Local Food Summit to take place at Ball State

Groups will gather to talk about food insecurity in the area

By Katie Parker

Muncie, Indiana – Ball State University’s Office of Community Engagement, Purdue Extension and The Muncie Food Hub are hosting the 2018 Local Food Summit on Wednesday October 24th.

Elaine Vidal, Muncie Food Hub coordinator says the summit is a time for different people to work together to look at the issues of food and food insecurity.

“The local food summit is a yearly conference where we bring together stakeholders from all across the food system,” Vidal said. The day will include workshops, speakers, and group meetings to focus on getting the message across to those attending the event.

Farmers, business people, educators, and health providers are invited to join to reach across respective fields to discuss possible solutions to the issues at hand.

Started by Ball State professors and students, Muncie Food Hub aims to make fresh food available to everyone.

“The mission of the Muncie Food Hub is to nourish and strengthen our community through the exchange of local food and ideas surrounding local food. The idea is that by supporting locally goods, we are supporting our entire community because those dollars have a multiplier effect and get reinvested back into the community and stay within this community.”

Professor at Ball State and co-founder of the Muncie Food Hub, Josh Gruver, says the conference has grown since year one.

“More and more people are hearing about it, so we are starting to draw from other regional universities. For example, we have students and professors from Taylor University, from Goshen College to this one. The original intention was always to draw these voices together but now, I think the word is spreading and people are becoming interested in becoming part of the conversation.”

Director of AgroEcology at Merry Lea Sustainable Farm of Goshen College, Dr. John Mischler, is the keynote speaker and will be discussing the role of higher education in supporting the local food system as well as sustainable agriculture and how to strengthen the local food system.

If you eat, you should take part in it,” Gruver said.

Doors open at 9:00 a.m. at the Ball State University Alumni Center. Registration includes all-access to the events, workshops and group meetings, lunch, snacks, and a beer and networking reception following the event.

Visit www.Muncieneighborhoods.org/foodsummit for more information.