The Heart of Virginia Chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local will hold its annual meeting on Friday, Jan. 15 at the Workforce Development Center on the Southside Virginia Community College John H. Daniel Campus in Keysville. Registration begins at 6 p.m., and the meeting will start at 7 p.m. (inclement weather date is Friday, Jan. 22, with the same meeting times.) 

The meeting will showcase how the Buy Fresh Buy Local marketing program can help boost business for local food suppliers and help connect local food consumers to sources of fresh, locally grown products. Local food producers, distributors, retailers, purchaser, consumers or local food enthusiasts in any of the following 11 counties can be part of the Heart of Virginia Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter and are encouraged to attend. The chapter includes the counties of Amelia, Appomattox, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward.

“Buy Fresh Buy Local” is a nationally recognized marketing resource helping to rebuild local food systems and promote sustainable agriculture by increasing consumer awareness and access to local food; improving direct marketing of local food from farm to table and connecting restaurants, institutions and retail outlets to local food suppliers.

The Heart of Virginia Buy Fresh Buy local chapter has distributed 34,000 Food Guides since its formation in January 2012 to promote more than 120 members in the eleven county central Virginia region. In previous years, operating support has been provided by an agribusiness grant from the Tobacco Indemnification & Community Revitalization Commission, and area sponsors have made it possible for participation in the organization to be at no cost for members. 

There will be exhibit space available for members and sponsors; please contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office for more information. Since Buy Fresh Buy Local is a nationally recognized means of promoting local based economics, the theme of this annual meeting is “Buy Fresh Buy Local — An Investment in Your Future.” There will also be an overview of chapter organization, accomplishments and future goals.

Additional information about Buy Fresh, Buy Local in Virginia is available at www.buylocalvirginia.org or Facebook — Buy Fresh Buy Local Heart of Virginia.  To RSVP for the Jan. 15 event, contact Caitlin Miller at (434) 392-4246 or cgracem@vt.edu.