Florida Organic Growers hosted a Fair Food Panel on Saturday evening to kick off Gainesville's observance of World Food Day on Sunday and National Food Day on Oct. 24.
The event was held at the Civic Media Center, an alternative library and meeting room for local activist groups, located downtown.
The panel - which included farmer Jordan Brown from The Family Garden; Juan Concha from the Farmworker Association of Florida; Maya Garner, owner of The Jones Eastside restaurant; and Marty Mesh of the Agricultural Justice Project and Florida Organic Growers - provided first-hand accounts of the poor state of farmworker conditions and insight into local farms and businesses that are trying to make a difference.
This was the first time Gainesville has celebrated Food Day, and Danielle McDuffie, coordinator of Gainesville Food Day, has goals to make it an annual event, hoping that it will be bigger and better next year.
Food Day events will be held throughout the week, including the City Hall Garden Tour which starts tonight at 6 p.m.
