Welcome!
Well into our second decade of service, the Kansas City Food Circle is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization created to promote the development of a permanently sustainable local food system. We serve the greater Kansas City area (eaters and growers in Missouri, Kansas, and reaching out to nearby communities in Nebraska and Iowa) providing an alternative to the conventional agricultural system, which is dependent on practices that are neither good for our personal health nor for the health of the living world of which we are part. Our work centers on making connections between area growers who meet our organic produce or free-range animal standards and people who want to eat delicious, nutritious, locally-grown food.
Mission Statement
The Kansas City Food Circle connects eaters with local, organic, and free-range food producers in order to promote a sustainable food system in the Kansas City region.
The Kansas City Food Circle is building a community food system in which farmers, eaters, chefs, and grocers know and trust each other. Our network enables us to share our knowledge and experience while we work together promoting the benefits of locally-grown organic and free-range foods. Our primary purpose remains to support farmers in our region who strive to produce delicious, nourishing food, use environmentally-sound, organic methods that restore and preserve the health of the land and who treat their animals far more humanely than industrial animal factories.
Our Organization
The Kansas City Food Circle is a volunteer driven, membership and donation-financed organization. It is a project of Heart of America Action Linkage, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation in Missouri.
Our History
The predecessor of the KC Food Circle, called the Organic Connection, was originated by the Greater Kansas City Greens in 1988 at the urging of Ben Kjelshus who remains on our Coordinating Committee. The first few years were devoted to finding organic farmers in our region and holding conferences to introduce them to consumers (we prefer to call ourselves “eaters”). In 1994, again at Ben’s suggestion, we changed our name to the Kansas City Food Circle. We established a hotline phone number that people could call for information, and began publishing our Directory of Local Organic and Free Range Food Producers.
The EXPOs – In March of 1999 we held a major conference on the food system that was substantially financed by the Sierra Club. We decided to set up a separate room nearby, invited a few farmers to show their stuff, and advertised in the local newspaper. So many people showed up that one could hardly fit into the room. The rest is history.
2012 will be our 14th year for Exhibitions of Farmers. Last year more than two thousand people attended our two locations in the metro area on both sides of the Missouri River.
Outreach
We have also organized workshops (held at our Expos and elsewhere) on food system themes like the most recent program on nutrition and the 100 Mile Diet. The KC CSA Coalition, our outreach project designed to educate the public and expand the Community Supported Agriculture options for the Greater Kansas City Area, is really taking off as more growers opt for this type of marketing. Our web site has been active since early 2006, and we continue to expand our outreach and educational efforts by all means possible, cross-pollinating and coordinating with many other like-minded organizations in and around the greater Kansas City area. We also have Facebook page, a Blog Spot and a Bulletin Board. Please take a minute to stay in touch. You can also sign up for our eList updates.
How You Can Get Involved
- Our mission is supported by membership fees and donations. We would be happy to have you join us in our work, whether through contributions of money, time, or both. See: Membership.
- If you would like to learn about the benefits of eating locally grown foods and get some helpful hints on how to get started, you’ll find that information in the final section of the Producer’s Directory.
- If you would like someone from the Kansas City Food Circle to speak to a group of which you are a member, please call our hotline at 816-344-0556 or send an e-mail to KCFoodCircle@gmail.com.
- If you are a health professional who would like to encourage your clients to eat a local, organic, and free-range diet, see our Health and Wellness Contributorship page, or contact brandi@KCFoodcircle.org for more information.
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If you need additional assistance, always feel free to contact the WebMinion. 913-620-8427
Your support is appreciated.
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