Mission
The La Plata Food Equity Coalition
is enhancing health equity
for La Plata County
BIPOC, Senior, and Rural Residents
through healthy food
access and shared
community leadership
Vision
All residents in La Plata County
will have agency over their health, access to nutritious
foods, and the ability
to affect social change
The Coalition's story
Did you know that 11% of residents in La Plata County experience food insecurity? That means that nearly one in ten of your neighbors does not have access to the food that they need to support their health and well-being. The problem is even more concentrated within our BIPOC, Senior, and rural residents. The La Plata Food Equity Coalition formed back in February 2020 to really begin to explore how we, as a county community, can ensure that everyone has equal opportunity for health, or health equity, vis a vis access to healthy food. As part of an equity approach, our efforts are focused on addressing the needs and building the power of those residents and communities most chronically and deeply impacted by food insecurity and health inequities through deep partnership and empowerment of these individuals and communities.
The Coalition is a multi-cultural, open community that creates a space for any interested member in the community to engage in food systems, health equity, and food justice programs and activities.
Coalition meetings serve as a place where the myriad activities and ideas are shared in search of feedback, improvement, and/or partnerships; It is also a space where new ideas can emerge, a forum for discussing and evaluating progress, and a welcoming environment where anyone can express, and/or help to fill, newly emerging needs and gaps.
The what
The coalition works on a systems-level to facilitate long-term, sustainable change.
Workgroup actions involve participation and leadership by affected community members, revolving around increasing healthy, local food access, supporting BIPOC and immigrant-owned food enterprises, and making community resources more culturally accessible to all of our community residents.
The Good Food Collective serves as The Coalition’s Backbone Organization, providing administrative, resource, and ‘on the ground’ support.
The how
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The coalition is a collective of passionate individuals representing an array of local organizations, including the healthcare, government, and emergency food assistance spheres, local farmers and food systems stakeholders, and impacted community members.
The four workgroups are comprised of La Plata County residents and are led by community facilitators, with back-end support from the Coalition’s Project Weaver.
Click here to meet the facilitators!
The who
our workgroups:
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement
The La Plata County Food Equity Coalition cultivates spaces for underrepresented communities to gain power and create meaningful solutions to food inequity. The coalition recognizes the systemic oppressions and inequities that face these communities in La Plata County. We strive to break down these barriers through understanding differences to build power, confidence, and leadership within Indigenous, Black, LatinX, Disabled, Senior, and geographically isolated communities.