Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council
What is a Food Council/Food Policy Council?
A food council is typically a group of community members, organizations, churches and local government that come together to address food-related issues in their area. Food policy can be big, like national rules about food labels- or very local, like zoning laws that allow neighborhoods to support community gardens. Even though these policies shape our food system, most people don’t get many chances to influence them. Food councils change that by bringing community members together to have a real voice in shaping food systems that reflect our shared values
The Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council (ABFPC) is a community coalition working to make healthy, affordable food easier to access for everyone in Buncombe County. We bring together neighbors, organizations, and local leaders to shape food-related policies; no policy background required! We have a general council meeting, and three council committees- all once a month! Join us to learn, share your voice, and help create change!
Join a Council Committee!
Campaigning/Outreach: This group focuses on sharing information and building public support. That includes tabling at events, helping with signature collection, creating simple educational materials, and talking with neighbors about why growing food where we live matters.
Lobbying: This group works on communicating with city staff, council members, and community partners. The goal is to respectfully share community feedback, answer questions, and help decision-makers understand how the Grow Where You Live policy can support Asheville’s goals.
Policy Implementation: This group looks ahead to how the policy could work in practice. Members help think through realistic standards, equity considerations, and ways the policy could be implemented smoothly once adopted, including guidance, resources, and evaluation.
When do we meet?
First Thursday of every month from 9-10:30.
Contact MaconCountyFoodCouncil@gmail.com for location
Resources
Goals for 2026
Impact food-related policy in Macon County
Four collaborative food drives
Initiate a community food club
What we've done so far:
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A major achievement of the early days of the Council was the creation and launch of the Macon County Farmers Market. Now its own 501c3. Operating three seasons in downtown Franklin with over 30 vendors.
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Winding Stair, Macon County Library and the Macon County Farmers Market collaborated to provide recipes at the market for featured produce. Recipe cards were linked to demonstration videos. The archive can be found here.
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A culturally appropriate canned food drive for Vecino’s new food pantry in Franklin
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Sponsored by the WNC Food Coalition, two walk-up pantries were built. One at the Macon County Public Library and the other at Asbury Church in Otto.
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Through the connections and meetings of the Council, pantries and organizations came together to fill gaps in the aftermath of HOP discontinuation and ongoing distribution efforts.
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Flyered Macon County and connected catering and other businesses that may host holiday events with local organizations that can receive leftovers. Education about the Good Samaritans Law.