Fair Food List Spotlight: FoodCorps

Meet Curt Ellis, Co-Founder and Executive Director

www.fairfoodnetwork.org/list/foodcorps

Curt Ellis has been talking and thinking about growing the good for a long time. He is excited to see how many people are finally paying attention. "The good food movement is reaching critical mass - and the change we are seeing is so tremendous and needed."

Curt is executive director and one of six co-founders of FoodCorps. This national nonprofit organization connects young leaders with vulnerable kids to teach them about healthy food and where it comes from. "It's like the Peace Corps, except for school food," Curt explained. The inaugural class is already serving in every corner of the country, doing everything from helping students in Boston Public Schools understand the connection between the cafeteria, garden and classroom to working in school gardens throughout Jackson, Mississippi.

Curt’s work in food systems began years ago when he and his best friend, Ian Cheney, created King Corn. The 2007 documentary featured the prominent roll of corn in the American food system. But Curt’s roots in food were literally grown years before that. "Food for me is connected to an understanding of family. My dad grew a vegetable garden and my favorite childhood Sundays were spent watering the tomatoes with him," Curt recounted. "Eventually I recognized that food was about more than sustenance and more than family. Food is connected to politics, justice, health and sustainability." For Curt, it then became about recognizing food as fundamental. "Food is the foundation that life and culture are built upon. There’s nothing more important."

Curt is thrilled about the Fair Food List and Oran Hesterman’s continued leadership in the good food movement. "He is such a hero to so many of us in this field and has always worked to highlight solutions." Curt credits the start of FoodCorps to many of the partnerships he and his other co-founders solidified—the kinds of partnerships the List aims to grow. "To be able to go to the Fair Food List for one-stop-shopping makes a tremendous difference."

He hopes that FoodCorps will help others on the List too: "The light we hold up is to show the world the untapped potential of young leaders in the food movement. We were looking for 50 service members to join our program this year, and 1,229 applied. It’s a powerful sign of just how strong the ranks are in good food today."

Learn more about FoodCorps at FoodCorps.org.