Community food-sharing opportunities allow us to gather together to support our community as a whole. Healthy Archuleta is partnering to host a Food Drive on Saturday, March 2 from 11:00am – 3:00 pm at the Pagosa Springs City Market. Those who are able to, are encouraged to share what they can to help the Food Distribution Center better support the Archuleta County Food Pantry Network, with foods that our neighbors can use.
Join Healthy Archuleta in supporting the food security of our local community. A collection table will be set up at the store with a list of food items that our neighbors can use this Spring and volunteers ready to collect donations. These items will help stock the shelves of the Food Distribution Center, which supports the food pantries in Archuleta County. Come participate in a community food sharing opportunity!
This event will support the seven Archuleta County food pantries:
- Amazing Grace Community Church
- Community United Methodist Church (CUMC)
- Our Community Eats
- Pope John Paul II Catholic Church
- TARA Community Center
- Socorro Senior Housing
- St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church
If you would like to make donations to the food drive outside of the hours, there is a collection bin at the UPS Office near City Market located at the front of the store.
Healthy Archuleta is also making plans for its bi-annual Food Summit in the County scheduled for May 11. The first Food Summit was held April 9, 2022 and based on a number of factors including a healthy attendance of approximately 110 folks and the unanimous declaration by those who completed the evaluation form that the event should be repeated, organizers declared this inaugural event a success. The program for that first successful event featured a speaker, storytellers and a panel; the format for this year’s Summit will change as planners take into consideration participant evaluations from 2022 requesting more time for networking.
What we are planning for 2024 is to once again to center the presentations around the community-based food system as a way to advance food equity. The food system shown here in this image highlights the different elements from growing and producing through processing for storage to marketing and distribution to eating and waste reduction. Plans are underway to use this food system model to provide structure with participant stories illustrating how we are all involved in the food system in our own unique and creative manner.
Additionally, we are planning to have the food system stories followed by facilitated breakout sessions based on areas of interest to participants. And what would be a local food summit without a meal that includes ingredients that are grown and produced by our community. To round out the morning, we are planning a facilitated Networking Lunch motivated by questions that have arisen during the previous proceedings. Throughout the morning participants will have frequent opportunities to develop, evaluate and/or become involved in community food system projects.
Healthy Archuleta invites any and all members of our community who have interest in the Food System to share information in helping to plan the Food Summit by contacting us at fsfearchuleta@gmail.com. Everyone else can note the date May 11 in their calendars and look for more details as we move forward. To learn more about the efforts of Healthy Archuleta please visit our website.
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Community Food Share for Supporting all the Food Pantries in Archuleta County: Food Drive March 2, 11:00am to 3:00pm.
For more information on the Healthy Archuleta Food Drive, visit https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org/food-drive.html