Dear Friends of Local Food Hub,

For almost a decade now, Local Food Hub has worked hard to improve Virginians’ access to locally grown food, as well as help the small family farmers who produce it. We endeavor to strengthen the health of our community and environment through nutritious, well-grown food. Our work is made possible through the support of visionary people like you who believe that, through better food and farming, we can create a better world.

In 2018, the Local Food Hub partnered with more farms than ever before, and we grew our customer base and year-round product offerings. Our Fresh Farmacy program, which strives to supply underserved and at-risk members of our community with good food, has steadily grown. The foundation of all of our work is a community that believes in the importance of local food and small farms, and is willing to invest in a transformative vision of the future.

With gratitude for all that we have accomplished, together.

Warmly,

Kristen Suokko
Executive Director 

Growing Safer Food

Nationwide food-safety outbreaks  in 2018 illustrated the truth in our founding belief. People turned to local food as the safe option because it comes from farms they know, and ones that produce smaller quantities and move them to market quickly. During the food-borne pathogen outbreak in romaine lettuce in the fall, grocery stores and other Local Food Hub partner buyers reported a marked increase in the sale of local products. Our sales to one buyer alone increased 35 percent over a two-week period. Partner farms also reported receiving direct requests for the sale of their safe alternatives.

Despite government regulations, food-safety breaches will continue to occur in an industrial food system. We remain committed to working with small family farmers to provide clean, high-quality and safe products that are the bedrock of a healthy local food system.

Lisa Reeder: An Enduring Legacy

For years, one remarkable woman, Lisa Reeder, spearheaded the vision and implementation of Local Food Hub’s food access programs. In October 2018 the Virginia food and farming world experienced an enormous loss with Lisa’s unexpected passing. Lisa was a tireless advocate for small farms and healthy eating. She spearheaded some of our most important programming, including the Fresh Farmacy program, which in 2018 provided 250 at-risk participants with 14 shares of fruits, veggies and other local products, along with storage and preparation advice. Last year, Lisa expanded the program to include basic nutrition education and laid the groundwork for an exciting initiative serving recipients of the Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program, thereby ensuring that young children are exposed to healthy eating habits.

Lisa’s hallmark was building bridges with like-minded organizations. Under her direction, Local Food Hub formed valuable relationships with organizations including the PB&J Fund and City Schoolyard Garden. Through these partnerships, Local Food Hub has been able to participate in programs such as Harvest of the Month, which provides monthly samples of produce to schoolchildren throughout Charlottesville. Lisa also worked diligently on Farm to School Week, an annual initiative to get more local food into schools. Just weeks before her passing, she streamlined the ordering process to maximize ease and efficiency, and she personally participated in multiple school programs throughout the week.

An enthusiastic participant in the regional food and agriculture community, Lisa served on multiple coalitions, including Move2Health, the Charlottesville Food Justice Network and Chesapeake Foodshed Network. Lisa’s legacy is one of catalytic community partnerships and a thoughtful and strategic vision for the future, one that we are proud to carry on.