Columbus Crew SC and Local Matters - a non-profit organization dedicated to creating healthy communities through food education, access, and advocacy - are long-time partners in Greener Goals, a league-wide initiative dedicated to identifying ways to measure, reduce and offset the League’s greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint and raise awareness about environmental issues throughout the soccer community in the US and Canada.
Read below to learn more about Local Matters' programming and how you can help create a healthier community in Central Ohio.
Current Initiatives
With COVID-19 necessitating an abrupt pause on our usual list of programs, Local Matters pivoted at the end of last month to offer as much responsive programming as possible. Digitally, they have been offering:
- a Cooking at Home series with Local Matters staff recording cooking demonstrations from their kitchens
- virtual Food Matters lessons to finish out the 24-week food education curriculum that would normally have been going on in classrooms across Columbus
- virtual gardening lessons with Jesse that cover everything you might need to know to grow food at home
These three digital offerings are summarized and linked on a COVID-19 page on our website. Also listed on that page are a few volunteer opportunities Local Matters has been promoting for food access support.
Coming Soon
Local Matters is relaunching its Veggie Van in the next couple of weeks. A mobile market with affordable, healthy produce and shelf-stable items, Veggie Van will be launching online ordering to respond to the current climate. Veggie Van specifically has stops in the Linden, Near East, and Franklinton neighborhoods, providing important points of food access in our community. Notably, Veggie Van accepts SNAP (food stamps) and Produce Perks.
Fundraising
Local Matters is working on a fundraising campaign this week that revolves around the organization's work with community gardens.
In past years, the Crew & Local Matters have teamed up to build gardens in the community, such as the 2019 construction of a new garden at Beatty Park Elementary School.
