Tessa Wieneke began her position as the Food Access Partners Coordinator in January 2023. Through funding from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, she facilitates the dynamic partnerships between ACEnet, Community Food Initiatives (CFI), and Rural Action in order to accelerate the expansion of healthy, local food access in Appalachian communities.
Tessa builds the capacity of several different demand and distribution networks between the three partners, including ACEnet’s Athens Food Ventures Center and Nelsonville Food & Farm Enterprise Center, CFI’s Donation Station and Veggie Van, and Rural Action’s Chesterhill Produce Auction, and Farm to School programming. Additionally, she conducts and assists with research, planning and fundraising to help the three partners identify and expand shared resources to more efficiently achieve their food access mission.
Tessa previously served as ACEnet’s Fresh and Healthy Foods VISTA through the Ohio CDC AmeriCorps VISTA program. She graduated from Ohio University in May 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Conservation Biology, a minor in Psychology, and a certificate in Environmental Studies. Tessa is interested in sustainable development, food systems, and building relationships within the community through ACEnet. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, cooking, and caring for her pets.
