This summer marked the kick-off of a brand-new Middlebury-funded internship program called Food Works Louisville. The program strives to solve farming and food access issues in and around Louisville, Ky. Alexa Beyer '15.5 interned at Food Works Louisville this summer, along with several other Middlebury students and recent graduates.
Every student was assigned a job relating to the local food system, from the business sector to organic farming. Beyer worked for a tiny nonprofit, Seed Capital Kentucky, developing a platform through which farmers could apply for loans that would allow them to tap into otherwise inaccessible markets.
Her job included making calls to local restaurants and food purchasers, developing price sheets and speaking directly to the farmers themselves.
"Speaking to them, hearing their stories and their outlooks and their concerns put such a face to the work we were doing," said Beyer. "It is so hard to be a farmer. They truly break their backs to grow our food." Food Works is structured to include a four-day workweek with the fifth day used as an opportunity to explore the local food system from a hands-on approach.
Students learned about sustainable farming practices and the nuances of the business behind the food sector, but mostly they learned to be more conscientious consumers of food.
Beyer said that, after interning at Food Works, she is going to try to eat locally with more awareness and "to advocate for a more just food system that allows local farmers a shot at success."
Another intern, Charlie Steinberg '15, worked with an online grocery subscription service.
He, like Beyer, expressed that being in a city trying to make a tangible change in their food system had a profound effect on him.
"I think in terms of the Middlebury experience, having us down there and coming back, we got a much more complete idea of what it means to bring change back home," said Steinberg.
Sustainable Living: Midd's New Summer Program
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