PRODUCE TO THE PEOPLE!

Kitchen Table Talks is excited to announce its new partnership with the Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA). We’ll be co-hosting some events together and starting off with a great panel on Tuesday, March 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to discuss, “Produce to the People: New Ideas for Local Distribution.” The conversation will focus on alternative models for local produce distribution and will be held in the Port Commission Hearing Room on the second floor of the Ferry Building. The event is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required.

The Bay Area is fortunate to have abundant local produce available at multiple farmers’ markets and stores. But not everyone has access to, or can afford, farm fresh produce. Many restaurants and businesses also want to buy local, but don’t have the time or staff to shop locally. The conversation will tap into best practices and lessons learned from three of the Bay Area’s most interesting initiatives and address the creative ways these organizations are getting local produce to more people, including those in underserved and neglected communities.

Panelists include:
Grayson James, Executive Director of Petaluma Bounty, a non-profit organization that helps people grow their own healthy food, redistributes surplus food, and provides affordable fresh food to low-income families and seniors; Melanie Cheng, Founder of FarmsReach, a new online farm food marketplace that connects farmers to business buyers; and Christine Cherdboonmuang, Coordinator of Healthy Farms/Healthy Communities for Oakland’s East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) and the Oakland School District which works to bring farm stands directly to parents at 12 Oakland schools.

The panel will be moderated by Michael Dimock, President of Roots of Change (ROC), a nonprofit, organization whose purpose is to spawn a sustainable food system in California by the year 2030.

Please join us at 6:30 p.m. for our conversation; refreshments will be donated thanks to a collaboration with BiRite Market. As always, Kitchen Table Talks is a joint production of CivilEats and 18 Reasons.