Hey everyone-my name is Erin Callaway and I am PRFC's Executive Director. I am also one of the co-founders of the organization.
My husband Steve (the building guy) and I became interested in "local food systems" when we moved to Piscataquis in 1997. I don't think either one of us knew what "local food systems" were but we were both very curious people and realized we wanted to learn as much as we could about food and farming in Maine, and especially here in our new home. That was a long time ago and we haven't stopped since! Every day we learn something new, whether it's about a local farm, a food cupboard, community organization, or the creative ideas people are coming up with to grow their own food businesses and Maine's food economy. In the past several years we started learning about another enormous part of our county's food system: people living with daily hunger and the agencies and organizations that exist to help them get the food they need. Hunger is a problem that is not readily apparent to folks who aren't living that crisis themselves. It sure wasn't obvious to us. We honestly had no clue how pervasive hunger is in Piscataquis - or anywhere in Maine for that matter. It's amazing the things you don't see simply because they are not part of your own experience - or you don't think they are. In fact, hunger, the people living with and the people fighting hunger are all around us every single day. We know that now. The important thing for both of us is that when we do become aware of something we can't undo that awareness and become compelled to get involved some way. We always want to know more and do more. That is what PRFC is all about: doing more and doing it together to help everyone get the healthy food they need. Thanks for being a part of that with us.