Edible Flint is a network of local citizens and public and private organizations that share the mission of “supporting Flint residents in growing and accessing healthy food in order to reconnect with the land and each other.” Formed in 2009 following a number of community conversations, the Edible Flint network is interested in collaboration around healthy food access, productive reuse of vacant land, and education around local food systems.
The network engages in several efforts that support residents’ ability to grow and access healthy food. With this mission in mind, Edible Flint has divided its efforts among five different work groups, each self-organized to address the specific issues and opportunities in the local food system. Throughout the year, Edible Flint’s work groups envision, plan and implement these efforts using a consensus based decision-making model. The organization is guided by a leadership board which provides the structure for collaboration to support its mission.
Collaborating with numerous local partners is key to the Edible Flint network. Some of its past and current institutional partners include the Ruth Mott Foundation; Genesee MSU Extension Office; MSU’s Departments of Food Science and Human Nutrition & Horticulture; Genesee County Land Bank; Flint Farmers’ Market; Salem Housing CDC; Flint Urban Gardening and Land Use Corporation; Genesee County Health Department; Genesee Health System; Greater Flint Health Coalition; Hurley Medical Center; Flint River Farm; Harvesting Earth Educational Farm; Resource Genesee, Mott Community College, Genesys Regional Medical Center; and the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan.
Since its inception, Edible Flint has hosted eight Food Garden Tours, offered six years of training classes on urban food gardening, completed assessments of food venders in the City of Flint in 2011 and 2012, and has distributed Garden Starter veggie garden kits and services for the past six years.
For more information, contact Terry McLean at 810.244.8530 or info@edibleflint.org. Find them at EdibleFlint.org and on Facebook or Twitter.
