This column, which we call “grist,” is where I usually share a little story about local food and then introduce the contents in this issue of Edible Port City. But Hurricane Helene disrupted yet another routine
Many residents of the Port City had friends or family in the Asheville area who were forced out of their homes; some no longer had homes at all. The region didn’t have electricity or drinking water for weeks.
After disasters like Helene, when so many people are affected, we must remember the impact such storms can have on the food system.
The floods washed away topsoil and crops. Fences were destroyed and livestock wandered away; many baby chicks didn’t survive. Old apple orchards that had weathered decades of storms couldn’t hold against this one. Processing facilities were damaged.
Here in the Port City, our food community stepped up fast. Bars and restaurants banded together for fundraisers. Coffee and sandwich shops donated 10% of revenues. Businesses hosted concerts and donated all proceeds.
The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, on Greenfield Street, went to work and received donations to keep their refrigerated trucks running and their commercial kitchen cooking for 38 western counties.
Local food is always important but it matters most when supply chains break. We learned this during the pandemic, and now Helene reinforces the same lesson. Farmers who survive by selling close to home need to make enough money to plant again next season.
Recipes always taste better when we know who grew the food. We shouldn’t need disasters to remind us farmers must turn a profit to keep farming.
If you can, take the time throughout this holiday season, and the rest of the year, to spend your money with local producers, makers and merchants. Supporting our neighbors, our local economy and our community makes us stronger.
