About Us
OUR MISSION: To build an economically and environmentally sound regional food system that engages, educates, and improves the health and well-being of our community.
We are a citizen-driven 501(c)3 with a regional focus, serving Gorge counties in Oregon and Washington: Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat, and Skamania Counties. We are an inclusive group! We welcome all farmers, food producers and consumers in the region to participate.
We envision a healthy, self-sufficient Columbia River Gorge where our food is produced with integrity and is valued, abundant, and accessible to all.
If you too are concerned about where and how your food is grown, want to support the local economy, ensure a livable wage for farmers, ensure access to healthy food for everyone regardless of income, and make the Columbia Gorge region ever more food self-sufficient, please join us!
Our Goals
Education
All community members are empowered with the knowledge and tools to grow and eat healthy, seasonal, local food.
Demand
Everyone demands local food first.
Supply
A year-round regional supply and distribution system provides a variety of abundant, fairly priced food.
Organization
We have the organizational structure and financial resources to achieve our mission.
History
Gorge Grown Food Network evolved from discussions in 2006 generated after the Columbia Gorge Earth Center showed the film “The True Cost of Food” as part of their Film and Lecture series. The film revealed that the average meal travels 1500 miles from farm to dinner plate. Through a series of meetings, farmers, food producers and citizens gathered to discuss ideas like CSA farming (Community Supported Agriculture), the need for more farmers’ markets, a living wage for our farmers, supporting the local economy, healthy and high-quality food and educating our children about food, and more. From these gatherings, the idea of launching a ‘network’ that would connect farmers to consumers, consumers to farmers, farmers to other farmers and to encourage more local food production led to what has been named Gorge Grown Food Network.
From 2006 - 2008 we operated as a project of the nonprofit Columbia Gorge Earth Center. In December 2008 we received independent 501(c)3 status! We continue to be driven by the needs of our community and the folks who live and farm here.
