We all love being able to get our farm-fresh food, especially when we go out.

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This is made possible through a network of nonprofits called food hubs which help connect producers with schools, restaurants, and grocery stores. For northeast Iowa, the Decorah-based Iowa Food Hub helps distribute food to Allamakee, Clayton, Chickasaw, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek counties.

As the Hub continues to grow, the resources needed to continue the mission also need to grow. That’s why the Iowa Food Hub has been raising money to purchase a larger delivery truck- to grow local food access.

In late March, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship awarded 13 grants to farmers, businesses, and nonprofits to help “diversify their agricultural product offerings.” The Iowa Food Hub was one of the 13 entities that received funding.

The Hub was awarded $18,000 to help expand its reach. According to a post on the Iowa Food Hub’s Facebook, this grant helped put them over halfway to their $40,000 goal.

Iowa Food Hub General Manager Peter Kraus told The Gazette that the truck will help get storage crops around in the winter months allowing for more diversity in products offered.

According to The Gazette, the Hub started back in 2012 as a CSA (community supported agriculture) but since then has evolved to be a farm-to-school provider.

And when school is out, produce is the most plentiful, so the Hub has expanded its reach to connecting these farmers with restaurants and grocery stores.

 

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