Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)- Local food is getting an important shot in the arm with the distribution this spring of nearly $2 million in state funding. But it’s clear more support is needed to meet the state’s growing local needs.
At a recent Statehouse news conference, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance joined with top state officials, a bi-partisan group of state legislators and some of the recipients of the inaugural Local Food Infrastructure grants to support the development of the state’s local food network.
The 19 recipients cover all parts of Illinois and a wide array of creative and essential projects that help local farmers and growers get more products to more markets, more easily and cost effectively. A full list of recipients and their stories is included below:
- Leaf Food Hub, helping a dozen southern Illinois farms reach local communities. The $82,871.09 granted will help purchase equipment needed to reduce waste, improve farmer revenue and feed more people
- Tulip Tree Gardens, which will use a $59,900 grant to increase distribution and aggregation access for farmers in Chicago’s north and south suburbs
- Funks Grove Heritage Fruits and Grains, whose $72,124.16 grant will help them dry, clean and store grain and provide grain and other cold storage to expand operations in the Bloomington area in central Illinois
- DeMange Family Farms, which will use $106,000 in LFIG funding to build an energy-efficient produce packing and storage building to increase production and improve what it can offer at farm stands in the Metro East near St. Louis
For the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, the LFIG grant announcement is an exciting milestone for the new state-funded program – and a clear reminder of the work ahead needed to build on the momentum.
The Alliance, formed to support the growth of opportunities for local food growers and consumers, advocated strongly at the State Capitol for funds dedicated to supporting infrastructure development: animal processing facilities, refrigerated trucks, commercial kitchens and other tools that help get more products to market. The current state budget that ends this summer provided $1.8 million in funds to get the program started, and asked the Alliance to spearhead the program’s development.
After a two-month grant application process in December and January, the response was overwhelming: 247 applicants submitted more than $23.5 million in funding requests – or more than 10 times the amount of money available to distribute this year.
The LFIG program was not proposed for funding in the state budget Gov. Pritzker presented to lawmakers for consideration last month. Advocates are now pushing for Senate Bill 3077 in the Illinois Senate, which would create an ongoing LFIG grant program of at least $2 million each year to support infrastructure needs.
Alliance LFIG organizers acknowledge the announcement of recipients reveals the needs both for more local food infrastructure and more support from policymakers to build on this initial success.
“We had so many difficult decisions to make, and for every recipient we selected, we had many others whose projects were just as innovative and meaningful for local food development,” said Josh Snedden, Grant Program Coordinator for the Illinois Stewardship Alliance. “We thank the Legislature, the Pritzker Administration and the Illinois Department of Agriculture for being great partners on this first round of LFIG funding.
We celebrate today the tremendous work that these award recipients will be able to do because they now have the funding to support the local system, and get to work on advocating for more LFIG funding to meet even more of the many needs across Illinois.”
For more information, visit: illinoislfig.org.
About Illinois Stewardship Alliance
We bring together farmers and eaters to reshape and regenerate a stronger, more diverse local food and farm system. We form a powerful voice at every table where policy decisions are made to advocate for an Illinois where farmers earn a living as responsible stewards of the land who feed our communities, and where people can easily and affordably find and buy local food that aligns with their values for more vibrant and healthier communities. Learn more: https://www.ilstewards.org/.
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