Community Food Strategies

08/28/2026

As part of the Roots of Resilience cohort journey, we explored the power of storytelling as a tool for evaluation.

Our facilitators introduced three methods that help rehumanize research and data through storytelling:

✨ Story Circles
✨ Ripple Mapping
✨ Fishbowl Dialogue

Each offers a different way to approach evaluation—one that restores the power to make meaning to the people whose stories and experiences are being shared.

People have always used stories to make meaning of our experiences, our communities, and our world.

Where does storytelling show up in your work—and what does it help you understand that data alone cannot?

08/26/2026

We gathered. We listened. Now, what comes next? 🌱

Throughout our 2026 Regional Food Gatherings, communities across the Triangle, Triad, Western, Northeast, Southeast, and Greater Charlotte regions came together to learn what Solidarity Economy has to offer food systems work and to prioritize what we want to build together with regional partners.

Let’s continue these conversations. Which of the shifts towards solidarity, care, and democracy feel most important for your community or region to explore next? And what would help make that shift possible? As a region, how can we work towards the top three topic areas?

Are there specific supports that ComFoodStrat could offer? Tell us below. 👇

Explore all six regional summaries and dig deeper into what we heard and learned here: https://communityfoodstrategies.org/2026/03/04/the-2026-regional-community-food-gatherings/

08/18/2026

We asked Dr. Elliott Royal, Executive Director of the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition and a member of our Roots of Resilience cohort, to share what the cohort experience has meant and the connections made that will have a lasting impact.

From expanding their bee process and providing opportunities for youth entrepreneurship to building relationships with food systems leaders and organizations across North Carolina, those connections are helping strengthen the work well beyond the cohort itself.

Did you participate in the Roots of Resilience cohort? Tell us how it has helped cultivate impact and connection within your organization or community.

08/15/2026

🐝 Happy World Honey Bee Day!

We’re celebrating the tiny pollinators that play a mighty role in our food systems. Honey Bees and pollinators of all kinds help our gardens, farms, and communities thrive. A resilient food system depends on healthy ecosystems, biodiversity, and the amazing folks who care for them. Let’s protect the pollinators that help keep our food systems buzzing. 🌱

08/14/2026

Community-powered food systems? Very chic 🌱

08/12/2026

This is a friendly reminder that the Q3 Local Food Coalition Network Call is in 1 week! 🌱

Connect with food coalition partners from across the state as we reflect on key themes from this year’s Regional Gatherings, hear a food policy update ahead of the November election, and share ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping local food systems.

📅 Wednesday, August 19 | 10:00–11:30 a.m.

We hope you’ll join the conversation! Register Now at the link or visit https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/VbZBoerfRiiW_GxQNreX6A #/registration.

08/10/2026

We’re grateful that Community Food Strategies team member Nathalie had the opportunity to attend the Bearing Witness Vigil hosted by the National Farm Worker Ministry on July 24.

The vigil honored farmworkers who have lost their lives due to heat stress and unsafe working conditions, bringing together community members, faith leaders, and advocates in remembrance and solidarity.

We’re thankful for spaces like this that call us to bear witness, stand alongside farmworkers, and continue advocating for safer, more just working conditions for the people whose labor is essential to our food system.

08/07/2026

In 2025, we deepened our commitment to racial equity, solidarity economy frameworks, and food labor justice alongside our incredible partners and communities of practice.

🔗 Review the 2025 annual report to see our impact, what we did, and where we are heading next in 2026: Link below!

As a community-led project, we value collective learning, reflection, and adaptive responses that bring new practices, always working towards closer alignment with our values. In 2025, we did just that.

08/06/2026

Behind every meal is the hard work of farmworkers who help nourish our communities every day. On Farmworker Appreciation Day, we celebrate their invaluable contributions and recognize that a stronger, more equitable food system starts with valuing the people who make it possible. 💚