A team of agricultural organizations in San Juan County are looking to develop a food hub, a system for coordinating distribution and sales of local food.

This team is looking to bring together members from each sector in the local food system – farmers, restaurants, and grocers – to discuss how we can increase the amount of island-grown food eaten in our county.

All members of the food system are invited to join a series of listening sessions held on each island at the end of January.

The session on Orcas was held Jan. 26, but there are two more chances:

· San Juan Island, Jan. 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Brickworks

· Lopez Island, Jan. 28 from 1:45 to 3:30 p.m. at Lopez Library Conference Room

Organized by the SJC Agricultural Guild, SJC Agricultural Resources Committee, Washington State University Extension Office, Orcas Food Co-op, and the Northwest Agricultural Business Center, these sessions allow members of the local food system to shape the design of the new Food Hub program. If you are not able to attend you can contribute your thoughts through our online survey. Food producers: http://tinyurl.com/hx3ggwy. Food buyers: http://tinyurl.com/zw2f6ko.