Common Good Food Symposium

What does “good food” mean, and how abundant is it in a city that self identifies with the Common Good?

What associated values are driving the production, distribution, and consumption of food in Goshen?

How are new and existing initiatives creating a healthier community food system?

In March of 2015 and 2016, the CRG helped convene local food practitioners and advocates to explore these questions, reflect on their relationships to food, and identify common ground for collaboration.  Small group dialogues, interviews, and panel discussions focused on how local production is expanding and diversifying in response to increasing market and consumer demand, as well as to changing economic and environmental conditions.  They also featured local food culture and nutrition, and how local groups are collectively changing the way we eat.

While everyone in attendance was considered an “expert” contributing valid and diverse perspectives, the symposia provided a platform for local presenters and panelists to share their thoughts and activities related to food and the common good:

● Jeff Burbrink – Purdue Extension
● Jo Ellen Davis – Goshen Farmers Market
● Ben Hartman – Clay Bottom Farm
● Greg Koehler – Purple Porch Coop
● Myles Robertson – Purple Porch Coop
● Mark Seeley – Full Sircle Farms
● David Shenk – Maple City Market
● John Sherck – Sherck’s Seeds and Produce
● Jesse Shoemaker Goshen – Brewing Co
● Mike Yoder Elkhart – County Commissioner
● Mary Ann Lienhart – Cross Purdue Extension
● Greg Imbur Maple – City Market
● Clare Krabill – Well Foundation
● Ingrid Moser – Maple City Health Care Center
● Becky Overholt – IU Health Goshen
● Kim Hartman – Boys and Girls Club of Goshen
● Susan Stiffney – Goshen Community Schools
● Ed Swartley – The Window
● Pam Weishaupt – Vista Community Health Center