A community group in Watauga County hopes to secure funding to address food insecurity and local sustainability efforts.

The Watauga Food Council focuses on strengthening the county’s food system through several initiatives. Those include developing hunger relief efforts and identifying partnerships to improve access in underserved areas. The council was created by local residents and community groups in 2016.

Organizers say their efforts have been a big success and they want more buy-in from the town of Boone and County Commission to keep the momentum going.

They’re asking for money for a part-time coordinator position. Brooke Kornegay is currently doing the job and says the need for their services is growing.

“We do have a higher rate of food insecurity than the surrounding counties in our area of North Carolina,” says Kornegay. “And most of the food that is consumed is coming [from] off [of] the mountain, from the Big Ag companies, so increasing the amount of food locally will increase our resilience as well.”

Kornegay says similar food councils have been popping up across the state. She says the goal is to eventually make the Watauga coordinator position full-time.

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