NWI Food Council

09/02/2026

📣 Board Applications Are Now Open!

Are you passionate about strengthening our local food system and helping shape the future of food in Northwest Indiana?

The NWI Food Council is now accepting applications for its Board of Directors for terms beginning January 2027.

We’re looking for thoughtful, engaged leaders from across our seven-county region who are ready to bring their ideas, experience, and perspective to the table.

🌱 Lake • Porter • LaPorte • Newton • Jasper • Pulaski • Starke

Experience in nonprofit work, food systems, fundraising, public policy, business, or community leadership is valuable—but it’s not required. A commitment to our mission and a willingness to contribute and collaborate matter most.

🗓 Apply by September 14, 2026
👉 Learn more and apply: https://forms.gle/HQU1kFuHJw9B1Jow8
Help us cultivate a just, thriving, and regenerative food system for Northwest Indiana. 💚

09/01/2026

Looking for a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon? Bring the whole family to Tomato Fest 2026! 🍅

Spread out your blanket, kick back by the lake, and enjoy an afternoon celebrating Northwest Indiana’s farmers, food, and community.

There’s something for everyone:

🎨 Children’s art activities
🪁 Kite flying
🏆 Co****le, giant Jenga, Connect 4, checkers & more
🎶 Live music
🍅 A tomato tasting featuring more than 2 dozen varieties!
🧺 A relaxed picnic atmosphere by the lake
🥕 Local food and artisan vendors

It’s been a challenging season for many of our local farmers. Tomato Fest is a chance to gather, enjoy the fruits of their hard work, and show them a little love. ❤️

Pack your lawn chairs or a blanket and make a Sunday of it!

📅 Sunday, September 20
📍 Big Maple Lake
🕛 12:00–4:00 PM
🎟️ General Admission: $10
👧 Children 5 and under attend FREE!

Every ticket helps the Northwest Indiana Food Council strengthen our local food system and support the farmers who feed our region.

Come play. Come picnic. Come taste your way through more than two dozen tomatoes. 🍅

https://bit.ly/4g9wOnK

09/01/2026

Cooking Up Big Things for LaPorte School District Cafeterias 🍅 🍏

Farm to School Coordinator, Veronica Jalomo, recently sat down with LaPorte Food Service Director, Cindy Vondra to plan an exciting lineup of Farm to School activities for the upcoming school year. Together they are cooking up some great ideas to bring fresh, local flavors and hands-on learning to students across the district.

Want to learn more about LaPorte's Farm to School Programming? Join us on Sept. 25th for our Farm to School FarmHop.

https://bit.ly/4qFjpHw

LPCSC Slicer Cafe

08/28/2026

Starting at 1PM! We’ll see you soon!

Join the Shirley Heinze Land Trust Agricultural Land Program and the Northwest Indiana Food Council for an engaging afternoon at Oases Botanic Gardens in Gary, Indiana. Together, we’ll explore how urban agriculture, farmland preservation, and community partnerships can strengthen local food system...

08/27/2026

This is Farm to School in action! 🌽✨

Huge shoutout to the LaPorte High School FFA and the LPCSC Food Service team for showing us what a truly local food system looks like. Growing, harvesting, and serving 1,000 ears of fresh sweet corn straight to students’ lunch trays is no small feat—it takes passion, hard work, and real collaboration.

When students grow food for their peers, it nourishes the entire community. Incredible work, Slicers! 👏

Want to learn more about LaPorte's Farm to School Programming? Join us on Sept. 25th for our Farm to School FarmHop

https://bit.ly/4qFjpHw

08/26/2026

Join the us and the Shirley Heinze Land Trust Agricultural Land Program for an engaging afternoon at Oases Botanic Gardens in Gary, Indiana.

Together, we’ll explore how urban agriculture, farmland preservation, and community partnerships can strengthen local food systems and create more resilient communities.

Participants will tour the Oases Botanic Gardens urban farm, featuring edible and medicinal plants, while learning how the Northwest Indiana Food Council supports food security, community health, and local food access. Along
the way, hear from Oases leaders about the planning, partnerships, and stewardship that sustain a successful urban farm and community gathering space.

Through interactive discussion stations, participants will explore topics such as succession planning, conservation practices, and what it takes to build resilient food systems that can serve communities for generations to
come.

Whether you’re a gardener, farmer, conservationist, or community member, this event offers a unique opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and leave with practical actions you can take to strengthen your own garden, farm,
or community.

Participants are invited to bring an optional dish to share featuring a favorite garden vegetable, fruit, herb, or other seasonal ingredient. Together, we’ll celebrate the flavors of the season while learning from one another.

Come ready to taste something new, experience something different, and join the conversation.

This event will take place outdoors. Please dress appropriately for the weather. Please note that restroom facilities may be limited or unavailable on-site.

Register Today!!

Join the Shirley Heinze Land Trust Agricultural Land Program and the Northwest Indiana Food Council for an engaging afternoon at Oases Botanic Gardens in Gary, Indiana. Together, we’ll explore how urban agriculture, farmland preservation, and community partnerships can strengthen local food system...

08/26/2026

Farm to School FarmHop is next month!! One of our stops is De Jong Farm! Join us and see Farm to School in action!!

https://bit.ly/4qFjpHw

08/19/2026

There’s nothing better than fresh tomatoes, local food, and a beautiful September afternoon spent together. 🍅

This has been a challenging season for Northwest Indiana farmers and families, with storms bringing uncertainty and loss across our region. Tomato Fest is a chance to come together, enjoy the harvest, and show up for the farmers who help feed our communities.

Join us for Tomato Fest 2026 on Sunday, September 20, from 12–4 PM at Big Maple Lake for an afternoon of good food, music, family fun, and community.

🍅 Taste more than 2 dozen varieties of tomatoes
🧺 Enjoy a picnic (byo or purchase) and lawn games
🥕 Shop with local food vendors and artisans
👨‍👩‍👧 Bring the family for fun activities
🤝 Connect with neighbors and celebrate our regional food system

Every ticket supports the Northwest Indiana Food Council’s work to strengthen our local food system and support regional farmers—especially during a difficult growing season.

🍅 General Admission: $10 (Children 5 & under FREE)
📅 Sunday, September 20
📍 Big Maple Lake
🕛 12:00–4:00 PM

Come hungry. Come curious. Come celebrate our farmers, our harvest, and our community—one tomato at a time. 🍅❤️

https://bit.ly/4g9wOnK

08/18/2026

We’ve been thinking about all of you. ❤️

Our neighbors, our community partners, our farmers, and the families and businesses who were in the path of last week’s devastating storms.

The storm blew through Northwest Indiana while our staff was at the Region Roots Food Hub packing Farm Club boxes. We watched the weather deteriorate around us and quickly realized this was something much bigger than a bad storm as our staff battled their way home through debris and downed trees. And like so many of you, spent the days that followed navigating power outages, checking on family and neighbors, assessing damage, and trying to figure out what came next.

At the same time, our farmers were facing their own challenges. Crops were damaged. Fields were hit and the impacts rippled through the local food system immediately. Many crops can only be grown once in a season.

Schools that had just placed their first orders for students returning to school were suddenly unable to accept more fresh food. Farm Club deliveries were disrupted. And we had farmers with food that had been grown, harvested, packed, and ready to feed our community, needing help to get food to people who lost all their food in the storms.

The Northwest Indiana Food Council is not an emergency food distribution organization like the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and all our other pantry partners. But we are—and always will be—one of the strongest advocates for our small farmers and our small farm community.

Our mission is to build a food system where farmers can make a living while our communities have access to the freshest, most local food possible—especially our neighbors who are most vulnerable. So when the storm disrupted the normal channels, we did what we could to keep that food moving.

We are incredibly grateful to Nurse-Family Partnership and Fuzzyline Brewing for jumping in with us to make sure food that could no longer go to Farm Club members and schools could still reach people through fresh food boxes and free prepared meals.

This is what a local food system is supposed to do. It’s supposed to be connected enough that when one part is hit, the rest of us can step in.

We are still working through hit after hit with our farmers, and we know many of you are, too. The road ahead will not be easy, and the impacts of these storms will be felt for a long time. Neighborly love and local food goes a long way. 🌱❤️

If you'd like to make a donation, please visit https://www.nwifoodcouncil.org/donate

08/18/2026

Come join us for food, air conditioning and fun!

✋☀️ BINGO IS BACK THIS WEEK!

High Five Summer is still rolling, and we’re bringing another round of bingo to The Design Barn on Wednesday, August 19! 🎉

This week, we’re teaming up with the NWI Food Council to co-host a night of bingo, food, drinks, and community fun! ❤️

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 ALL AGES WELCOME
🎟️ FREE admission
💰 Donations are welcome
🚪 Doors open at 5 PM

Come early, grab some grub and a drink, find your lucky seat, and get ready for the numbers to start gettin’ called!

Bring the whole crew, bring your lucky charm, and come hang out with us for another High Five Summer night at The Design Barn.

📅 Wednesday, August 19
📍 The Design Barn

Let’s keep the summer rolling! ✋☀️