Local Matters

06/11/2026

Local Matters programming is a wrap.
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We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to spend with the people of Whitehall, and we're glad that we could tie a bow on our work on the warmest, sunniest Friday before weekend storms rolled through. It's fitting that Local Matters' final event was a Veggie Van market getting produce directly to the people.⁠
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Our final tally tells us that we distributed over 3,100 pounds of good, fresh fruits and vegetables. Visitors to our tent got to shop our humble market completely for free thanks to Shine Bright Whitehall. Our friends at Conscious Alliance made sure that everyone walked away with pantry staples to compliment that lovely produce.

We're proud to finish things off on such a high note and in such good company. We're actively winding things down at Local Matters, but we'll still be in our office until the end of June. Don't be a stranger.

06/04/2026

It's been nearly a week since we announced the closure of Local Matters. It's been a difficult time for us, and your kindness has made a world of difference. We remain committed to finding ways to continue our work, and the number of caring people who responded to our announcement shows a community in good hands.

If you'd like to visit our final Veggie Van market at the Whitehall Big Summer Kickoff, come say hi to us at John Bishop Park in Whitehall tomorrow, June 5th from 5pm-8pm. Thanks to the Shine Bright Center, the market is FREE.

Prior to the announcement of our closure, we found a new home for Columbus Food Rescue at IMPACT Community Action. If your organization has the capacity to take on any of Local Matters' other programs, please get in touch with us. Contact Communications and Advocacy Manager Tom Miller at [email protected] if you'd like to start a discussion.

05/29/2026

Local Matters will close its doors this June. We never imagined we'd have to share this news, and we wish we could still serve this community as members of Local Matters. There is still much to be done to build a better food system, and we know that each of us will find a way to stay involved.

We're exploring options for program acquisition so critical food education, access, and advocacy programming can continue under another roof. If your organization has the capacity to take on any of our programs, please get in touch with us! Contact Communications and Advocacy Manager Tom at [email protected] if you'd like to start a discussion.

Thank you for everything.⁠
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Find the full press release through the link 🔗 in our bio. We'll continue to post a few things to memorialize the organization as we shut things down, so stay tuned.

05/18/2026

05/13/2026

We packed the Veggie Van with 78 bags of shelf stable ingredients at Cardinal Health last Friday. Thanks to a crack team of 20+ volunteers, what was originally scheduled as a 3-hour effort took less than an hour. Families visiting a local food pantry will walk away with rice, beans, oatmeal, peanut butter, jelly, pasta, flour, and more thanks to the generosity of the folks at Cardinal Health.

This effort involved individuals stepping up in a big way by giving less than an hour of their time to help make someone's access to food a little more secure.

05/07/2026

Local Matters educators have been busy. Real busy. The joy and insights that they teach about food are impossible to measure, yet we can share what one teacher had to say about our Food Matters program:

"As a teacher who majored in Food Science as an undergraduate, [Food Matters] is absolutely what students need to experience to learn how food is also science. Love it, and wish every classroom in every school could experience it with their students. Well done, Local Matters!"

As we navigate the funding crisis that threatens Local Matters' ability to stay open to maintain our presence in classrooms across our city, that kind of ecstatic feedback reminds us why we started educating in the first place.

04/24/2026

Students at Indianola Informal School were excited to learn about Blue Zones from educators Marlee and Eli. Blue Zones are areas across the globe that have higher-than-average populations of people 90+ years old due to factors like activity, social life, and diet. We know food, so the educators prepared a meal to give the students and staff a taste of Ikaria, Greece.

And let us tell you, the joy in that room was infectious. Teachers and students alike were beaming as they tried homemade hummus, fresh veggie and feta salad, and pita. Teachers sung the praises of Local Matters' Chef Korir, who supplied the homemade hummus for the lesson.

That's why Local Matters continues to show up: to bring global ideas to eager learners one room at a time. And when we share ideas, we build healthier communities.

04/17/2026

The Empowered! program gained nearly 30 new chefs this week. The Empowered! program provides young adults with hands-on experiences in clean energy and skilled trades. Local Matters educators Eli and Marlee showed participants the ins and outs of meal preparation skills, guidance on recipe substitutions via mock shopping, and the basics of the culinary arts.

04/15/2026

The Franklin County Local Food Action Plan turned 10, and with that celebration came the relaunch of the Franklin County Local Food Council.

The food system is in a constant state of change, and our neighbors--growers and eaters--are dealing with sudden, regressive shifts to the way they engage with food. The council represents a dedicated effort by local institutions, community farmers, market managers, growers, eaters, and more to examine our local food system to figure out what works and what needs to change for the better. This approach looks at our system from food production to food waste or, as we say: from seed to scrap.

There are solutions to the problems we face in the food system. There are answers to the questions we ask. Be a part of the solution, and ask those questions.

04/09/2026

We're tending to our growth this spring. There may still be surprises here or there, but we have deep roots and commitments we intend to fulfill--there are still beautiful bounties to bring to markets and there are still young people who dream about knowing more about their food, where it comes from, and how it nourishes them.

Our team will continue showing up with baskets of produce and the best food education curriculum you could wish for. When we invest in nutrition and learning, we build communities that are not only physically healthier, but also more stable, connected, and joyous.

This spring, we're fundraising to get through a difficult funding environment, and we're fortunate to be able to match all donations up to $75,000 thanks to long-time supporters Mike & Megan James and Kathy & Gary Flynn. If Local Matters has ever been a part of your story, we'd love for you to be a part of ours. Visit the link 🔗 in our bio to donate.