Why do people go hungry in our world, when we have pantries and refrigerators stocked full of food – enough to waste? What are sustainable food practices, local and global? Are we blind to the effects of our eating habits? These are issues of food justice that we are working to address.

Food justice is the affirmation that everyone should have accessible, fresh, and affordable healthy food that is produced in a fair manner. This requires that we develop a sustainable and socially responsible food system, which meets the needs of the people and respects the environment. Food justice seeks to provide healthy food in communities – small and huge, rural and urban, economically poor or wealthy. It mandates consideration of future generations, and supports freedom for people to grow and choose their own food. Creating justice involves community building and social change, to help provide food security.

Our latest effort is building a root cellar for the Woodstock VT Food Shelf! A root cellar keeps vegetables and fruit from withering and spoiling during the winter without using electricity by maintaining a temperature between 32°F and 40°F and a humidity of between 80-90%. We’re in the planning stage, but intend to put our late harvest into an awesome root cellar so more produce can be offered to patrons of the Food Shelf year-round!

Anyone have root cellar construction tips?