food
THE COMMUNITY MARKET Improving Access to Healthy Food in the Eagle River Valley Words by Lauren Farrauto | Photos by Jose Valsecia
A
s the coronavirus continues to ravage the
pillars: healthy people, strong communities and
United States, unemployment and poverty
sustainability.
surges as well. For Eagle County, food insecurity
has been a perpetual issue. The Community
privilege,” she says, sharing how marginalized
Market is the county’s food bank solution and
communities in the country are at a significantly
hunger relief program rolled into one. This third
higher risk for health issues. Liken and her team
year of operation has proven to be their most
believe that a lot of that stems from the food they
challenging, but also their most rewarding.
can access.
“There is such a high need in Eagle County
“It’s more than just how much money you
due to our dependence on the service industry,”
have; it extends throughout the community,”
explains market manager and chef Kelly Liken.
Liken explains. “We are trying to create more
“Seasonal food service employees are food
equity in our food system and be a leader in our
insecure.”
community with our practices.”
To combat the community’s shared
hardship, Liken built the market on three key
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“Access to healthful food is a right, not a
The Community Market aims to improve
access to their healthful foods from a place of
