Promoting Healthy Food with ACEnet

Healthy Food Access Promotion Program Series with Alexandria Polanosky

I just began my second week of service at ACEnet as their Summer AmeriCorps VISTA. As a recent graduate of Ohio University, I was incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to stay in Athens a little bit longer. My experiences through OU’s Photojournalism and Food Studies programs allowed me to become involved with so many wonderful people and organizations passionate about access to good, local food, so becoming a part of ACEnet and working with both the Nelsonville Farmers Market and promoting healthy food access seemed like a perfect fit.

During my first week here, I was introduced to ACEnet and its various facilities as well as given the opportunity to tag along with a small tour of an interested group looking to ACEnet as a model for building a similar organization structure in their own community. I also experienced the Chesterhill Produce Auction for the first time, though I still haven’t worked up the confidence to bid on any produce out of fear of accidentally purchasing 20 quarts of blueberries.

I am constantly reminded as I travel around Athens and its neighboring communities of the strong local food system that has been built here and the passion and incredible amount of effort behind so many people hoping to better the system even further.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be capturing our local food initiatives and networks through photo and video to better explain the connections between food and ACEnet’s role in our community. I’m super excited to work with a spectacular group of people here and to be a part of Athens for a little longer!