When food access became more urgent, Lane County stepped up. Through collaboration between local organizations and farms, initiatives like Lane County Bounty helped bridge the gap—bringing fresh, local food to more households while supporting farmers at the same time. It’s a powerful example of what’s possible when a community invests in its local food system—not just in times of crisis, but as a long-term solution.

Listeners producer Kristen Mico speaks with Fiona Conneely and Shelley Sculer about how food hubbing models offer solutions to small farms, markets and food assistance programs.  At a time when programs that support access to fresh food and livelihoods of small farmers have been dramatically cut, and food assistance benefits like SNAP are also being cut, social service organizations are scrambling to figure out how to keep families fed. Fiona Conneely is with a Portland organization, Lift Up,  trying to do just that. She and Shelley Schular have a lot to talk about, as Shelley operates Lane County Bounty, a Eugene-based food hub that aggregates produce and goods from local farms, offering affordable, fresh food to a range of markets through a convenient online delivery service that provides choice and cultural goods. 

How fresh groceries are helping reduce ongoing health conditions in Lane County, Oregon. Kaiser Permanente believes that food is medicine and that healthy eating is one of the best ways to help people feel better and live longer. That’s why we’ve partnered with Food for Lane County and invested $150,000 to start a medically tailored grocery box program. The program aims to improve health outcomes for patients who are dealing with health problems like diabetes, obesity, and other ongoing conditions.