Field to Family works to create a more local, healthy and sustainable food system. We envision a region where people eat with the seasons, where farmers make a living, and our ecosystem is diverse, abundant, and healthy.
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Explore Local Food & Farms in Our Region
Are you interested in learning more about foods produced locally, producers working hard to feed our community and ways to participate in our region’s thriving local foods community. Our new Local Food Explorer resource is here to help you locate, learn about and connect with local food and farms in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids general area. Each month we will provide farm listings, maps, recipes, stories and other content to help related to a new category of food and farm to guide you through all our local food system has to offer.
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Farm to School
Field to Family is supporting the next generation of eaters through Farm to School local food procurement and programming.
Online Farmers Market
Field to Family is committed to maintaining connections between our community and vendors throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wholesale Procurement
Field to Family operates a food hub, building the infrastructure required for a community based food system and connecting small local farmers with large wholesale customers and institutions.
Local Food Explorer
We make it easier for consumers to find local food and connect with farmers through our Local Food Explorer and other educational resources for consumers.
Our Mission
Field to Family is a mission-driven, nonprofit that provides food system education; supports a shared vision of a community food system that enhances our economic, environmental and community health; and expands access to locally grown and produced food to all citizens in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids region.
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We Grow Local
In 2020, Field to Family made major strides toward creating a stronger community based food system in our region. Some of our proudest successes:
- Moving the local farmers market online to support safe connections to local food and farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Doubling the amount of free food distributed by our Farm Stands
- Bringing 54 more local food to Pk-12 students.
Read our full 2020 impact report to learn more.
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We Grow Wholesale
Field to Family works to increase access to local food in Iowa so more people in institutions such as schools, retirement communities, colleges, universities, and hospitals can enjoy meals grown by farmers a few miles away everyday.
Field to Family operates a food hub that aggregates, stores, distributes and promotes fresh local food.
We envision a strong and community-based Eastern Iowa local food system with infrastructure to support a thriving wholesale market for foods from the region that are high quality, fairly priced, and sustainably produced.
We Grow Education
We bring the farm into schools by procuring local food for lunch menus and providing programming and resources for students, educators and school gardeners. Our work helps kids learn where their food comes from, connects farmers to schools and encourages healthy food habits to increase the amount of fresh, local foods students eat.
In the past we have held in-school “Farmers Fairs” and School Garden Workshops to provide hands-on learning for students and educators. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now focusing on providing online resources to connect farmers and educators.
We Grow Connection
Field to Family works to promote local food and farms in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area, as well as promote seasonally available foods, farmers markets and retail locations offering local foods. Our online searchable guide features a listing of local farms, what they grow and how to find their products.
Our Local Food and Farm Guide features local farms, profiles on local farmers, a listing of destination farms and is available online and in print.
Field to Family Staff
Board of
Directors
Katherine Mellen, President
Associate Professor of Instruction, Department of Health & Human Physiology, University of Iowa
Ofer Sivan, Treasurer
Co-owner of Oasis
Jessica Burtt-Fogarty, Secretary
National Grocers Cooperative Association, former board president of Iowa Valley Food Co-op
Kristin Bergman
LPN, LMT Health Educator, Massage Therapist, Doula at Conscious Caring and Nurse at Oaknoll Retirement Residence
Liz Maas
Assistant Professor Kirkwood Community College and local foods consumer
Shanti Sellz
Farmer, Muddy Miss Farms and Walker Homestead
Wendy Zimmermann
Owner, Get Fresh. Has served as Iowa City Farmers Market’s Market Manager and Operations Manager at New Bo City Market
Advisory Board
Joe Bolkcom
V Fixmer-Oraiz
Kim Friese
Brenda Nations
James Adrian
Wren Almitra
Amanda Arn
Tom Banta
Carmen Black
Amy Blessing
Peg Bouska
Mike Carberry
Theresa Carbrey
Rockne Cole
Mara Cheney
Eric Christianson
Alison Demory
Ilsa Dewald
Anna Geyer
Jason Grimm
Jake Gratzon
Kelly Haught
Teresa Wiemerslage
Pat Heidan
Peggy Haulser
Brandi Jannsen
Marcus Johnson
Jen Kardos
Deja Knight
Dave Koch
Kaye Lindsley
Genie Maybanks
Sofia Mehaffey
Fred Meyer
Joyce Miller
Nate Kaeding
Kate Moreland
James Nisly
Tammy Neumann
Martha Norbeck
Jill Irvin
Kayla Koether
Marc Quee
Paul Rausch
Derek Roller
Sara Rynes- Weller
Molly Schintler
Jordan Sellergren
Ayman Sharif
Kyle Sieck
Jesse Singerman
Cindy Smith
Rod Sullivan
Simeon Talley
Veronica Tessler
Bodi Vasi
Kristi Walker
Anthony Walsh
Heather Widmayer
Jon Yagla
Thank You to Our Primary Sponsors
