There is nothing more basic to life than food. We literally are what we eat. The story of our food, how it is grown, by whom, where, under what circumstances, how it travels from farm to fork, and the transformations it undergoes has profound implications for our health, our spirits and our environment.
Taking the First Step
Check out our Sacred Foodscapes for All Creation program for ways your congregation can make the food-faith-climate connection!
Do More: Next Steps
Great, you’ve started saving energy. Now what? Here are more resources and next steps:
Food Waste Reduction Guide Use this guide as your jumping off point to reduce your food waste. Download the Food Waste Reduction Guide.
Creating Opportunity through Micro-Enterprise: Faith Kitchens as Micro-Business Incubators
This handbook outlines how your congregation can start a micro-enterprise program. Download Micro-Enterprise handbook.
Food Sovereignty for All: Overhauling the Food System with Faith-Based Initiatives
This handbook outlines how to start and maintain community gardens, community kitchens, buying clubs, farm stands and other projects harnessing faith community resources. It offers tips for project success and effective collaboration with low-income populations. Download Food Sovereignty handbook.
Farm-to-Congregation Toolkits
“That’s My Farmer” A Handbook to Starting a Grassroots Farmers’ Market Coupon Program includes practical tips gleaned from years of experience with the “That’s My Farmer” coupon program, guidelines for a successful program and templates for replicating it.
Farm to Congregation, A Handbook on Starting a Congregational Farm Stand documents our experience with five different farm stand models at faith communities. It outlines the typical tasks and responsibilities for the congregation and farmer, provides a recommended timeline and details how to integrate a farm stand into the life of a congregation and its surrounding community.
Food Assessment Reports
From Our Own Soil: A Community Food Assessment of Benton County
View full report or short report.
Everyone Eats! North/Northeast Portland Food Assessment
View full report or Executive Summary.
Food for Rockwood: Highlights from the Rockwood Community Food Assessment. View.
Congregational Wellness Project
The Congregational Health Index is an assessment and planning tool that enables congregations to identify possible changes in their environments and practices and make concrete improvements that support health. The Congregational Wellness Project developed tools for congregations to prevent obesity and chronic health problems. Because obesity disproportionately impacts lower-income and people of color, the project placed special emphasis on these communities. This project produced the Congregational Health Index in English and Spanish, a website (faithandwellness.org) with resources for congregations and families including sample congregational wellness guidelines, wellness policies, and more.