$2,075 raised by 18 donors
35% complete
$6,000 Goal
Help us build a vibrant local food system in the San Luis Valley! At the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition, we’re reconnecting our community to the land, supporting farmers, strengthening our local economy, and increasing access to healthy, natural food.
Your support fuels programs like Cooking Matters, which empowers families to cook nutritious meals on a budget; Valley Roots Food Hub, our distribution center connecting local food to homes and businesses; and Rio Grande Farm Park, a space for families to learn, play, and grow. You’re also supporting Mercadillo en el Rio, our lively weekly farmers market that brings the community together to enjoy fresh local produce, delicious food, and creative goods. We’re also working on a community-led Strategic Food & Ag Plan through Local Food Local Places to strengthen our Valley's food systems and elevate local voices.
Each dollar you give builds a healthier future, where food is grown, enjoyed, and shared locally. Help us sustain this work on Colorado Gives Day—every gift matters!
Cooking Matters — A cooking and nutrition education program for low-income families, caregivers, and adults that aims to increase health, limit food waste, and educate folks on how to use local ingredients on a budget. The Cooking Matters team works closely with local organizations to educate and support SNAP users and our local farm workers and their families.
Valley Roots Food Hub — Discover the Valley Roots Food Hub - the bustling heart of the SLV food system. This lively Mosca-based food hub connects local producers to consumers by distributing SLV & Colorado foods to restaurants, grocers, other hubs, and your home via CSA (community-supported agriculture) boxes. The Hub also hosts farm tours and events throughout the Valley.
Rio Grande Farm Park — Off the banks of the Rio Grande is a dynamic space to Learn, Play, and Grow. The Farm Park hosts an outdoor play area, family & commercial farm plots, a sustainable greenhouse, and an Education Center for workshops and events. Programs include Rising Stewards (high school summer program), Mercadillo en el Rio (a weekly farmers market), and a commercial farmer incubator.
Community Food & Agriculture — The SLV CFAA is creating a community-driven strategic plan to build the capacity of food & ag systems in the San Luis Valley. It addresses opportunities and challenges in current systems, taking to heart ideas and voices of community members, producers, and food businesses.
Mercadillo en el Rio — The weekly farmers market at Rio Grande Farm Park is a mid-week event for the whole community to enjoy. Come shop the week’s harvest from our local farmers, enjoy food trucks, and shop creative goods from our vendors. Wednesday evenings, 4pm to 7pm throughout the summer
Additional Resources:
The Local Roots Guide is a comprehensive list of local farmers, ranchers, and producers in the SLV -and- the Bilingual Resource Guide helps new and experienced ranchers & and farmers with best practices, educational resources, and agricultural advocacy groups.
The mission of the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition is to foster an equitable local food system that restores the health of the people, community, economy and ecosystem.
The LFC grew from a grassroots movement in the early 2000s, when local farmers, school food service directors, nutrition educators, nonprofit leaders, and community members began gathering to reimagine the region’s relationship with food. Community members gathered at local food potlucks and held ongoing conversations about farm-to-school programming, food access, and community health that became the seeds of the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition.
By 2009, this grassroots group was exploring ways to strengthen the regional food system. Programs began with Cooking Matters, and in 2012, the coalition incorporated as a 501(c)3 to support community ownership of the Rio Grande Farm Park.
Today, the LFC works to foster an equitable local food system that restores the health of the people, community, economy, and ecosystem. What began as a grassroots effort to reconnect the San Luis Valley to its agricultural roots has become a thriving regional movement for food justice, land stewardship, and community resilience.
View our current participation opportunities.
In-Person Volunteering
Monthly Volunteer Work Days
Rio Grande Farm Park
Organization name
San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition
other names
SLVLFC
2012
Tax id (EIN)
45-3837878
Category
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
Organization Size
Large Organization
Colorado State Tax Credits
Colorado Enterprise Zone Credit
Address
412 State AvenueMailing
P.O. Box 181Alamosa County, CO, US