2010 • 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
Letter from Board Chair and Executive Director Local Matters’ rapid growth over the past two years is due in large part to the foundation on which the organization was built: a clear vision of local, wholesome food as the centerpiece of a healthy and vibrant future for Columbus and Central Ohio. Why do we focus on food? Currently, there are over one billion people in the world who are hungry while another one billion people are considered obese; it is clear that people across the globe don’t have access to a balanced food supply that meets their needs. Our challenge is to transform a food system that currently delivers cheap food but not healthful food—a system that has led our current generation of children to be the first with a life expectancy predicted to be shorter than their parents. Local Matters has distinguished itself as a leader by taking a broad view in our approach to system change. We are known for connecting the different elements of our food system by building trusting, long-term relationships with existing community organizations that share our values, and by listening to the wisdom that already exists within our communities. During the period from January 2010 until December 2011, Local Matters refined and expanded our core programming to reflect this comprehensive approach. We expanded and renamed Food Matters, our in-depth healthful foods program for kids; built up the infrastructure of the Veggie Van program; and established Growing Matters to support increased community food production. In 2011 we initiated our newest program, Cooking Matters, a national cooking curriculum that provides lower-income adults with the skills and knowledge to prepare delicious, healthy and affordable family meals. 2
This period of strategic planning and growth led to increased staff and partners, as well as the relocation of our office to the Near East Side of Columbus—a move that provided a physical presence in a community with which we work. With our current composition of programs, staffing and community engagement, Local Matters remains a nimble and efficient organization; we succeed by synergistically offering our programs within neighborhoods while redirecting resources to community partners who are the most appropriate stewards of the long-term well-being of their communities. Continuing to eat in a way that undermines our health, soil and energy resources cannot be sustained. The challenges of obesity and diabetes, hunger and poverty, struggling family farms and lack of healthy food access all have one thing in common: the need to change the way we feed ourselves. We invite you to join us as we build the capacity to transform our food system from one that is unhealthy and unsustainable to one that is more just, secure, prosperous and delicious!
In cooperation,
Joshua Gaines Board Chair
Michael Jones Executive Director
Contents PROGRAMS
4
Food Matters
6
Veggie Van
8
Growing Matters
10
Cooking Matters
12
Engagement & Partnership
13
The Greener Grocer
14
Financials
16
Supporters
18
Organization
Food Matters From 2008-2010, Local Matters used the Food Is Elementary curriculum created by Antonia Demas, Ph.D., to teach nearly 2,000 pre-K and elementary-aged students about the relationship between eating whole foods and their own health. In 2010 Local Matters created an independent curriculum that serves as the foundation for our Food Matters program and integrates our organization’s broader mission. The curriculum incorporates a greater presence of Ohio agriculture, basic ecology principles, and aligns with the greater effort for farm-to-school programs. Through the program, students understand not just the role that healthful food plays in the health of their own bodies, but also the importance of food to the environment and the local economy, from seed to table to compost.
camps, Head Start sites and Freedom Schools in summer of 2011—included a greater focus on ecology as well as hands-on outdoor lessons in learning gardens installed by the Growing Matters team.
Growing Matters Collaboration
Licensure and Looking Ahead
The establishment of Growing Matters in 2011 allowed us to expand Food Matters beyond the typical school year. The abbreviated summer program—offered to summer
In 2011 Local Matters began plans to offer Food Matters curriculum licenses for purchase; the license allows teachers and parent volunteers to teach Food Matters at their
A Food Matters class learns about the parts of a plant through dance
own schools. The licensure program creates a broader reach, allowing kids across the region to gain lifelong healthy eating habits.
“I know that she is learning and keeping the information about healthy foods because she talks about it all of the time at home. She wants to help more with grocery shopping and cooking in the kitchen...it is great to see her being so excited about healthy foods.” —Food Matters parent 4
Students learn the connection between healthy foods and strong bodies
2010–11
31 CLASSROOMS
2,000 KIDS REACHED
“Students who have had Food Matters in their classroom just have a higher level of understanding of what it means to make healthful choices.” —Kathryn Moser Principal, Indianola Informal K-8 School
PROGRAM SUMMARY Established in 2008, Food Matters is Local Matters’ longest-running program. At the center of Food Matters is a 24-week food and ecology curriculum that provides children with an understanding of what healthful food is, where it comes from, how it grows, and how to prepare it. The course covers the fundamentals of food preparation, safety and hygiene; USDA’s MyPlate; the taste and nutritive value of foods from around the world; and the basics of gardening and sustainable food production. In the second semester, children help prepare an entrée each week while learning about its history and traditions. Food Matters’ holistic, multicultural and multisensory approach has promoted dramatic dietary acceptance of diverse, nutritious foods among young children as well as their parents and teachers. The students’ appreciation and enthusiasm for fresh, healthy, locally-grown foods serves as a foundation for lifelong healthy eating habits.
The Veggie Van Lack of access to grocery stores that carry fresh, high-quality and low-cost foods in urban areas constitutes a significant risk factor for obesity and diet-related disease for neighborhood residents. These problems are exacerbated in low-income communities, where residents often lack transportation to travel to grocery stores with higher quality, lower-cost foods. Our Veggie Van program eliminates several key barriers to healthful eating—the difficulty of accessing fresh, local produce; lack of resources to afford those foods; and insufficient knowledge about preparing wholesome, simple meals.
party CSA,” with the bag’s contents sourced from a variety of producers.
Program History through 2011
Looking Forward
Since 2009 Local Matters has used The Greener Grocer as the hub for sourcing and packing the Veggie Van bags. In 2010, the Veggie Van moved under the umbrella of Local Matters programming, with Greener Grocer staff—along with a dedicated team of weekly volunteers—continuing to serve as the core support for sourcing and packing the bags.
In January 2012 Local Matters expanded the role of the Veggie Van Program Manager from a parttime position to a full-time position, allowing the program to expand significantly and increase its client base. Our goal in 2012 is to reach 500 families through 10 different delivery sites each week.
Originally conceived as a “mobile farm stand,” the Veggie Van’s model has evolved in response to the feedback and needs of the community. Local Matters partners with community organizations to host delivery sites serving the surrounding neighborhood. Like The Greener Grocer’s Market Bag, today’s Veggie Van bags are structured like a “third-
Along with Local Matters’ other core programs and initiatives to get more healthy, local foods in neighborhood markets and carry-outs, the Veggie Van is a key step toward creating neighborhood food sovereignty. Our long-term vision is a community that has both the access and resources to feed itself and eat well, thereby making delivery from a veggie van unnecessary.
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Veggie Van stop at Heritage Day Center
PROGRAM SUMMARY
2011 T H E
delivery sites
V A N
250 FAMILIES 2,711 BAGS 32,532 lbs of healthy food in kitchens
100
80
Families per week
6
V E G G I E
2011 Growth in Weekly Reach
60
40
20
0
Start 2011
End 2011
The Veggie Van program is Local Matters’ effort to address the critical issues of accessibility and affordability of fresh, healthful foods in many Columbus neighborhoods without access to grocers or other sources of fresh food. Veggie Vans deliver low-cost, pre-packed bags of the “good food”— kitchen staples of fresh fruits and vegetables— to partner sites in these neighborhoods. Veggie Van bags are priced at only $15 and community members have the option of using SNAP/ EBT benefits (formerly food stamps) to purchase the bag. Each bag is intended to provide fresh produce for a family of three to four. At each delivery site, Local Matters conducts cooking demonstrations using the contents of that week’s bag. These simple, healthy, and delicious recipes provide inspiration and basic skills-training for residents to feel empowered to cook for themselves and their families at home.
Growing Matters A fundamental step in building a local food system is increasing the quantity of fruits and vegetables grown locally. A greater supply of local foods helps eliminate several key barriers to the consumption of local foods, such as lack of transportation, limited purchasing outlets, and affordability. By engaging residents with learning opportunities and encouraging the collaborative sharing of resources, Local Matters facilitates relationships and encourages individuals to become leaders in regaining control of our local food system. This approach embodies Local Matters’ strategic areas of education, access and engagement, and comes together in the gardening and growing projects in our Growing Matters program.
Creation of Growing Matters Local Matters has been involved in creating, supporting and maintaining growing opportunities in Central Ohio for its entire organizational history. We believe that connecting education and food-production is essential to our mission of establishing the conditions for community food sovereignty and a thriving local food system. Between 2008 and 2010, we worked to create and support urban foodproduction opportunities and provide outdoor learning environments at each Food Matters site. Local Matters was also a founding member of the Greater Columbus Growing Coalition, which supports urban agricultural opportunities in Central Ohio.
foundations and individual donors to offer Growing Matters as a core organizational program. In its first year, Local Matters worked with Weinland Park residents to install 67 front- and back-yard gardens, four learning gardens, and the one-acre urban farm at Hoover Y-Park, which allowed us to grow and sell fruits and vegetables, reinvesting the income into our programs.
Weinland Park yard garden
In 2011 Local Matters received generous financial support from
Hoover-Y Learning Garden
8
PROGRAM SUMMARY Founded in 2011, Growing Matters is Local Matters’ innovative food production program that provides resources, education and support for creating and maintaining food-production gardens at schools, community centers, and in residential front and back yards.
A Food Matters learning garden at OSU Schoenbaum installed by Growing Matters
Growing Matters takes a comprehensive approach to growing food, working closely with a variety of small- and large-scale models, from container gardening to urban farming. With the YMCA of Central Ohio and the MidOhio Food Bank, Growing Matters collaboratively managed the Hoover Y Learning Garden, a largescale learning garden and urban farm at the Hoover Y-Park in Lockbourne, Ohio.
PROGRAM SUMMARY Cooking Matters is a comprehensive food and nutrition education program offered across the country since 1993 by the national non-profit Share Our Strength. Designed to fight hunger and prevent obesity among low-income parents and their children, Cooking Matters courses provide participants with skills, knowledge—and confidence—to make healthy and affordable meals on very limited budgets. The hands-on lessons teach meal preparation skills, build knowledge about nutrition and ingredients, and provide strategies for grocery shopping (taught on location at a grocery store). Adult courses also provide a weekly grocery bag of ingredients that Cooking Matters participants may take home after the class to recreate the meals themselves. These additional provisions— which offer the opportunity to cook the recipes that were taught in class— not only provide valuable nutrition to families in need, but help participants develop independent skills to overcome critical barriers to health and wellness for themselves 10and their families.
Cooking Matters Since the inception of Food Matters in 2008, parents and teachers have requested similar and supplementary education opportunities for adults. Additionally, our experience with young children has taught us that we are most successful in promoting positive change in dietary behavior when the adults in children’s lives support their healthy behaviors. Throughout 2010 and 2011 Local Matters integrated adult education into the Food Matters curriculum in the form of Lunch and Learn events and parent engagement sessions. Our Executive Chef also performs cooking demonstrations at farmers markets and community events to provide ideas and instruction for cooking fresh, healthful foods.
A participant prepares granola during a Cooking Matters for Adults class
Establishment of Cooking Matters In order to broaden the reach of our programming and meet the increasing demand for adult nutrition and culinary education, Local Matters elected in 2011 to adopt Cooking Matters as our fourth core program. Many Cooking Matters lessons closely parallel the lessons taught to students in Food Matters, ensuring that adults and families have the tools to reinforce the concepts that students learn in their classrooms—and making Cooking Matters a natural extension of Local Matters’ existing programming.
Culinary Instructor during a class
Engagement and Partnership Local Matters brings a high level of community engagement and collaboration to all of our program work. Additionally, we are involved in a variety of broader community engagement initiatives and partner projects. Our engagement work takes three forms: grassroots engagement efforts, policy work and political action, and formal partnerships with non-profit organizations, civic associations, businesses and community groups.
Grassroots Engagement Our network of grassroots engagement and individual relationships aims to create stronger communities where individuals are empowered—and have the resources—to become leaders in shaping their neighborhood and surroundings. Much of this work serves to link individuals to existing and new resources and to highlight the connection between the health of our food system, and the physical, economic, and environmental health of our community.
Policy Work and Political Action Noreen Warnock, Director of Public Policy and Community Relations, supervises this work and advocates for food-system change at the local, regional and national level. Ms. Warnock serves as the Local Matters representative on:
• •
•
•
• •
the Franklin County Local Food Council, the Governor’s Ohio Food Policy Council “Healthy Access” Subcommittee, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s Agriculture and Food Systems Working Group, Columbus Public Health Department’s (CPHD) Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition, CPHD’s Columbus-Area Healthy Food Access Committee, and the United Way of Central Ohio Pub-
neighborhood food plan and to identify opportunities for fresh food production.
lic Policy Committee.
Near East Side Cooperative Market
Fresh Food Here in Franklinton Partners: Columbus Health Department, United Way of Central Ohio, Franklinton Gardens, Franklin County Department of Community Development, and OSU Extension. This project seeks to make fresh fruits and vegetables more widely available in a neighborhood with limited access to these products by bringing more fresh foods to corner stores and markets.
The primary aim of this work is to monitor policy from the local, regional, state and federal level; to bring the information to community members; and ultimately to shape the conversation around what needs to be done to transform our food system.
(formerly Circle 77 Community Food Co-op)
Formal Partnerships
The Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center (HUFED) Grant Partner: Wayward Seed Farm
Some of our engagement and partnership work is facilitated by grant awards and formal partnerships with individuals and organizations. Each of these projects furthers our organization’s mission to comprehensively transform the food system: HUD Community Challenge grant Partners: Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), OSU Extension, Wagenbrenner Development Corporation, OSU Knowlton School of Architecture, and the OSU Center for Urban Environmental and Economic Development. Focusing on the Weinland Park neighborhood, Local Matters’ role in this project has been to engage the community’s voice in the vision and development of the
Partners: Circle 77 Buying Club, community residents Funded by the Community Health Funder’s Collaborative, this project seeks to develop a community-owned cooperative market on the Near East Side as a way to increase access to fresh, healthy foods in the area.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the HUFED grant supports greater access to healthy affordable food in communities across the country. Local Matters partnered with Wayward Seed Farm to co-develop a proposal for a two-part feasibility study assessing the viability of a cooperatively-owned facility in Madison, Ohio, which would provide a consistent supply of affordable, locallyproduced fresh food to the 12-county Central Ohio region while ensuring a living wage for farmers. The partnership was funded as part of the first phase of HUFED’s grant dispersal and was one of thirteen projects funded out of over four hundred proposals submitted nationwide.
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The Greener Grocer The Greener Grocer is Local Matters’ primary partner and serves as our connection to Ohio farmers. The partnership provides a channel for Local Matters—a not-for-profit organization—to engage with the economic exchange inherent in our food system, and to envision systemic changes toward local food security. The Greener Grocer is also Local Matters’ channel for sourcing and purchasing local food for our programs and events, including the contents of our Veggie Van bags. A portion of The Greener Grocer’s proceeds is donated to Local Matters annually (opposite).
Consumer Education As a public space for community interactions, The Greener Grocer offers additional opportunities for education outside of Local Matters strategic programming. The Greener Grocer staff members are knowledgeable about local food and Local Matters’ work, and offer expertise and storytelling along with shoppers’ purchases.
The Greener Grocer Market Bag Formerly known as the Weekly Fresh Market Bag (WFMB), The Greener Grocer Market Bag is a weekly bag of locallygrown produce, whole grains, dairy and artisan products assembled from a variety of Ohio growers and food producers. While the Veggie Van bags are designed to provide healthy kitchen staples for the buyer, the Market Bag is designed to financially support Ohio’s farmers and food producers while allowing Market Bag subscribers to experience a range of local, seasonal tastes. The success of the Market Bag’s summer season allowed The Greener Grocer to begin offering a Winter Season option in 2010.
Local Food Hub In order to build greater capacity for growing food in Central Ohio, Local Matters partnered with The Greener Grocer and Snowville Creamery in the summer of 2011 to initiate a local food hub: an aggregation point for storage, packing and distribution for local food 12
producers and distributers. Housed in the former Mid-Ohio Food Bank Building, the operation will transition in 2012 to the Food Fort at ECDI.
Farmer Financing One of the biggest barriers for local farmers is access to affordable capital. As a first step to address this problem, The Greener Grocer made a one-year, no-interest loan to Wayward Seed Farm in order to increase production of root vegetables through the purchase of adequate machinery. With the loan, the farm was able to increase production of root vegetables nearly 50%, providing a greater supply to local markets.
Looking Forward The discussion around The Greener Grocer’s loan program led the Franklin County Food Policy Council to establish a working group around farmer and food system financing. The working group plans to examine the issue of food financing and capital from a greater perspective— looking not only at farmers but at other players in the local food system that need affordable financing, such as farmers’ markets, purchasing cooperatives and businesses.
Dollars to Local Farmers & Food Producers $600,000
Donations to Local Matters* *Includes in-kind donations $20,000
$500,000 $15,000
Founded in 2008, The Greener Grocer serves as Local Matters’ primary partner in several core programs, and links the organization to farmers and the local food economy.
$400,000
$300,000
$10,000
L O C AL
0
L O C AL
$200,000
$100,000
2010
2011
$5,000
$0
The Greener Grocer is a for-profit business located in the historic North Market offering local produce, dairy and artisan foods to Columbus consumers.
2010
2011
13
Statement of Financial Position as of December 31, 2011 and 2010
2011 Assets Cash Accounts Receivable Property & Equipment Total Assets
2010 Assets $78,686 $2,813 $22,210 $103,709
Liabilities & Net Assets Accounts Payable
Cash Accounts Receivable Property & Equipment Total Assets
$26,786 0 $9,541 $36,327
Liabilities & Net Assets $855
Accounts Payable
$3,641
Loan $21,477
Loan $21,477
Total Liabilities
Total Liabilities
$22,332
$25,118
Net Assets
Net Assets
Unrestricted $66,250
Unrestricted $11,209
Temporarily Restricted
$15,127
Temporarily Restricted
Total Net Assets
$81,377
Total Net Assets
$11,209
Total Liabilities & Net Assets
$36,327
Total Liabilities & Net Assets
14
$103,709
0
Statements of Revenues and Expenses and Changes in Net Assets for Years Ending December 31, 2011 and 2010
2011 Revenues
2010 Revenues
Government Grants
$32,117
Government Grants
Foundation Grants
$184,436
Foundation Grants
0 $307,000
Corporate Contributions
$72,942
Corporate Contributions
$28,550
Individual Contributions
$231,924
Individual Contributions
$67,225
Program-Related Income
$151,070
Program-Related Income
$100,166
Special Events
$12,355
Special Events
0
Sales $1,162
Sales $3,300
Total Income
Total Income
$686,007
2011 Expenses
$506,241
2010 Expenses
Healthful Food Supply (HFS)
$30,484
Healthful Food Supply (HFS)
0
Healthful Food Access (HFA)
$94,444
Healthful Food Access (HFA)
0
Healthful Food Education (HFE)
$210,144
Healthful Food Education (HFE)
Salaries & Wages
$171,803
Salaries & Wages1 $319,906
General Expenses
$108,963
General Expenses
Total Expenses
$615,839
Total Expenses
Change in Net Assets
$70,168
Change in Net Assets
Net Assets (deficit), beginning of year
$11,209
Net Assets (deficit), beginning of year
Net Assets, end of year
$81,377
Net Assets, end of year
$62,351
$80,725 $462,725 $43,516 $(32,307) $11,209
15 1
Includes all program salaries
Supporters Local Matters acknowledges with deep gratitude the donors who have made our work possible. Leadership Society $25,000+ Michael and Karen Jones Kimberly and Mark Allison
$5,000-$9,999 Brian and Leah Westwater
$10,000-$24,999 Sara Kate and Ted Hill Judy and Tom Tansky Beth Crane and Richard McKee
$1,000-$4,999 Cathy and David Presper Ron and Louisa Green N. Jill Kingsley Mary Lynn Niland and Derek McClellan
Jeni Britton-Bauer and Charly Bauer Karla and Kurt Zadnik Betsy and Brian Ross Terry and Robin Zaas Karen Olstad and Will Kuhlman Michelle Patella Shella Farooki and James Homsy
Friends of Local Matters ($120-$999) Acacia Duncan Adam Schweigert Amy and Scott Dutt Amy Harkins Amy Kesting Amy Petsch Amy Summers Andrew Wapner Angela Petro April Tibbles Bethia Woolf Betsy Ross Betty Brown Bob Tannehill Bonnie Pugh Brandon Grossman Brett Grossman Burton Steck Carol Ann Fisher Caroline Wharton Cheryl Smith, Blues Creek Farm Meats Chris Kloth Christopher Ramos Chuck Lynd Chuck Palmer Dara Schwartz David Hunegnan David Scott David Wible, The North Market Debbie Hamernick Deborah Mak
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Debra O’Molesky Diana Webster Donna and Jim Foster Donnie Austin, House Wine Drew Shonk Jeremy and Kellie Geddert Elizabeth Lessner Elizabeth Samuelson, Fulcrum Creative Ellen Baumgartner Genevieve Reiner Greg DeLong Jacqueline Pasternack Jan Legg Janet Armstrong Janet Spigos Jeffrey Lyttle Jeni Britton-Bauer and Charly Bauer, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Jenni Belford Jennifer Brown Jenny Robb Jerry Tinianow Jessica Michel Jim Budros Jim Coe Joanne Dole John and Hallie Prescott John and Christine
Schumacher John Prescott John Skaggs Josey Hensley Jules Angel Julie Driscoll Julie Kronenberger Justin Goff Karl Whittington Karla Zadnik Kathleen Lannan Kathleen Shaffer Kathryn Green Kathryn Goodman Katie McKivergin Diane Warren, Katzinger’s Delicatessen LeBlanc Family Kevin Jones Kimberly and Mark Allison Kimberly Phillips Kirsten Dangaran Kristin Kouvas Kristina Lehman Laura and Eric Dennison Laura Bratton Laura Merlo Laura Rees Laura Robertson-Boyd Lauren Edwards Linda and Eric Burden
Lindsey Ibanez Lisa Boltz Lori Pierson Make it Happen Marilyn Welker Mark Swanson Mary Beth Einerson Mary Lynn Niland and Derek McClellan Maryann Kafer Matt White Matthew Lerch Meredith Joy Michael and Karen Jones Michael Reed Michelle Kozak Mike and Julie Reinhart Molly Kurth and Christy Cook Monica Mahoney Natalie Wise Nina Sanyal Noreen Warnock Norman Hall Omar Noory and Jen Adrion Phyllis Jones Randy Dupler Rebecca Zimmer Rita McKenzie Robert Livingston
Robert Tannehill, Jr. Rose McCarthy Ryan Longbrake Ryan Morgan Sara Frank Sara Kate and Ted Hill Sarah and Gavin DeVore-Leonard Sarah Blumenfeld Scott Elder Shambhala Meditation Center of Columbus
Shannon Paige Sharon and Anthony Perez Shella Farooki Slow Food Columbus Steven Weaver Susan Hutchins Tara and Mike Haunert Thomas Reinhart Tiffany Parker Todd Mills Tom McGee Tonya Fulwider Travis and Kim Diehl Tricia Wheeler Trisha Dehnbostel Vijaya Lyer Virginia Wardell
Grants: 2010-2011 $1000-$9999
$10,000-$24,999
Columbus Foundation
CareSource Foundation
Cardinal Health Foundation
Abbott Nutrition
Lush Cosmetics
Medical Mutual Of Ohio Charitable Foundation
Franklin County Community Development Block Grant
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
Share Our Strength
$25,000-$99,999
$100,000+
Kasich New Day Inaugural Fund JPM Chase Foundation
Community Health Funders Collaborative
Dispatch Company Eartha Limited Edible Columbus Gordon Food Service Green BEAN Delivery Hills Market House Wine Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams North Market Prism Marketing Communications S. Farooki, LTD
Small Business Beanstalk Snowville Creamery Sodexo Step By Step Pediatric The Greener Grocer Thompson Hine LLP Two Caterers UPS WCBE Whole Foods Market WOSU
HUD Community Challenge Grant
Ohio Children’s Foundation Tansky Toyota Dealer Match Program
Sponsors: 2010-2011 10TV Barley’s Brewery Caito Foods Cameron Mitchell Restaurants Central Ohio Primary Care Columbus Alive Columbus Food Adventures Columbus Food League Crave Magazine Cup O Joe/Stauff’s Dine Originals Columbus
Program Partners CDC-Franklin County Head Start
Godman Guild
Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Easton St. Vincent Family Center
Franklin County Local Food Council
YMCA of Central Ohio
MORPC
United Way of Central Ohio
Mid-Ohio Food Bank
Near East Side Cooperative Market
Franklinton Gardens
City of Columbus Public Health Department
Edible Columbus
Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Homeless Families Foundation The Ohio State University Extension
Wild Goose Creative
Broad Street Presbyterian
Knowlton School of Architecture
Wayward Seed Farm
Two Caterers
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Board Members
Local Matters Staff
Joshua Gaines, Chair
Michael Jones Executive Director
David Scott, J.D., Secretary Karen Olstad, Treasurer Jenny Anderson Jeni Britton-Bauer Ryan Kozak Subha Lembach, J.D. Deb Mak Laquore Meadows, Ph.D. Mary-Lynn Niland, M.D. Cortney Porter Melissa Reynolds-Prond Tyler Steele Judith Tansky, Ph.D. Matt Wooster
Noreen Warnock Director of Public Policy and Community Relations Todd Mills Director of Development and Marketing Michelle Moskowitz Brown Director of Operations Liz Fremer Volunteer Coordinator Cole Wardell Marketing Manager and Graphic Designer Adam Fazio Grants and Research Coordinator Lauren Edwards Cooking Matters Program Manager Elizabeth Bolen Food Matters Program Manager Trish Dehnbostel Growing Matters Program Manager Taalib Richardson Veggie Van Program Manager Laura Robertson-Boyd Executive Chef Jesse Hickman Food Educator Jessica Lucas Food Educator Monique McCoy Food Educator Rashaan Gregory Food Educator Laura Hellend Sous Chef Diana Webster Bookkeeper 263 active volunteers
2008
The Greener Grocer opens in North Market Food Is Elementary launches in 8 locations First season of The Greener Grocer Market Bag
2009
The Veggie Van launches at The Greener Grocer First Winter season of The Greener Grocer Market Bag Local Matters helps establish the Greater Columbus Growing Coalition (GCGC) First Annual Local Foods Week
2010
The Veggie Van comes under Local Matters’ programming umbrella Food Is Elementary expands into full Food Matters program
2011
Local Matters selected to receive inaugural funds donation from Governor Kasich Growing Matters established First Food Matters summer programming
2012
Cooking Matters established
Local Matters 731 E Broad St Columbus OH 43205 614-263-5662 local-matters.org