Local Matters

The 2025 Annual Report is here. In this final annual report, we talk about our closure, what we achieved in 2025, and our hopes for the future of food justice in Central Ohio.

Visit the link 🔗 in our bio to read about Local Matters' final year. If you'd like to reach out to us, please contact [email protected].

We're ready to answer the big question: where will Local Matters' programs go?

Our most crucial food access, education, advocacy, and rescue programs are in good hands. Swipe through to learn more about where they'll end up.

If you have any questions or want to start a conversation about these updates (especially about our food education curriculum becoming open source 😄), please contact [email protected].

We said goodbye to the Parsons Ave. office this week. A place is what you make it, and every person who walked through those doors made it home.

Thanks to IMPACT Community Action, we have a temporary home where we can button up a few final projects--more news on that front soon, we're excited to share where our programs are headed.

We'll be packed up and out of the Parsons Ave office soon, but we still have time to try to get your eyes on policy.

Ohio is the only U.S. state without food literacy standards that guide children on the growth, preparation, and understanding of the foods they eat. S.B. 442 and H.B. 907 would create those standards. The bills are currently in committee in both chambers of the General Assembly (the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives) awaiting the General Assembly's return to session this fall.

The bills are a bipartisan effort sponsored by Reps. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta) and Sens. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Wi******er) and Kent Smith (D-Euclid).

is leading the advocacy charge on this one, so be sure to check their socials for updates.

Community showed up in a big way at the Big Summer Kickoff in Whitehall 💙🌞

Together with Bright Community Center, Local Matters Community, and the Whitehall Parks and Recreation, we helped distribute 700 meal boxes and hosted a free produce market to expand food access for families throughout the community.

This event was especially meaningful as it marked the final community gathering for Local Matters after 18 years of service. Through nutrition education, food access programs, and unwavering dedication to their neighbors, Local Matters has made a lasting impact on countless lives across Central Ohio.

As food insecurity continues to affect more families and funding challenges impact nonprofits nationwide, partnerships like these remind us what's possible when communities come together to support one another.

We're grateful to have stood alongside these incredible partners for this special event and to celebrate the legacy Local Matters leaves behind. Thank you for 18 years of service, advocacy, and care for your community.

Together, we distributed more than food, we shared hope, dignity, and support for families who need it most. 📦

Local Matters programming is a wrap.
⁠
We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to spend with the people of Whitehall, and we're glad that we could tie a bow on our work on the warmest, sunniest Friday before weekend storms rolled through. It's fitting that Local Matters' final event was a Veggie Van market getting produce directly to the people.⁠
⁠
Our final tally tells us that we distributed over 3,100 pounds of good, fresh fruits and vegetables. Visitors to our tent got to shop our humble market completely for free thanks to Shine Bright Whitehall. Our friends at Conscious Alliance made sure that everyone walked away with pantry staples to compliment that lovely produce.

We're proud to finish things off on such a high note and in such good company. We're actively winding things down at Local Matters, but we'll still be in our office until the end of June. Don't be a stranger.

It's been nearly a week since we announced the closure of Local Matters. It's been a difficult time for us, and your kindness has made a world of difference. We remain committed to finding ways to continue our work, and the number of caring people who responded to our announcement shows a community in good hands.

If you'd like to visit our final Veggie Van market at the Whitehall Big Summer Kickoff, come say hi to us at John Bishop Park in Whitehall tomorrow, June 5th from 5pm-8pm. Thanks to the Shine Bright Center, the market is FREE.

Prior to the announcement of our closure, we found a new home for Columbus Food Rescue at IMPACT Community Action. If your organization has the capacity to take on any of Local Matters' other programs, please get in touch with us. Contact Communications and Advocacy Manager Tom Miller at [email protected] if you'd like to start a discussion.

Local Matters will close its doors this June. We never imagined we'd have to share this news, and we wish we could still serve this community as members of Local Matters. There is still much to be done to build a better food system, and we know that each of us will find a way to stay involved.

We're exploring options for program acquisition so critical food education, access, and advocacy programming can continue under another roof. If your organization has the capacity to take on any of our programs, please get in touch with us! Contact Communications and Advocacy Manager Tom at [email protected] if you'd like to start a discussion.

Thank you for everything.⁠
⁠
Find the full press release through the link 🔗 in our bio. We'll continue to post a few things to memorialize the organization as we shut things down, so stay tuned.

We packed the Veggie Van with 78 bags of shelf stable ingredients at Cardinal Health last Friday. Thanks to a crack team of 20+ volunteers, what was originally scheduled as a 3-hour effort took less than an hour. Families visiting a local food pantry will walk away with rice, beans, oatmeal, peanut butter, jelly, pasta, flour, and more thanks to the generosity of the folks at Cardinal Health.

This effort involved individuals stepping up in a big way by giving less than an hour of their time to help make someone's access to food a little more secure.