Seasons of Gratitude

Dear CFI Friends and Family:

Once again, it’s the time of the year when we gather around the table and pause to reflect on that which we are thankful for. This year, in addition to my family and friends, I’m thankful for the privilege to be part of a wonderful organization, Community Food Initiatives. It is truly an honor to work with such talented, dedicated and supportive staff, board members, volunteers and donors.

This time of year offers a special opportunity for all of us to reflect on our many blessings, and also to be mindful of those less fortunate who are struggling in Athens county and around the world.

I am so excited to be able to say that thanks to your generosity together we were able to do more than ever this year to make food accessible in Appalachian Ohio. However, there is still so much work to be done, Thanksgiving is an invitation to rededicate ourselves, each in our own unique way, to making a difference for the most food insecure members of our communities.

I hope you and yours had a very happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

MaryAnn Martinez

Executive Director, Community Food Initiatives

Spotlight

Special thanks goes out to Amanda Sharrai for all she did for CFI while serving on our board of directors. We wish her the best of luck as she moves on to do more great work in Athens! Among many other contributions, Amanda put in an enormous amount of time and energy to make our Harvest Celebrations a success. We will miss her tirelessly spunky spirit! Thank you, Amanda, for all you brought to CFI!

What's Been Shakin' at CFI

CFI is excited to be part of the Farm to School movement along with community partners such as Rural Action, Live Healthy Appalachia, ACEnet, and the Creating Healthy Communities Coalition. We are working with the Athens City School District nurses to offer a “Harvest of the Month,” taste test, where every elementary school student will be offered a sample of local produce. This month thanks to the above partnerships and the help of amazing COMCorps volunteers, many students discovered how delicious a freshly made, locally harvested sweet potato chip tastes!
The Chesterhill Produce Auction wrapped up in October and we attended our last Wednesday Athens Farmers Market for the year, which means Donation Station is entering Discovery Kitchen season! We're doing lots of educational outreach with community partners, including Live Healthy Appalachia, OSU Extension, and Ohio University. Watch Facebook for announcements regarding upcoming workshops!
Great spuds, was spring of 2019 really almost a year ago? Time flies when you're busy, and while it's hard to believe, we are already entering planning season for spring giveaway events! Stay tuned for dates and details.
There's always more! Stay informed with social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Warm Welcome

We're grateful and happy to welcome Ashley Prenatt, our new AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, to the team! Ashley will be with us for the next year, helping us build capacity in the area of food justice. You can learn more about Ashley on our website. When you see her at CFI events or out and about in the community, be sure to say hello!

Giving Tuesday

GivingTuesday is around the corner! Looking for a way to make a big impact with your gift? This Giving Tuesday the more money CFI raises with GlobalGiving, the greater the match we can earn. We have about a million reasons to be thankful this season, and the immense community support we experience is one of them!

You can help us share the harvest by clicking the image below:

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94 Columbus Rd
Athens, OH | 45701 US

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