Local Produce, Local Kids, Local Farms: FARMWISE Indiana at the Adams County Produce Auction

When kids in Fort Wayne head back to school, some of them will also be heading home with fresh, locally grown produce- and FARMWISE Indiana Value Chain Professional Becky Landes helped make that happen.

Becky recently attended the Adams County Produce Auction on behalf of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network, bidding on and purchasing just over $1,500 worth of locally grown fruits and vegetables from Indiana farmers. That produce will be given away for free to families attending the third annual Pack 2 School event at Pontiac Street Market, a community gathering that provides free backpacks, school supplies, physicals, food, and activities to families in the Fort Wayne area on a first-come, first-served basis.

Just some of the produce purchased for the Pack2School event!

It is a simple but powerful example of how local food systems work at their best: farmers bring their harvest to auction, a regional food network invests in that harvest, and families in the community benefit directly. The dollars spent stay in Indiana, the farmers are supported, and kids go back to school with fresh food in hand.

Becky Landes and NEILFC Karen Peterson

This is exactly the kind of connection FARMWISE Indiana exists to support- linking the people who grow our food with the communities that need it most.