Thank you for another great year!
Thank you for another great year!
Community Food Initiatives
CFI Newsletter, December 2021  
Nurturing Hope: A Note From Maribeth

December 21, 2021
The energy of a bustling morning at the Farmers Market, the sweet tang of the first bite of a homegrown tomato, the excitement of a green seedling poking up through the soil, the comfort of sharing a homemade meal with a friend. These are the aspects of food that feed both our bodies and our spirits. These are the moments that help us feel connected in our community and at home in the world, and they are at the heart of the work of Community Food Initiatives.
As a member of Community Food Initiatives, your support to grow and share the harvest doesn’t only help prevent hunger; it also nurtures hope. Each dollar you invest helps provide crates full of local produce, storage space for donations, supplies for classroom lessons, and fuel for the CFI truck to travel to pantries. It also provides nourishment that improves families’ health, knowledge that increases beginning gardeners’ confidence, networks that increase cooperation between neighbors, and moments of beauty, connection, and joy that strengthen our community in deep, long-term ways that can’t be measured strictly in numbers.
Please join us in investing in the health, strength, and resilience of the local food system with a donation to support CFI’s work. Donate online by clicking here, or send a check in the mail to Community Food Initiatives, 94 Columbus Road, Athens, OH 45701.
Thank you for being part of growing and sharing the harvest this year and in years to come.

With gratitude,
Maribeth Saleem-Tanner
Executive Director, Community Food Initiatives
Our 2021 Story
The work we do goes far deeper than numbers, but the numbers are still fun to see!  To help you see the full story of joy, hope and nourishment that your support makes possible, we’ve also included a photo gallery of some of our favorite 2021 memories. Here’s a snapshot of what we accomplished in 2021 thanks to you all:
  • 80,500 pounds locally grown/produced food distributed through Donation Station;
  • 2358 volunteer hours served;
  • 1471 garden-starter seed packets and 1800 plant starts distributed through our spring garden giveaways;
  • 36,355  pounds seed potatoes distributed to gardeners throughout the region;
  • 17,000 pounds of fresh, local food distributed and 1,634 customers served through Veggie Van markets held weekly in Glouster, Nelsonville, and Coolville, June through November;
  • $12,000  invested into our local economy (including Chesterhill Produce Auction, Athens Farmers Market, and local food producers like Shagbark Seed & Mill);  
  • 101 Community Garden plots farmed;
  • 17 garden education events held for community members;
  • 6 classrooms received a 9-video series of garden education lessons;
  • 100 in-person school garden lessons taught.
2021 Photo Gallery
Below you'll see some of the work we did at the Chesterhill Produce Auction, in community gardens, at the Athens Farmers Market, at school gardens, harvesting at local farms for Donation Station, and other various community events.  Thank you for growing and sharing with us! 
What Else?
Donation Station is at the Athens Farmers Market  every Saturday all winter long, and we happily accept produce purchased at market!  Just buy something to share when you're picking up your own supplies and bring it to the Donation Station table.  You can find us just inside the mall entrance.
There's always more happening at CFI than we have room to share here.  Be sure to follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. 
Looking for different ways to help the CFI garden grow? Visit our website for information about our programming and to see how you can get involved. 
Make Your End of Year Donation
Community Food Initiatives
cfi@communityfoodinitiatives.org
740.593.5971
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94 Columbus Rd
Athens, OH | 45701 US
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