Food has the power to bring people together. Even with social distancing practices in place, we have witnessed in these past weeks how our local food and farm community is working together to create more local food resiliency, help out those in need, and build stronger connections. The local food community we have been building together in Nevada County is more essential than ever.
Over the last several weeks we have been inspired by so many of our local food heroes! Jeff Coats, Food Services Director for the Grass Valley School District, and Theresa Ruiz, Food Services Director for the Nevada Joint Union High School District have been working with their teams to provide free, drive-through meals to students after schools transitioned to home-based learning. Emily’s Catering is also offering free drive-through lunches on Fridays at noon to students and families in need. For many children, their school lunch is the biggest meal they get all day, and it makes a world of difference for many families to have this free service, especially now.
The BriarPatch Food Co-op collaborated with one of their distributors, Earl’s Organic Produce, to donate over 
$2,000 in fresh, organic produce to Interfaith Food Ministry, so it could be distributed to those who need it the most. Community volunteers of all ages have stepped up to help Interfaith Food Ministry pack up bags of food so their clients can safely come by and pick up their food with curb-side service. School Garden educator Brianna Abundiz has offered “mystery seeds” by mail to local students, so they can tend the seeds and look for clues as to what vegetable they are growing at home and can put in the garden. Three Forks Brewing and Bakery Co. has offered its parking lot to the Winter Season Nevada City Farmers Market (first Saturdays of the month), to allow for more space and safety for the farmers and shoppers.
We are so grateful to all these thoughtful and heartfelt efforts to take care of one another during this critical time. If you are looking for resources for yourself, your family or friends, please check out this new listing of Food, Farm & Garden resources for our community, or share it with a friend. Do you have stories about other local food heroes you can share? We’d love to hear about it! Join the conversation on our Facebook page or Instagram page.