Do any of the following ring true for you?
- Has your local school participated in a farm to school challenge or offered taste tests of local food or started a school garden?
- Have you received funding from the Mattie Mack Farmer Fund, the Central Appalachian Family Farm Fund, or the Business Builder Subaward program through the Appalachian Regional Food Business Center?
- Have you participated in the Eastern Kentucky Farmer Conference, the Kentucky Black Farmer Conference, or the Kentucky Farm to School Summit?
- Have you learned about the Farm Bill through a webinar or community meeting or shared your views on the Farm Bill with your senators and representative via a CFA post card?
- Did you travel to ACENet in Athens, OH to check out their food hub or participate in the needs assessment for a food hub in Berea?
- Have you attended CFA’s annual meeting or a member meet-up or received a card thanking you for your membership contribution (or reminding you it’s time to make another one)?
These are just a few of the many ways in which Laurie White has touched the lives of Kentucky farmers and eaters throughout her nearly eight-year tenure at CFA. Among staff members, she is known for her generosity of time and spirit, her willingness to be a thought partner, and her ability to understand and keep us focused on the interconnectedness of programmatic work, policy, and our membership. Do you have a story of how Laurie’s work has impacted you? If so, drop us a line at info@cfaky.org
This month, we bid a fond farewell to Laurie and wish her the best. As she and her family settle into their new home in West Virginia, she will be continuing her work in agriculture through West Virginia University Cooperative Extension.