The Chattanooga Sustainable Food Center is simplifying its name to the Chattanooga Food Center effective immediately. The nonprofit organization’s mission remains the same, but the organization's desire is to make sure their “tent” is large enough for all Chattanoogans to gather.
“Our organization is fervent in its belief that healthy food for our city should be easily accessible, affordable, and fairly sourced. We are hopeful that we can be part of a positive trajectory to improve community health through our mission of access, education, and engagement with local food” says Holly Martin, Founder and Executive Director of the CFC.
The CFC has been working for 2 years to create a Local Food Map online that will instantly connect folks in the Chattanooga region to local food sources. The Local Food Map is now live and can be accessed at: chattfoodcenter.org/local-food-map.
The CFC's local Food Map contains detailed information on area farms, farmers markets, food artisans, community gardens, and restaurants sourcing local food - all within a 100 mile radius of our flagship Gaining Ground Grocery, located at 1918 Union Ave, in downtown Chattanooga. We call this 100-mile radius area our "foodshed", much like a watershed. Our foodshed includes Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama.
The CFC created and manages this map as a bridge between local eaters and the rich bounty of local food that our region has to offer. “It's our mission to increase access to local food, and that's easier to do when you know how to find it!” says Laura Robinson, creator of the Local Food Map and President of the CFC board. Inquiries can be directed to localfoodmap@chattfoodcenter.org.
Nearly two years ago, in the fall of 2019, the CFC was created by Holly Martin with an initial board meeting to discuss the possibilities of improving our community food system. Without knowing that Covid was on the way, Holly and her young board charged into creating a new nonprofit organization to provide access, education and engagement around food in our Chattanooga region.
Despite the challenges of Covid-19, the organization has created the Gaining Ground Grocery, the Local Food Map, and hosted a seed and plant swap. The organization recently began a joint project with pigment artist Amanda Brazier, Artsbuild and other regional arts nonprofits to create a community soil art mural to be on display at the Gaining Ground Grocery. These exciting collaborations and projects are only the beginning. More education and outreach events are on the horizon with the goal of bringing Chattanoogans around the table together.
The Chattanooga Food Center’s mission is to increase access to locally grown foods, provide nutrition education, and inspire engagement in regional agriculture. We are growing a vibrant, nourished community TOGETHER!