A central reason why food decisions ought to be faith decisions is that the choices we make about food dramatically effect the larger creation and our fellow human beings. In a world where seasons no longer prevent us from eating our favorite foods and where meals often come out of a box, the connection to the soil, habitats, creatures and humans who cultivate and provide the components of our food often get forgotten.
Additionally, the economic and social structures that surround food have long been steeped in injustice. With complex systems of producers, buyers, harvesters and transporters we may settle into the belief that unjust food patterns are too big to change. Yet, thankfully our God is not blind to how these patterns are formed and perpetuated and our God is not too small for the task.
Further Resources
Food & Faith: Justice, Joy, and Daily Bread
Caring for All Creation: At the Table
American Farmland Trust The mission of American Farmland Trust is to help farmers and ranchers protect their land, produce a healthier environment and build successful communities.
Cascade Harvest Coalition Cascade Harvest Coalition is a non-profit organization dedicated to “re-localizing” the food system in Washington State by more directly connecting consumers and producers.
Center for Rural Affairs The Center for Rural Affairs’ work includes advocating for federal policies supporting rural community development that reduces poverty, rewards resource stewardship, and strengthens small farms and businesses; providing loans, technical assistance and training to small entrepreneurs through our Rural Enterprise Assistance Program (REAP), the nation’s leading statewide rural microenterprise development program; providing comprehensive rural community development services; and developing new cooperatives to reach and expand premium markets that reward sustainable agriculture, strengthen family farms, and open the doors of opportunity to beginning farmers.
Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at WSU The Center has been working for two decades to bring sustainable solutions to the citizens and agricultural industry of Washington State. Our role as a university center has matured from being the “go-to place” for information on sustainable agriculture production practices to that of being a catalyst for cutting edge research and education on the critical issues facing agriculture, such as climate change, energy and water security, and improving technology and management knowledge that will make all of our agricultural production systems more sustainable.
Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy The purpose of the Institute for Food and Development Policy – Food First – is to eliminate the injustices that cause hunger.
Grounds for Change “Grounds for Change is a certified organic coffee roaster specializing in 100% Fair Trade Coffee. We roast Organic Fair Trade Coffee that is grown in shaded conditions and our Coffee of the Month Club is the perfect coffee gift for any occasion. Grounds for Change has a comprehensive Wholesale Coffee program for independent coffeehouses, as well as a Coffee Fundraiser for organizations. Every single bean we roast is certified Fair Trade Organic coffee.”
Land Stewardship Project “The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1982 to foster an ethic of stewardship for farmland, to promote sustainable agriculture and to develop sustainable communities.”
Local Harvest “LocalHarvest is America’s #1 organic and local food website. [They] maintain a definitive and reliable ‘living’ public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Our search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages them to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. Our online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area.”
Puget Sound Fresh “Puget Sound Fresh is the region’s leading farm-to-table resource for consumers offering comprehensive tools and information to help people make better food choices and find what’s fresh, local and in season from farms and farmers market throughout Washington State. The program supports the annual Farm Guide, the Puget Sound Fresh website and Puget Sound Fresh mobile app, with over 400 farms, farmers markets, harvest schedules, recipes, CSAs, farm maps and more.”
Seattle Tilth “Founded in 1978, Seattle Tilth is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating a sustainable community, one garden at a time. In our demonstration gardens, as well as in P-Patches and other community gardens across the region, we teach people how to improve their environment by using organic gardening techniques.”