Newly appointed Greater Franklin Food Council Executive Director Erica Emery, left, and steering committee chair Bell Russo serve up coffee at the second annual Under the Oaks Pancake Breakfast. Submitted photo

FARMINGTON — The Greater Franklin Food Council recently announced it has been recognized as a nonprofit organization.

Since 2020, the council has been fiscally sponsored by St. Joseph’s Church. The organization embarked on the process of becoming an independent charitable organization last December and was awarded non-profit status by the IRS in June, according to a news release from the council.

The council serves to foster a robust local food system by supporting farmers, working in school gardens, and connecting the community to food resources. The school garden program, a signature project of the food council, was able to get started with the fiscal sponsorship of St. Joseph’s Church.

The program is designed to help elementary schools turn outdoor spaces into hands-on learning gardens that connect children with food, spark their curiosity and support classroom curriculum. Laura Hoeft, the council’s school garden coach, works in schools using a newly developed Growing Gardeners curriculum to align school garden activities with educational learning standards.

The council has also recently hired its first executive director, Erica Emery, who has served on the steering committee since its inception. “I’m really excited to continue to work with local partners to help address gaps in our local food system. We plan to build on the work we’ve been doing to help local farmers with networking and marketing and we will get more involved in initiatives to help Franklin County become a more food secure county,” Emery said in the release.

Upcoming events include the annual Potato Fundraiser in mid November and the annual Holiday Food Hall on Friday, Dec. 13.

To learn more about the Greater Franklin Food Council Local Food Plan visit greaterfranklinfoodcouncil.org.

For other information and updates email erica@greaterfranklinfoodcouncil.org.

Check out other upcoming area events!