Good Food for All

Daily Digest: Illinois' Healthiest Counties, Farmers Market Forums, and Healthy Food Financing Initiative

The Obama Administration released more details on the Healthy Food Financing Initiative. 

Register here for an upcoming Farmers Market Forum in Carter, Rockford, Urbana, or Chicago, IL.  

View the new members of the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council.  The first meeting of the council will take place on Wednesday, March 3rd in Springfield, IL. 

Healthy Youth Partnership in St. Louis is organizing a Regional Food Summit next week.  

Chicago aldermen are proposing a ban on foam food containers in Chicago Public Schools. 

Suburban and small farming areas rank as some of Illinois' healthiest counties, according to a new report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

A new resolution in the Illinois General Assembly would create an identification system for sensitive crops in order to reduce chemical drift.  

Link to: 

Sustainable Food Jobs & Opportunities 

Daily Digest: Niche Meat Producers, Chicago Food Policy Summit Sessions and School Lunch Reform

Submit a proposal for a session at the Chicago Food Policy Summit, March 11-13, 2010. Proposals are due Jan. 22.  Download RFP for CFPAC 2010 Summit Sessions. 

USDA announced $25 million in grants will be available for schools to purchase new cafeteria kitchen equipment. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that obesity rates are starting to plateau. 

Growing Home is seeking farm assistants. Click here to download the job descriptions. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a RFP for the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) grant program.  Info sessions, application details, and community profiles are available here. 

How do mobile slaughter units actually work? Watch these videos to find out.  Below is Part 1. 

Daily Digest: Local Food Radio, 2010 FamilyFarmed Expo, and Chicago Food Policy Summit

Attention local food businesses and farmers: Save $100 on early registration (before Jan. 10) for the FamilyFarmed Expo exhibit.  The 2010 Expo will take place at the UIC Forum, March 11-13. 

Session proposals at the Chicago Food Policy Summit are due Jan. 11: Download RFP for CFPAC 2010 Sessions. 

Mike Nowak's recent radio show featured local food leaders in Chicago.  Listen here. 

A new EPA ruling would improve air quality, reducing the stunting of plants and trees. 

A new World Health Organization report cites local food as a way to improve food safety.  

Los Angeles Times has a piece about the nuances of the local food vs. Big Ag debate.  

Supporting local farmers is a first step, but focusing on local processing, distribution, and retail are equally important (via HuffPost).

Links to: 

Jobs & Opportunities 

Grants Database 

Daily Digest: Increasing locally grown foods, Conservation Stewardship Program, and TIME Cover Story

TIME Magazine's cover story outlines the hidden costs of cheap food and what some companies like Bon Appetit Management Company and Chipotle have done to shift towards more sustainable supply chains.  The video below features the increase in organic gardening among young people. 

Read more about the new law to increase demand and procurement of locally grown foods in Illinois. 

Chef Rick Bayless won the Top Chef Masters competition and his $100,000 prize will go directly to the Frontera Farmer Foundation, helping support Midwestern sustainable farmers. 

For the first time, USDA and Department of Justice will look at anti-competitive conduct in agribusiness, which could bode well for small-scale farmers. 

Farmers and ranchers can now sign up for the 2009 Conservation Stewardship Program, a comprehensive working lands program to improve natural resources (Deadline September 30). 

Local Food and Community Building Events Springing Up in Chicago and Beyond

Mark your calendars! Consider taking part in these upcoming FREE events throughout the Greater Chicago foodshed.  

Before Green City Market re-opens in its outdoor location in Lincoln Park on May 9, two more indoors farmers' markets will be taking place Sat. April 18th and Sat. April 25th from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. 

Alice Waters will be making a special appearance on Saturday, April 25th from 10:30-11:30 a.m. to sign her book, The Edible Schoolyard.  Check out the Waters' non-profit, Chez Panisse Foundation, which supports The Edible Schoolyard Academy, a two-day workshop series for educators on integrating local food curricula. 

Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd by attending the Green Town Hall with Chief Environmental Officer Sadhu Johnston at the Jefferson Tap & Grill from 5:30-8:30 pm. No Registration or RSVP. More information available at Foresight Design Initiative. 

The Garfield Park Conservatory will be hosting its Green & Growing Fair on Saturday, April 25th from 10:00-3:00 p.m. 

Take part in the Pembroke Township Earth Celebration Community Building Day on Saturday, April 25th.  The Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Renewable Living will be hosting a series of community projects at its Pembroke location in Hopkins Park, IL.  Take a tour of Iyabo Farms or participate in a sustainable building, agriculture, or renewable living tract. Email blackoakscenter at gmail dot com to RSVP and find out more information. Additional events will be on May 9, May 30, and June 13. 

Want to get connected? Be a part of building a stronger network and community in Chicago by attending the Community Weaving Experience on Tuesday, April 28th from 6:00-9:00 pm at Living Water Community Church, 6808 N. Ashland Blvd.  

Community Weaving is "an innovative approach to foster a community of responsible citizens who create Family Support Networks...fostering resiliency in our community and [which] taps the strengths and assets of caring neighbors who take responsibility for things that matter to us."  More information on volunteer training days will be forthcoming next week.