FW: Seeking Berrien County Growers for Midwest Regional Foodshed Evaluation Project

Greetings,

I'm forwarding the request below from Ola Klimczak with a DePaul University research team partnering with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) that is seeking to learn more from Michigan growers located in Berrien County. Please reply to Ola directly (aklimcz1@depaul.edu) to indicate your interest or with any questions.

 

Best,

 

Colleen Matts

(she/her)

Director, Farm to Institution Programs

Coordinator, Michigan Farm to Institution Network

Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems

matts@msu.edu | 517.432.0310

foodsystems.msu.edu | cultivatemichigan.org | mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

 

"The Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) is seeking to help build the capacity of midwestern growers to engage with buyers linked to public procurement by the City of Chicago and Cook County agencies. DePaul University is part of a team of researchers working with CFPAC to learn about growers in Berrien County in an effort to promote equitable access for growers to sell to local and regional institutional food buyers. 

 

My name is Ola Klimczak and I am one of the DePaul researchers working to learn about Berrien County growers including their current practices and their potential interests in selling into the institutional food supply chain. We want to get a better sense of why, how, where, when, and how much growers are producing, and ultimately, the growers' capacity and interest to become suppliers to institutional buyers. 

 

We would appreciate 30 minutes to an hour of your time to briefly talk about your farm by phone or zoom.  I would be also willing to plan visits to your farm if that is preferred.

 

Thanks for your consideration and I look forward to speaking with you at your convenience. 

 

With Gratitude,  "

 

Alex (Ola) Klimczak

Student: Masters of Sustainable Urban Design and GIS Certification

773-841-7366