Food and community health will be the focus of an all-day conference put together by Allen County’s Growing Rural Opportunities Works Council (GROW) Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Fellowship Regional Church, 214 W. Madison Ave.
The summit will focus on specific policies that will help farmers grow healthful foods, especially fruits and vegetables.
The future of Kansas farms, food and community health will be rolled together in the Southeast Kansas Farm-to-Fork Summit. Following will be a family fun night from 5:50 to 7 p.m. at Allen County Farmers Market on Washington Avenue, two block east of the church.
The Farm-to-Fork event is the second in Kansas this spring to engage community members in dialogue about the current environment on Kansas farms, food and community health. The first was in Greensburg on April 29.
Debbie Bearden, Allen County Farm Bureau, and Damaris Kunkler, Thrive Allen County program director, set the stage for Thursday’s event by visiting with city councils through the county over the winter. They sketched GROW’s plans and sought input about local food and health issues. The Kansas Rural Center, Whiting, also will have a role.
In the morning, the Kansas Rural Center, Whiting, and GROW Allen County will provide information about initiatives, followed by a panel of SEK farmers who grow and market in the region, health professionals and other community experts. Panelists will tell the story of the regional food system and community health, which will set the stage for late morning and early afternoon discussions.
GROW Allen County seeks to grow rural opportunities and soon will launch a food policy council for the county.
