Healthy school meals including as much local food as possible is a dream close to my heart having worked with many great partners in Southwest Colorado and beyond over the past couple decades. Much progress has been made – although much more is needed – to realize this dream.
So much hard work and sacrifice by local nonprofits, local food producers, school food service teams, community leaders and the community as a whole was required for the gains we have seen. State agencies and nonprofits have made great strides providing state resource support and policies to make this a Colorado priority and reality. Healthier kids with better understanding of good food and where it comes from, healthier local farms and ranches, and a tighter knit community are – and increasingly will be – the result.
It would be a shame to lose this momentum. There will be a daunting need soon for rebuilding once our current social and political turmoil settles down, but in Propositions LL and MM we have a chance to maintain this momentum and avoid the need to start over.
Check out the YES on LL and MM website at yesonllandmm.com for all the details on these two propositions and many of the organizations that support this effort. Our kids, our local farmers and ranchers, and our community as a whole will be better off with your “yes” vote on propositions LL and MM. Healthy Community Food Systems (https://healthycommunityfoodsystems.org)
Jim Dyer, Executive Director, Healthy Community Food Systems
Durango
