Our History

Carteret Local Food Network was established as a community-driven initiative in 2008 and became a registered 501(c)3 organization in 2016. Our goal is to address food inequality, food security, environmental impact, health, education, and economic development in Carteret County, North Carolina, by promoting a local food system that supports the local economy, builds community, fosters a healthy environment, and produces nutritious and delicious food. We are committed to fulfilling our mission to strengthen the relationship between local farmers and local consumers by:

​

• Hosting farm-to-table dinners at local farms, giving community members the opportunity to meet the farmers and gain an understanding of the hard work that goes into growing local produce.

• Conducting culinary classes to educate community members about seasonal food items and teach them how to prepare recipes that can be easily modified based on seasonal availability.

• Providing food demonstrations and tastings at local farmers' markets to increase awareness of local seasonal produce and encourage people to try new foods.

• Collaborating with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop and implement the Visit NC Farms mobile app, which helps locals and tourists find farms, farmers' markets, and agritourism-related activities near them.

• Offering technical support, marketing advice, graphic design assistance, and branding to local farmers to help them increase their online presence and promote their products within the community.

• Starting conversations about the importance of a local Food Hub to assist local producers with transportation, distribution, and value-added opportunities to support local economic development. Construction of the Food Hub began at Willis Farm in 2021 and has been our base of operations since then. It features two large walk-in coolers and dry storage space to ensure that we are handling our local produce according to North Carolina and Health Department standards.

• Assisting farmers in reaching additional demographics by helping them transport and sell their produce at other local farmers' markets on Saturdays and, during COVID-19, assisting with transportation challenges to get their items to fresh local markets during the week.

• Initiating a Farm Shares Subscription program that focuses on assisting smaller farms by offering a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) bag with an assortment of items from multiple farmers who cannot independently meet the quantity demands that come with CSAs, providing an additional mid-week economic channel for our farmers.

​​

In response to COVID-19, Carteret Local Food Network implemented its Mobile Market Program earlier than planned to assist farmers in moving their produce to local farmers' markets and fresh market stores. We started using a personal vehicle to transport the farmers' produce to local farmers' markets that were struggling to remain open and serve the community. Our local farmers were under pressure to meet the demands of our neighborhoods and found it challenging to take time away from production. You now know this program as our Mobile Market and our big red bus.