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up production of 6-oz yogurt cups Victoria’s Ristorante & Wine Bar
to contribute to meals for school delivered hundreds of meals to first
children in need. They even got more responders in the first three months of
visitors at the creamery’s retail space. GR O W I N GR O W I N G COVID.
G
F Farmers prepare soil, plant, armers prepare soil, plant,
“People were coming into the farm tend, and harvest crops and animals
tend, and harvest crops and animals
turned into fertile farm soil. LOCAL
store for the first time,” Bob recalls DISP Work “My husband and I heard about
DISPOSINGOOSING
HA
HARVESTING / PROCESSING PROCESSINGRVESTING /
Comp
Composted foodcan beoststed foodcan be
Workers harvest, pack and often pack and ofteners harvest, pa
with a smile. “Some of them have lived turnedd into fertile farm soil. process foods a restaurant on the East Coast
process foods
5-10 miles away for years but had never FOOD offering meals for kids who weren’t
been to the farm. They checked it out SYSTEM in school anymore,” says Natalie.
because people told them about us and CONSUMERSNSNSUMERS Farmers’ market workers,t workers,rmers’ market w “So I threw [the offer for free meals]
RETAI
RETAILIL
CO
Fa
because we’re local.” People restaurant, and out on Facebook: Stop at the front
People buy, prepare,ple buy, prepare,
restaurant,
t, and
and eat the food
and eat tat the food
ore employees
grocery store
grocery store employees
desk, tell us what you need and
T TRANSPORTRANS P O RT
Caring for Community Workers transport port we’ll give you a lunch—pasta with
Workers trans
food to markets fd t
food to markets
Every year is different, whether it’s the meat sauce or marinara or buttered
Keeping business going and market, the weather or a pandemic. We need noodles.”
The response was
meeting community needs were to be resilient and adaptable because that’s overwhelming, not only from
strong incentives behind Victoria’s the food system. families in need but from volunteers
Ristorante & Wine Bar’s responses and people offering financial
to COVID. In Rochester, Minn., —Susan Noble, Executive assistance. A woman known only as
Mayo Clinic patients and visitors Director, Vernon Economic “Christine” delivered meals as far
make restaurants a necessity, Development Association, as Waseca and Lewiston (56 miles
especially for outpatients during Viroqua, Wisc. away). She became the restaurant’s
days and weeks of treatment. Local Food System graphic adapted from Nourish. Facebook Angel and helped feed
Copyright WorldLink, all rights reserved.
“We became a carry-out over 4,000 people.
institution,” says owner Natalie The crises of 2020 have affected
Victoria. “We did tons of deliveries, every aspect of the food supply. For
especially to patients who were in hotels with no food. We producers, it’s become a forcing function, prompting bold,
came to work every day. Everyone did everything: orders, new strategies—some of which may remain in place long
delivery, dishes. You had to think outside of yourself to after COVID is over. For consumers, it has brought into
make sure people were fed.” sharp focus the importance of knowing who makes our
But Natalie and her crew didn’t stop with feeding food, of having a deeper appreciation for the path it travels,
patients in hotels. They made sure doctors, nurses, first and for supporting
responders and police officers, who couldn’t shelter at home the frontline workers who do whatever it takes to make sure
had meals, too. Then these devoted food workers—some it reaches our plates—during the pandemic and beyond.
of whom worked only for tips—dug deeper and started a
free meal program for local school children. The idea sprang Marlene Petersen is a Twin-Cities based writer, editor and novelist who
from a simple conversation in the car. loves good local food.
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