Community Food Initiatives

05/28/2026

National Pollinator Month -a month to celebrate and protect birds, bats, bees, butterflies and other pollinators that sustain our local ecosystems -begins next week. Join Rebecca Wood and Chris Kline this Saturday, May 30 for a guided walkabout and workshop to learn more!

Here's the link to register for this free workshop: https://www.givepulse.com/group/294916-community-food-initiatives

05/23/2026

Our friends at Rural Action are hosting a native plant sale. Today! 10-2 at UpCycle Ohio Thrift Store
Support local ecosystems and the work Rural Action does in our community.

🌿 Native Plant Sale 🌿

Bring your garden to life! Support local ecosystems, attract pollinators, and grow something beautiful with a selection of native plants.

05/23/2026

Shoutout to the The Wildflower Legacy Foundation for generously providing scholarships to our Sprouts Summer Garden Camps!

The Wildflower Legacy Foundation thrives on providing children in our community opportunities to be a part of something--a camp, sport, lesson, and more--no matter the cost! They provide the fees, gear, equipment, and whatever else is needed for this to happen. The Foundation was started in honor of a healthy Hattie Jean White, who was stillborn in 2021 a few days from full term. Hattie's parents longed to see her participate in camps and sports and because they will never be able to, their mission is to make sure other parents and guardians get to watch their child(ren) do something they love or try something new. If you would like to learn more about their mission, visit their website www.wildflowerlegacyfoundation.com

05/22/2026

☔️ Rain or Shine 🌞 the Veggie Van travels to Glouster on Fridays for the mobile pay-what-you-can-market.
Our team will be at Glouster Memorial Park from 3:30-5:30 with fresh, locally grown strawberries for sale.

And we will have an assortment of plant starts to share including sweet and jalepeno peppers, cucumbers, beefsteak and roma tomatoes, squashes, corn, swiss chard and cabbage.

05/22/2026

Our friends at Rural Action are raising funds to provide food to households experiencing food insecurity.

Rural Action's Sustainable Agriculture team sources the local food each week for Community Food Initiatives to distribute at Veggie Van locations in Coolville and Glouster.

Donate here: https://givebutter.com/local-food-for-all-copy-4avkj8

We are raising funds to support food insecure households with a weekly bag of fresh produce and a whole loaf of bread. Produce is grown locally by producers at the and bread is baked with local ingredients by . Our Sustainable Agriculture team sources the local food each week and packs it into abundant shares for the recipients. Community Food Initiatives then distributes these shares on their Veggie Van in Coolville and Glouster.

Donate here: https://givebutter.com/local-food-for-all-copy-4avkj8

05/21/2026

Meet in the Discovery Garden for a walkabout to inventory common pollinators - birds, bats, bees, butterflies and more! - and talk about the role they play in nectaries, insectaries, pollination and the food web.
Use this link to register for this free workshop: https://www.givepulse.com/event/836965-birds-bats-and-bees

05/20/2026

We're loaded up with plant starts and on the road to Coolville for opening week of the Veggie Van mobile market season!

05/20/2026

It was really great to see so many of you today at Opening Day of the Veggie Van season and this evening's potluck and plant start giveaway!
In case you missed it, the Veggie Van will be in Coolville tomorrow and Glouster on Friday.

05/18/2026

Today we're celebrating Golden Trowel winner, Krista Brewer and her business Happy Snacking! Krista selected CFI to be the recipient of her October Snack it Forward fundraiser and donated $800+ to benefit CFI's Annual Plant Start Giveaway. Thank you! Join Krista and CFI for the potluck and plant start giveaway at 94 Columbus Rd, Athens, on 5.19.26, 5:30-7 pm Happy Snacking Athens

05/16/2026

Today kicks off the announcing and celebration of our Golden Trowel Awards! Over the next several days, we'll be recognizing community members who have gone above and beyond for CFI. We couldn't do what we do without the help of these amazing folks! Award Recipients will also be recognized on Tuesday at our Plant Start Giveaway.
Today we're celebrating the Cornish Family! For 3 years, Rachel, Matt, and their kids have grown hundreds of heirloom tomato plants to sell, and then donated the proceeds of the sale to CFI. Thank you!