Our Story
Our mission is to implement a thriving local food system that ensures access to healthy, affordable food through education, outreach and strategic relationships.
Our Goals
1. Implement and foster a thriving system through our Local Food System Committee with various initiatives:
Farmer Education
GAP Certification
Shared Use Kitchen / Co-packing
Connecting food suppliers with consumers
2. Educate Johnson County residents about access, use, and production of locally produced food through our Outreach Committee on social media and in monthly meetings
3. Develop and maintain mutually beneficial, strategic relationships with our Food Access Committee:
Food Rescue
Food Pantry
Gleaning
Help us accomplish accessible, affordable food for all Johnson County residents.
Johnson County Food Council History
2016-2017
In 2016 and 2017 staff from Johnson County observed that several communities across the state were hosting local food summits in an effort to create a more connected food system. After consultation with Jodee Ellett, Purdue Extension Local Food Program, it was agreed upon that hosting a community food summit would be an ideal place to start to educate and engage stakeholders in Johnson County. Together, we recruited a planning committee and moved forward to develop realistic goals and activities for the initiative.
The goals of the 2017 Johnson County Local Food Summit were to 1) identify elements of a local food system, 2) establish connections within Johnson County’s food system, and 3) understand the connection of health and the economy through local food.
After nearly six months of planning, the Food Summit brought together 58 individuals for a day of learning, engaging in meaningful conversations, and making valuable connections.
After the event, the planning committee convened to review evaluation results and outline next steps. Results overwhelmingly revealed that stakeholders want to continue the local food conversation in Johnson County. The committee is exploring the development of a food council, considering tangible strategies to support healthy food access, and working to identify additional partners.
2018
A second local food summit was held on October 3, 2018 at Franciscan Health with 38 attendees. The goals were to:
Establish connections within Johnson County’s food system
Discuss the economic benefits of local food
Define food councils and the role they play within a community’s food system
Learn from other communities working to strengthen their local food system
Next steps included convening a call-out meeting on January 31, 2019 to form a local food network.
2019
In January 2019, a call-out meeting was held for individuals interested in forming a food council in Johnson County. Over 30 people, from local farmers to food pantry leaders, attended the meeting. Since then, a group of dedicated volunteers have been meeting regularly.
2020
The Johnson County Local Food Council continues to grow. This year brought many exciting new changes. New leadership - Amy Root, with a background in community leadership and engagement, began as chair. Thanks to Aspire Johnson County's community engagement team, the Council's first website was created. The Council also started a Facebook page and hosted a screening of the documentary, Sustainable, at the Artcraft and promoted a Plant a Row for the Hungry initiative.
Monthly meetings highlighted guest speakers on topics like school food service, farmers markets and entrepreneurship as well as the Purdue Extension Master Gardener program.
2021
The mission of the Johnson County Local Food Council is to implement a thriving food system for our county that ensures access to healthy, affordable food through Education, Outreach and Strategic Relationships. To help further the mission, the Council applied for, and received, a food council development grant from Indiana Grown in March 2021. The grant will help improve the Council’s website, educate consumers on the importance of buying Indiana Grown products and spotlight Indiana Grown members in the county, as well as pilot a nutrition incentive program at the Franklin Farmers market.
Monthly meetings featured guest speakers from the Society of St. Andrew, Spotted Pig Farm, the Well-Watered Garden Initiative, Michelle’s Little Free Pantry, Farm to School, and more.