New Growth in Your
North Oregon Coast Food Community
The North Oregon Coast is home to a diverse and thriving group of farmers, fishers, foragers, and food-makers who produce foods that are accessible for all of us here, regardless of who we are, our financial means, and our cultural backgrounds. Local food is a pillar of our regional economy and culture, and is a visible contributor to our ecological and economic resilience. This is the vision.
In an exciting and thoughtful move to further foster this vision, North Coast Food Web (NCFW) invited Food Roots into their home. NCFW is an organization you may be familiar with that is based in Astoria, Oregon. Our missions, visions, and values align well, with focuses on supporting local producers and expanding local food equity. With a history of sharing knowledge and resources, a geographically expanded home is a natural evolutionary step towards achieving a comprehensively cared for and resilient food ecosystem in which local producers are better supported, and food access is more bountiful. Moving forward, the merged operation of North Coast Food Web and Food Roots will be led by NCFW Executive Director Jesse Jones, a resourceful, inspiring, strategic, and warm-hearted powerhouse in our North Coast food community.
Families’ desire for local produce, milk, meat, and fish is a large part of what has made efforts to increase local food access and equity successful. While each NCFW program develops and bears fruit, local products are available for you to shop, often daily, up and down the coast—we encourage you to explore them! If you live in or near Astoria, head to the NCFW weekly online market to order, and pick up Thursdays at 1450 Exchange Street, Astoria.
Of course, food producers are the backbone of our community food ecosystem. They nourish people, while cultivating our community’s economy and resilience to environmental influences that restrict food pathways into our coastal region. Each of your contributions enhances our food system, whether through volunteering, donating, forming organizational partnerships, purchasing local food, or participating in local food programs. Your support nurtures a community rooted and invested in a mutually beneficial relationship between local food suppliers and neighbors. If you want to be involved, please reach out to Lindsay, Food Roots' former executive director, at Lindsay@northcoastfoodweb.org.
Increasing support to producers by expanding food access initiatives is a long process all of us are committed to in building a lasting food web. We ask that you expect success to occur in pockets because it cannot happen everywhere at once. Jesse expresses that, “Organizational evolution is rarely a straight line, and it requires a deep trust in the vision we share.” Graham Allan, who has been Food Roots’ Interim Board Chair, adds, “There is commitment to building upon the deep foundations Food Roots and NCFW have built to date, and we see exciting opportunities for the combined organization ahead.”
We invite you to venture forward with us into growing a united, robust, and resilient North Oregon Coast food system.
With appreciation,
Food Roots Board and staff