Two years ago during fall term of 2011, Portland State students Kelsey Hoffman, Ashlee Hibler and Amber Wagnor took a Chiron Studies course called Food Affairs: Systems, Society, and Sustainability. When these students met and became close with course instructor Carolyn White, the four of them realized that PSU was missing something: a place for students to learn about and advocate for nutritional and sustainable food on campus. They decided to start their own student-run food advocacy group, and the Food Action Collective was born.
The FAC is a student organization that works to set up and aid events and workshops that endorse an affiliation with healthy, local food choices. They have joined forces with many assorted groups and stakeholders, including the Oregon Food Bank and the Portland Farmers Market, in order to further their cause in the PSU community.
In an effort to get more students interested in and educated about food policy, FAC offers opportunities to attend cooking workshops, lectures, farm labor camp tours, and even do some hands-on gardening.
FAC currently is preparing for the Food Day Carnival, an event that will celebrate the kick-off of PSU’s first ever Food Week. Starting October 21 in the Native American Student and Community Center, Food Week is also hosted by FAC. While being kept occupied over the summer preparing budgets, catering contracts, and promo materials for the event, FAC members are ready to hit the ground running this fall with full schedules for new members.
FAC meets every Friday in Smith Memorial Student Union. For more information, check out FAC’s Facebook page at facebook.com/foodactioncollective.