[MainstreetManagers] Local Foods, Local Places

[Buffy Hughes]

Good morning Main Street.

Here is a link to Local Foods, Local Places which is a technical assistance program that helps cities and towns across the country protect the environment and human health by engaging with local partners to reinvest in existing neighborhoods as they develop local food systems. In 2021, the program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture<https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants> (USDA) and EPA.  https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places

Local Foods, Local Places supports locally led, community-driven efforts to protect air and water quality, preserve open space and farmland, boost economic opportunities for local farmers and businesses, improve access to healthy local food, and promote childhood wellness.

Through Local Foods, Local Places, partner communities have worked on projects such as:

  *   Opening year-round, downtown markets featuring foods from local farmers.
  *   Planning cooperative grocery stores and other food access options to help revitalize small-town main streets.
  *   Creating centrally located community kitchens or food hubs to aggregate and market local foods.
  *   Starting business incubators to help entrepreneurs launch food-related businesses on main streets.
  *   Making it easier for people to walk or bicycle to farmers markets and local restaurants.
  *   Helping schoolchildren to grow their own food, and making healthy local food accessible to families, including via SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
  *   Exploring ways to use Opportunity Zones in the context of local food system development and downtown revitalization.
  *   Developing community gardens in walkable, transit-accessible places.

Have a good day,
Buffy

Buffy Hughes | State Main Street Director
Oklahoma Main Street Center | Oklahoma Department of Commerce
Buffy.Hughes at okcommerce.gov<mailto:Buffy.Hughes at okcommerce.gov>
p. 405-815-5249 | c. 405-664-1260
okcommerce.gov<https://okcommerce.gov/>
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