MISSION STATEMENT:
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. We cooperate in nourishing each other today while seeking to sustain the ability of future generations to nourish themselves through healthy farming practices.
Our Org - The Kansas City Food Circle is an all-volunteer membership organization. It is a project of Heart of America Action Linkage, a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation in Missouri. 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.
History - 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 EXPO - 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. The rest is history. So many people showed up that one could hardly fit into the room. We have since held nine (9) such Exhibitions of Farmers, and this year some 1100 people attended..
Outreach - In recent years 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.
Our web site has been up and running since early 2006, and we continue to expand our outreach and educational efforts by all means possible, cross-pollinating and coordinating with many other organizations in and around the greater Kansas City area.
In the final analysis, though, 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 treat their animals far more humanely than industrial animal factories do.
If you would like to learn about the benefits of eating locally grown foods plus get some helpful hints on how to get started, you'll find that information in the final section of the Directory.
If you would like someone from the Food Circle to speak to a group you're part of, please call our hotline at 816-374-5899 or send us an e-mail.
We are primarily supported by member donations and would be happy to have you join us in our work, whether through contributions of money, time, or both. See: Membership...
Who's Who at KCFC- tba
Resources for an organically inclined community:
- KC Food Circle Directory of Local Organic and Free-Range Food Producers. (300KB .PDF)
- For more timely and detailed info on our producers, including photos, click on
Know Your Grower.
- Click here for The Peas and Carrots of Buying Local.
(Why Peas and Carrots? Well... Nuts and Bolts just don't taste as good.)
- Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a unique partnership between eaters and farmers. Members normally join a CSA at the beginning of the calendar year, reserving a spot and paying for at least part of the season up front. This helps to provide a guaranteed market and income to the farmer... (CLICK for more...)
- Become a Food Circle member, and reap the benefits! Non-members frequently ask, "What do I get for my Food Circle membership?" The answer is a little *and* a lot. The Food Circle doesn't have a glossy magazine, monthly meetings, or monthly mailings. We don't ask you to give extra contributions. That's a little.... (CLICK for more...)
- NEW AND IMPROVED: The KCFC Harvest Hotline is easier to use! Farmers post the latest available harvest info so buyers can make a direct connection to arrange for pickup or delivery - see samples and current offerings on our bulletin board. Most often,
Harvest Hotline postings alert eaters to immediately-available perishable goods, so don't dawdle too long, or you may miss out...
- The Kansas City Food Circle UPDATE - published by our coordinating committee, the KCFC UPDATE newsletter will contain sage advice, timely articles and commentary about events and issues which should concern us all. Search our archive, and you are sure to find something of interest.... (CLICK for more...)
- Organic Farmer's Markets
A Window to our Bulletin Board....
Here (in the window below) are some of the latest announcements from our bulletin board. We may move this function to another web site or BB solution soon, but its' purpose remains the same - to provide a mechanism which allows multiple moderators and content managers to keep our readers up-to-date. Shift-CLICK the INDEX (or shift-CLICK on the sun graphic) to browse the entire BB.
(BROWSER NOTE: there should be a window below, containing Key Items from our Bulletin Board -- if your browser does not support this feature,
CLICK HERE to access the BB, or try another web browser.)
-- IF THE WINDOW CONTENT IS CUT OFF, use your SHIFT key and click on the Key Items heading in the window.
