Food for Thought is a collaborative project involving a variety of institutions and the Knox County community as a whole. Overall organization is provided by the Rural Life Center at Kenyon College, under the direction of Howard L. Sacks. The Local Food Council, comprised of community members representing all aspects of the food system, serves as an advisory body to the project and assists in implementing project initiatives.

    In all its efforts, the Rural Life Center works closely with the Ohio State University Extension—Knox County. County extension agents serve as members of the Local Food Council and are centrally involved in developing a local food system. We receive additional cooperation from several agricultural organizations, including the Knox County Farm Bureau, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, the Farmers’ Union, and various county commodity groups.

    Because Food for Thought contributes to community development efforts in Mount Vernon and Knox County, we frequently work with government offices and civic organizations, among them the Knox County Regional Planning Commission, the Mount Vernon mayor’s office, the Knox County/Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce, and the Food for the Hungry campaign.