Buy Local Food In Kitsap

The next meeting of the KCAA will be a big step in the continuation of important steps taken by Kitsap local food initiatives including the KCAA 100 From 500 Campaign, the Kitsap Food Co-op, Freshlocal, a Bremerton local food store and others. Be sure to be there for this important event.

KCAA October Meeting
The 100 From 500 Campaign
The Kitsap Food Co-op Capital Campaign
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Norm Dicks Center, 345 Sixth Street, Bremerton, WA

I receive messages from our Kitsap Economic Development Alliance from time to time. Recently, I received a message from Kathy Cocus and Bill Stewart updating me on the employment profile for the county. Right below is an excerpt from the table of statistics that they provided. It says that just under 3,000 less people are employed in Kitsap County than just a year ago last August. The unemployment rate was 5.1% then and now it is 7.4%.

Kitsap Employment Statistics

That’s not good news. If the statistics are accurate that  means that about 9,000 people are unemployed and looking for work in Kitsap. What has this got to do with the local food network?

Plenty.

Building a local food system can seriously chip away at the pool of people looking to create new sources of income.

And, we all can play an active, forward looking role.

Most people think of economic development in terms of job creation. That is a desired benefit but it is not the mechanism. The engine of economic development is the creation of new wealth through innovation and application of new ideas that people work on. Even in times such as the present new jobs are being created and old jobs eliminated through the evolution of how people produce the goods and services we want and need. Most economists agree that the primary engine of job growth comes from the small business sector. That’s right, businesses with under 500 employees will create the majority of new jobs now and in the future when our local and national economy begins to create more new jobs than jobs consumed by obsolescence.

That is what should make you so excited about building the local food network. By opting in to buying and eating local you can participate actively in the creation of new economic values. True, for the past several decades farming has not been an engine of job growth. But, the food business is big business…even in Kitsap County. Retail food and beverage sales add up to at least $470,000,000. When you throw in wholesale accounts like hospitals, schools and nursing facilities that number could climb to just under a billion. That means for every one percent of gain in market share for the local people our community gains $4.7 to $10.0 million of new sales.

So, how do entrepreneurs and farmers create new wealth? We do it by the application of savings and investment. In building a local food network it is critical to get as many people as possible involved in the market share side of the question by buying local. It is just as important to get as many people involved in the savings and investment side of the equation by combining their buy local behavior with an invest local behavior.

And that is what our October meeting and the 100 From 500 Campaign is all about. The 100 From 500 Campaign is designed to encourage 500 people to invest at least $100.00 in worthy local food enterprises like the Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative. While we are still in the process of determining its exact uses the money raised will be used to build production capacity by acquiring a locally built mobile poultry processing unit enabling local farmers to sell packaged poultry under a WSDA label directly to consumers or through local stores and restaurants. Buying local creates new wealth. Investing locally helps to keep it and grow it.

We will have presentations about the 100 From 500 Campaign and the Kitsap Food Co-op as good local examples. Jean Schannen and Glenn Huff will be on hand with an update on Freshlocal, the Bremerton local food store proposal. Several candidates who have stepped up to stand for election to the KCAA Board of Directors will also be introducing themselves.

Heidi Bell and David St. Clair of the Bremerton Naval School will also be giving an update about their school garden project. See you there.

KCAA October Meeting
The 100 From 500 Campaign
The Kitsap Food Co-op Capital Campaign
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Norm Dicks Center, 345 Sixth Street, Bremerton, WA