) or over cooked frozen ones... I did spend some time feeling overwhelmed. I was having some health problems over the summer so finding that extra creativity and energy was sometimes challenging. Who would have thought that Veggies could be challenging!
   I felt lucky, blessed and much admiration for those who had the inspiration and desire to grow food for the hungry. I did not expect an encounter with the profound, but I got it. And I was well fed :-)
   
   
7. Hi. I am 9 years old and we got fresh food from you guys. It was fun trying stuff that I have never heard of. My favorite was the sweet corn.

Hi. I am 13 years old and we got fresh food that was very good and I got to try new things I would have never thought of trying. My fave was the green beans and sweet corn. We went to the farm where the food was growing and we loved the animals, especially the dogs. The lady was really nice. We had a lot of fun.

I have always been mostly a meat eater; the veggie was basically a garnish. The farmer that brought us the food was very helpful in telling me how to prepare many of the items. The change in our diet was drastic but necessary because one of my children has been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and since implementing this new diet the symptoms have all but disappeared. Beyond that there are foods now that we really would not know existed but for this experience. I could not find a negative to our experience even if I were inclined to do so, and I thank all who participate in this program!