Local Foods Local Places - Little Falls

You’re invited to a Local Foods, Local Places community meeting & planning session on ​June 24-25, 2019 at the Initiative Foundation, 405 1st St SE, Little Falls, MN 56345.

This community workshop is on the topic of local food and its potential for strengthening our local economy, supporting healthier people and neighborhoods, and revitalizing our downtown. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) have selected Little Falls for the Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance program, which will result in an action plan for strengthening our local food economy and enlivening our downtown.

A team of these agency partners and their consultants will join local stakeholders to conduct a workshop in Little Falls on Monday, June 24th and Tuesday, June 25th. Your participation and knowledge of the local area is needed to help make this event a success. The workshop will bring together many key stakeholders from throughout our region to develop an action plan primarily around, but not limited to, these goal areas:

1. Grow the number of residents and business owners who participate in the local food economy and recognize its contribution to economic development and downtown revitalization.
2. Improve operations, infrastructure, and coordination of the local farmers markets to attract more growers, makers, and buyers.
3. Reduce barriers some residents face to accessing and eating fresh, local food, e.g., cost, transportation, knowledge about food preparation.
4. Raise awareness of Little Falls as a regional destination for tourism and local food. The workshop will include presentations on community livability and the roles that local food plays in supporting it, plus small group working sessions and discussions on the community’s vision and goals, and specific actions for reaching them. The workshop will lay out an action plan for moving forward.

• Who: Local residents, community leaders, and elected officials, along with representatives of EPA, USDA, and other federal agencies.
• What: Discussions on local foods and community livability, group work sessions, and networking that will result in a Community Action Plan.
  • Day 1 Community meeting: June 24th, 5:30-8:30 pm. Light supper provided.
  • Day 2 Action Planning Work Sessions: June 25th, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Zoomski’s box lunch available for $9 cash with RSVP.
• Where: The Initiative Foundation|405 1st St SE, Little Falls, MN 56345
• RSVP: bit.ly/LittleFallsLFLP
• Questions: Contact Little Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, 320-616-4959, [email protected]

Your expertise, experience, and enthusiasm for the community and region will help make the workshop a success. We
look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,
Local Foods, Local Places Steering Committee:
Natalie Keane, Purple Carrot Market
Birdie Pederson, Little Falls Farmers Market
Elise Carey, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls
Jon Radermacher, City of Little Falls
Arlene Jones, Sprout MN
Kris Vonberge, Little Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau

RSVP