If you are interested in knowing how LFC runs behind the scenes, this blog lists of some accomplishments and activities for one day. To protect the confidentiality of our clients and some of our colleagues, we do not list every activity in these posts. Also, some activities are too boring to include – such as purchasing stamps at the post office! Even though this blog is written by LFC’s Executive Director, Laura, the work described is done by many people and volunteers. All photographs are copyrighted and not for public use.
1. Responded to a request made by the administrator of LFC’s Facebook page, Natalie, to help her update the site. This will be a continuing process.
2. Continued conversation with the faculty member who teaches the Art & Ecology class at the University of Iowa. In this class, upper-division and graduate students explore environmental themes in their work. Structured as a collaborative, creative research group, the Art & Ecology course explores artistic responses to the environment and related social issues. The students examine key themes in environmental discourse in the first half of the semester, paying particular attention to how artists have engaged them. Then they will choose the themes for the course based on preliminary presentations and an extensive bibliography of written texts and art work. Recently, the class became a capstone projects course for the university’s sustainability certificate program.
-Sent Sarah lots of information and resources to follow-up with topics and questions brought-up during our class presentation yesterday.
3. Made appt. to introduce Farmer Susan to an enthusiastic LFC farm volunteer who wants to work on farms even during the winter!
4. Continued work with some of our volunteer dietitians. LFC offers its clients education on such topics as nutrition and farming, in addition to providing them with food from local farms. As part of this educational program, we prepare 10 to 20 Food Facts Sheets every year. These fact sheets contain information on individual produce items, such as broccoli and okra, as well as larger health topics, such as “warming foods and cooling foods.” Each of these pamphlets is either reviewed by, or written by, a registered dietitian. We mail these pamphlets to our clients along with a quiz. Our clients complete the quizzes and earn points towards the purchase of kitchenware. Our volunteer dietitians have begun work on this years’ Food Facts Sheets.
5. Called Senators Harkin and Grassley to ask them to support the Growing Safe Food Act (S 2758). Providing training and technical assistance to farmers engaged in on farm processing is essential to good economic development and safe, local and healthy food. (Laura made the call speaking as herself, not on behalf of LFC. But I think this is an important issue for you to learn about!)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) supports S 2758 as opposed to S 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act. The NSAC fears that S 510 will cause too great of a regulatory burden on small farmers, especially those using organic farming methods. Learn more about their concerns here (look under “Whats New”):
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Website
