Local nonprofit Growing NV has been celebrating local food all week long, and they're inviting the community to take a pledge to support local food systems.
"With the local food week we have a pledge, that's kind of my passion project," said Jolene Cook, Board Member of Reno Food Systems and Project Manager with Growing NV. "
Just go to www.growingnv.com and you can participate by putting in your name, your email, and how much you plan to invest into our local food system this week. There's all kinds of links to ways to support the movement, lots of options, so it's really to raise awareness and be in the know about what's going on in your own community in terms of local food."
The week-long celebration wraps up on Saturday with several events at the Reno Food Systems Farm at Mayberry and McCarran. The nonprofit leases five acres
"In the morning we have an apothecary workshop, which is teaching people about how to make their own calming tinctures, which is apropos for the time," Cook said. "And in the afternoon we have you-pick events, one from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. You can come out with your family, there's social distancing in place, and you can pick a bag of vegetables for ten dollars."
They also have a fruit and spice nursery, and sell plants you can grow in your gardens at home. The hope is to expand to other area parks, grow the annual food celebration, and really get people thinking about what they're eating.
"The food systems part in Reno food systems is we want to help increase the awareness that local food isn't just about food," Cook said. "That's my favorite part, frankly, but it's part of a larger system that involves the economy, the environment, the community and the health of the individual as part of that system. It's about raising that awareness that there's a whole different interaction of play with local food."
There's also a weekly farm stand there every Sunday, and a mobile farmers market that brings fresh food to different areas of the community on Thursdays.
