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County food-policy group outlines mapping, seed libraries and grant work to Allegan council
Summary
A representative of the Elegant Food Alliance told Allegan council the group has mapped farmers and food resources countywide, expanded seed libraries to about 11 sites, built gardens with health-department support, and secured roughly $91,000 in grants since April; a pending USDA technical-support grant (~$96,000) would fund listening sessions and planning for a possible year-round farm store.
A representative of the Elegant Food Alliance presented to the Allegan City Council on Nov. 10 about the group’s efforts as the county’s food policy council to map food resources, expand seed libraries and pursue grant-funded projects.
"We're the Elegant Food Alliance. We're the official food policy council for the county," the presenter said, describing work to map farmers, farmers markets, grocery stores and food pantries to identify food deserts. The presenter told council the group has won about $91,000 in grants since April to support activities including seed libraries (about 11 county locations) and community gardens, and said the organization is conducting listening sessions and surveys to form a task force to recommend longer-term solutions.
The presenter said a USDA fair-food technical-support grant application (roughly $96,000) is pending; the grant would support planning for possible year-round facilities such as a farm store or food club and technical assessments with GIS collaboration. The presenter invited council and residents to an upcoming listening session called "Come to the Table: Your Voice, Your Food, Your Future." City staff thanked the presenter and noted the organization is a partner in local food-system resilience work.
Council did not take formal action on the presentation but staff and the presenter discussed ways to engage residents and promote the alliance’s upcoming survey and focus groups.
