Local Food Access During COVID-19

Seeking information on where to find local produce, which businesses remain open, or how to access community food resources during these uncertain times? See below for links to information and local listings!

LOCAL FARMS & FOOD PRODUCERS

Locally-sourced produce, meat, eggs, and dairy fresh from the farm

LOCAL FOOD BUSINESS LISTINGS

Listing of local business closures, openings, and hours, adjusted daily

LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES &
COMMUNITY    ASSISTANCE

Listing of local food pantries, assistance, and community access organizations

Welcome to the FEAST!

This website has been designed as an informational hub to showcase the successes and ongoing progress of the local food movement in the Chequamegon Bay Region.

You will find resources and information about local farmer's markets, CSAs, the Farm-to-School movement, farms in the Chequamegon Bay region, the Agripreneur Program, recipes using local foods,  the High Tunnel Greenhouse Project, local food retailers, Bad River Tribal food sovereignty, and more.

F.E.A.S.T. By The Bay is an alliance of organizations, individuals, businesses, producers, and consumers united under the common cause of developing a stronger, healthier, and more just food system in the Chequamegon Bay region.

F.E.A.S.T. is an acronym that encompasses the key features of a strong local food movement:

Food Sovereignty
Education
Access to Food
Sustainable Farming
Traditions
“We set out to homestead, and live a simple life and grow all our own food, but one thing led to another and really, we joke it always comes down to a garden gone wild – we just couldn’t help ourselves. We didn’t set out to farm; we set out to live simply."
-- From "Garden Gone Wild," read the full article here.
The FEAST by the Bay Cookbook is full of recipes that use local ingredients and have been contributed by community members. Click on the picture above for more information.
Washburn School District hosts tour of school garden and high tunnel Farm to School attended by Senator Tammy Baldwin.
You can read the story HERE

History of F.E.A.S.T.

The Acronym F.E.A.S.T. first became a part of our local food vernacular in 2002 when individuals and agencies concerned with hunger and nutrition came together to form the Nutrition Coalition of the Chequamegon Region. Together, this coalition was able to conduct a food security survey of the region's most at risk populations. Using the results of this survey, the group developed the Mobile Farmers’ Market program.

The Chequamegon Bay Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (CBSAC) emerged in 2003 to address the region's need for a stronger local agriculture system based in sustainable and traditional methods. CBSAC began work with the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center and Northland College students to create educational gardens.

The F.E.A.S.T. (Food security, Education, Assess, Sustainable agriculture, and Traditions) Council was created from the merging of the Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture Coalitions. Through collaborations and integrated efforts, the F.E.A.S.T. Council strives to achieve a healthy local food system that serves all members of the community.

While the F.E.A.S.T. acronym remained dormant for a period of time, the alliance members continued to do great work in developing the food system of the Chequamegon Bay Region.

In 2015, through a USDA Grant, the F.E.A.S.T. website was reborn as a clearinghouse of information for all things food-system related in the Chequamegon Bay Region.
 
This F.E.A.S.T. website is currently maintained through the community outreach of the Farm to School Programs in the Ashland, Bayfield, and Washburn School Districts.

About the Chequamegon Bay Area

Located in the northern area of Ashland and Bayfield Counties of northern Wisconsin, the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior provides a focal point for our northern region. Known for its pristine waters and breathtaking natural beauty, the residents of our region enjoy the year-round abundance of our water-rich landscape.  Our home along the shallow waters of the Chequamegon Bay has been inhabited for generations by farmers, hunters, gatherers, fisherman, and an abundance of wildlife.  

The Chequamegon Bay region of Northern Wisconsin includes the residents of:
The Tribal Communities of Red Cliff and Bad River
The municipalities of Ashland, Washburn, and Bayfield
The village of La Pointe, located on Madeline Island
The villages of Cornucopia, Herbster, and Port Wing along the South Shore of Lake Superior
The villages of Mason, Sanborn, and High Bridge south of the Chequamegon Bay

The region boasts of several significant geographic features, including:
The Chequmaegon-Nicolet National Forest
The Apostle Islands National Lake Shore
The Penokee Mountains
The Lake Superior Ice Caves

Read more about the Chequamegon Bay region: 
Bayfield Chamber of Commerce
Ashland Chamber of Commerce
Washburn Chamber of Commerce
Madeline Island Chamber of Commerce
The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe
The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe