Supporting the Local Food System

On Saturday February 22 community members and visitors came together to support our neighbors who access food through the Food Pantry Network during one of Healthy Archuleta’s quarterly food drives hosted at City Market. Over 525 items were donated during the food drive and distributed among the seven food pantries in Archuleta County. Volunteers from the local food pantries supported the event to hand out shopping lists and collect the requested items for donation. Thank you to everyone who came out to support our neighbors during this food drive. If you missed the food drive, non-perishable items can be donated at any time at Healthy Archuleta’s donation bin located at the UPS Store, 135 Country Center Dr, Suite F.

In addition to supporting our neighbors accessing food at food pantries through quarterly food drives, Healthy Archuleta is also working to support the next generation of local food system champions by engaging with high school students. This semester Healthy Archuleta is engaging youth through two highschool classes, where students have the opportunity to learn about the local food system from, growing and producing food to eating nutritious foods and all the elements in between. Each week, students are participating in interactive discussions, learning from guest speakers, and engaging in hands-on activities. Some examples of the food system activities the students are participating in include a session on nutrition and learning how to read food labels, followed by a scavenger hunt at Natural Grocers to put the lessons into practice and visiting Healthy Archulet’s Food Distribution Center to learn about hydroponic food production and see the grow towers in action. 

Healthy Archuleta is committed to advancing a local sustainable and resilient food system that all community members can contribute to and benefit from. Community events, such as food drives, working with youth, and sharing the importance of health and local foods are just some of the ways Healthy Archuleta is working in the local food system.