Community Food Initiatives

News and Events | Autumn 2025

Greetings,

As autumn begins to paint Southeast Ohio in brilliant golds and reds, we’re reminded of the beauty that comes with change—and the strength that grows from community. This season offers more than just crisp air and colorful leaves; it’s a time to gather, reflect, and celebrate the connections that nourish us all.

We’re thrilled to invite you to our Local Food, Local Folks Fall Fundraiser on October 19 from 4–8 PM at Jackie O’s Taproom. This family-friendly event will feature kids’ activities, a fabulous silent auction, a mini farmers market, and of course, incredible local food. It’s a chance to support the work we do together—building a resilient, equitable food system in Appalachian Ohio—while enjoying everything that makes this season (and our community) so special.

Thank you for being part of our vibrant and growing community. Your support makes everything we do possible—from garden programs and food access initiatives to celebrations like our upcoming fundraiser. We look forward to seeing you this fall and continuing to grow together.

Be sure to read on for more details about the fundraiser, other exciting upcoming events, and to catch up on all the incredible work CFI has been up to this summer!

With gratitude,
Sarah Grace (she/her)
Executive Director

Join Community Food Initiatives at the Jackie O’s Taproom on Sunday, October 19 for good food and good company! CFI will be hosting a mini farmers market, kids activities, a silent auction and more as a kick off event for our annual fundraising campaign. Mark your calendars and invite your friends!

Sunday, October 19
4-8pm
Jackie O's Taproom
25 Campbell Street, Athens

Contribute to the Fall Fundraiser
Are you a local business, farmer, artist, or community member who would like to contribute to the Local Food, Local Folks Fall Fundraiser? Please contact Sarah at cfi@communityfoodinitiatives.org to sponsor the event or donate an item for the silent auction. Thank you!

Valerie Locke
Garden Education Coordinator

Nick Mulally
Food Access Coordinator

In early September we welcomed COMCorps members, Valerie Locke and Nick Mulally, to the CFI team. COMCorps, an AmeriCorps program supported by ServeOhio, focuses on food insecurity, nutrition education and social connectivity. During their term members create and support social and physical environments that promote good health and wellness for all. 

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Nick and Valerie – we are so excited that they chose to bring their skills and experience to CFI!

If you see them out in the community during one of CFI's events, be sure to say hi and thank them for their service!

Seed Saving with Lindsay Klaunig

Learn the several techniques for how to collect, clean, dry, and store seeds from your garden plants, ensuring a sustainable source of seeds for future plantings.

Canning with Nick Arnold

Learn how to safely preserve your summer bounty to enjoy during the off season. We will learn the techniques of water bath canning while making our own salsa to take home.

Fermented Hot Sauce with Adam Kody

Learn about safety, sanitation, and the science behind fermentation while learning how to make your own hot sauce from scratch and take home a bottle of your own.

Kimchi with Irene Kim Chin

Honor the tradition of kimjang, the centuries-old communal practice of preparing and preserving kimchi for the winter. Make a jar of kimchi to ferment & enjoy at home.

August was a busy month for Donation Station, as produce season is in full swing. We traveled to 4 different markets (Athens, Marietta, Beverly Waterford and Nelsonville) buying food for our food access and pantry partners. Appalachian Accessible Food Network service members, CFI board members and community volunteers also harvested over 500 lbs of vegetables that our team has been growing on CFI’s plot at Rick Vest’s farm.

Share Your Harvest
Have extra food that you’ve grown or purchased that you’d like to share with community members in need of fresh food? We’re here to help!

You can donate produce at the Donation Station at Athens Farmers Markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9am-noon.
Thank you!

As the summer growing season wraps up we invite you to continue sowing, growing and sharing the harvest with us in season extension beds at the Discovery Gardens on Mondays and Fridays.

Follow the link to sign up for a time to garden, we'll be happy to see you there!

And in October, join us for Make a Difference Day projects! We will be building and planting deep garden beds at the Discovery Garden to extend the growing season to year round gardening.

We've had a fabulous Veggie Van season with nearly 2,000 visitors at our weekly Coolville, Glouster and Nelsonville markets. The Veggie Van's mobile market season wraps up in a few weeks on October 10.  Please make a plan to stop by and pick up a free, reusable tote bag with any purchase while supplies last! 

Tuesdays until Oct 7
3:30 – 5:30 PM
Canal Carry Out Lot, E Canal Street

Wednesdays until Oct 8
3:30 – 5:30 PM
Across from the Coolville Public Library

Fridays until Oct 10
3:30 – 5:30 PM 
Glouster Memorial Park

In addition to our weekly market locations, the Veggie Van hosted pop-up markets in Chesterhill, McConnelsville and Pomeroy. The Veggie Van will host a special event in Belpre on September 22.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to CFI during our Bouquet Benefit! So far we have created and distributed over 30 bouquets to community members, including teachers and school staff who received flowers as an appreciation gift to start the school year. 

If you haven’t yet, there’s time to donate and receive one of these beautiful arrangements for pickup on Saturday 9/20 at the Athens Farmer's Market or to have them delivered to a local teacher or school staff. 

Sprouts is Back in the Garden!
Sprouts kicked off this month, and both kids and teachers were thrilled to get back into their school gardens! We started strong with crowd favorites like garden scavenger hunts and cucumber taste tests. This week, we’re digging up potatoes, planting fall crops, and snacking on sweet cherry tomatoes—yum!

More Teachers, More Garden Time!
We’re thrilled to share that more teachers than ever are reaching out to bring their students into the garden! It’s inspiring to see so much enthusiasm for outdoor learning, hands-on experiences, and connecting kids with growing food. We’ve already had some amazing classes join us, and the garden is buzzing with energy!

Little Gardeners, Big Discoveries!
We’re excited to be partnering with local preschools to bring our youngest learners into their gardens! Through interactive activities, sensory exploration, and lots of curiosity, these little gardeners are discovering the joys of nature one tiny seed at a time.

Have extra seeds? You can donate unopened seed packets at CFI’s Donation Station booth at the Athens & Nelsonville Farmers Markets. This past Spring, CFI distributed over 7,000 seeds in partnership with Athens County Public Libraries and the Donation Stations food access partners.

Please contact gardens@communityfoodinitiatives.org to coordinate.

Please consider making a donation to support our mission to foster communities where everyone has equitable access to healthy, local food.

Community Food Initiatives
94 Columbus Road
Athens, OH 45701
740.593.5971
communityfoodinitiatives.org

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