LFPA Expands Culturally Relevant Food Access in Columbus Junction
Value Chain Coordinator Jonathan Lawrence shares his experience building relationships and meeting community needs through Iowa LFPA.
With over 330 Iowa LFPA approved producers across the state, connecting their products to consumers in a timely manner has been key to the program's success. In his position as Value Chain Coordinator (VCC) at Eat Greater Des Moines (EGDM), Jonathan Lawrence matches locally-produced products with Community Access Partners who distribute them to Iowans who experience food insecurity. Lawrence listens to community needs and wants before locating a source such as Camp Creek Organics Food Hub, formerly known as Organic Greens. His work expands the availability of culturally relevant foods while increasing food hub and farmer sales. Columbus Junction is an area of Iowa with a high Latino population but also one of low access to fresh and local produce. Having access to local cilantro, jalapeños and onions is something Araceli Vazquez-Ramirez and her community are very appreciative of. LULAC 317 (League of United Latin American Citizens) was started in 2020 by Araceli in response to the pandemic. After a chapter formed in Columbus Junction, Lawrence connected LULAC 317 leaders with Camp Creek Organics to receive products free of charge through Iowa LFPA.
Local farmers and food hubs have to manage many daily demands with their operations, so having a trusted contact like a VCC who is knowledgeable about supply and demand across multiple regions is crucial to more equitable distribution. In the EGDM blog post titled, “Value Chain Coordinator Works with Food Pantry,” Lawrence Arlene Enderton (ISU Extension Evaluator) writes about the personal connections made through the Iowa LFPA program when dropping food off at LULAC 317. EGDM serves as a critical cross-docking site for food to be distributed across the state, expanding the reach of Iowa LFPA. Having a program like LFPA allows food-insecure communities to receive access to fresh and local food otherwise not provided in their area. The partnerships built from the program have bolstered relationships that can be sustained beyond current funding.
Read more about Lawrence’s work as a Value Chain Coordinator and LULAC 317 here. Find out more about Iowa LFPA here.