First Lady Frances Strickland spoke to about 50 people at the Athens Farmers Market yesterday, touting local food purchases as part of the new 30 Mile Meal project.
Strickland spoke for about 10 minutes regarding the effect buying locally can have on the economy.
I really appreciate being here today and really appreciate the model you are for the rest of the state
Strickland said.
Her appearance officially kicked off the 30 Mile Meal project, which aims to highlight food grown and sold in a 30-mile radius around Athens. The region includes parts of Washington, Meigs, Vinton, Hocking, Perry and Morgan counties.
This branding effort will extend into local tourism, including self-guided tours, cooking demonstrations and festivals.
It was beneficial to officially announce the First Lady's involvement with the project, said Natalie Woodroofe, coordinator of the project and spokeswoman for the Athens County Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
(The First Lady's) had a long-time interest in local foods so that's exciting Woodroofe said.
Athens and the surrounding region boast a large number of farmers, restaurants and patrons who want food created in a sustainable manner, she said.
It's a uniquely rich area to produce local foods
Woodroofe said. You have all this energy toward keeping local food in the community year-round
she added.
Athens restaurants such as Casa Nueva, Village Bakery and Della Zona typify the successful locavore movement that benefits the local economy, Woodroofe said.
A locavore is someone who eats locally grown and produced food.
Casa Nueva worker-owner Michelle Wasserman said the money spent shopping locally goes directly back to residents of the area.
For the last 25 years we've been open
we've been trying to buy local and sustainable food for a multitude of reasons
she said, citing the freshness of food and support of local growers.
Mayor Paul Wiehl, who attended the event, said the farmers market deserves recognition for directly providing homegrown food.
I grew up in New York
where the expiration date was a three-day window sometimes
he said.
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