Corner of Hope local growing project hosts regional meeting of Foods Resource Bank


Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon was the site of the Foods Resource Bank regional meeting hosted Saturday, February 21 by the Corner of Hope local growing project. Those in attendance heard first-hand accounts of how local growing projects such as those they conduct here in northeast Iowa have helped residents of Honduras develop sustainable farming practices. Traveling from Honduras to share their experiences with the crowd in attendance were Delmis Licona-Godoy, who coordinates the Foods Resource Bank/Church World Service Nueva Frontera program in Santa Barbara, Honduras, and Melecio Cantoral, a small farmer in Honduras who shared how he has learned and benefited greatly from that Nueva Frontera program. Standard photo by Bob Beach.

Corner of Hope, the local Foods Resource Bank (FRB) growing project, hosted the regional meeting of the Foods Resource Bank Saturday, February 21 at Zion United Church of Christ (UCC) in Waukon. Attendees of the meeting came from Conrad and area growing projects from all over northeast Iowa, as well as from Missouri and Illinois, and all were served lunch by the Zion UCC Women's Fellowship.
Featured guest speakers included Delmis Licona-Godoy and Melecio Cantoral from Honduras in Central America, both of whom relayed their experiences with working with Foods Resource Bank on a regional and more personal level through the Nueva Frontera program in an area directly benefiting from Foods Resource Bank and local growing efforts. Licona-Godoy coordinates the Foods Resource Bank/Church World Service Nueva Frontera Program in Santa Barbara, Honduras, assisting in carrying out the program's focus on food security, sustainable water-resource management, disaster risk management and community leadership.
Cantoral is one of the farmers in the Honduras region served by Nueva Frontera, and shared with the group the benefits of what their local growing efforts here offer such farmers as himself and the community they serve. Cantoral farms a small plot of land that grows coffee, plantains and cassava, along with a variety of other crops, and he is considered a community leader with training in such sustainable farming practices as livestock management, soil conservation, improving yields and making organic fertilizers.
In addition to hearing those first-hand accounts of the broader benefits of local growing efforts, the regional meeting also offered an opportunity for growing project volunteers to share ideas and involved discussion of new initiatives within Foods Resource Bank, as well as travel opportunities for farmers to visit FRB projects around the world. It was noted that since its inception 15 years ago, Foods Resource Bank has helped more than one million people achieve food security.
The local Corner of Hope growing project is planning its 11th growing season for this spring. Corner of Hope is an ecumenical effort that involves a dozen area churches and includes land support from local farmers/landowners and financial or in-kind support from agri-businesses, banks and individuals. Anyone wishing to participate in this local effort to help alleviate world hunger is asked to contact Dennis Byrnes locally at 563-568-2867.