Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Learn how to support the local food movement and meet chefs, farmers, fishermen and community members at Feast Down East’s Brunswick County meeting 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 21 at Fishy Fishy Café in downtown Southport.

Feast Down East, in partnership with NC State Cooperative Extension, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and Downtown Southport, Inc., will launch the Southport 10% Campaign Community Challenge and call attention to the importance of buying products from local farmers and fishermen.

The 10% Campaign, a statewide initiative aimed at building N.C.’s food economy, is designed to encourage North Carolinians to spend 10 percent, or just a little over $1 a day, of their existing food budget on foods produced locally. If successful, the effort could have a $3.5 billion impact on the state economy.

“Brunswick County families, the community, our health and the environment can be positively affected if we make a commitment to the local food effort,” said Jane Steigerwald, program director for marketing and institutional buying with Feast DownEast.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is the lead agent for Feast Down East, also known as Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Program (SENCFS).

Feast Down East, established in 2007, seeks to unite farmers, agencies, institutions and businesses to support the sustainability of local food markets. The organization works to support local farmers, increase the sales of local farm products and educate the public about the importance of “buying local.”

Leslie Hossfeld, co-founder and director of public sociology at UNCW stated, “In order to create a totally integrated local food system, we need commitment from the both public and private sectors of our community.”

Fishy Fishy Café is located at 106 Yacht Basin Drive in Southport, N.C. A forerunner in supporting the local food industry, Fishy Fishy Café was one of the first restaurants to participate in Brunswick Catch, a local seafood program in Brunswick County.

Visit www.feastdowneast.org for more information about Feast Down East programs and local food initiatives.

Media Contact: Emily Jones, media relations assistant, 910.962.3171 or jonesel@uncw.edu