I am honored to have been invited to be a community moderator of the FSLN site for the first half of 2019. If you haven’t yet joined the this online network, I certainly urge you to do so; you can join a half dozen discussion groups (soon to increase), check or add event listings, read thoughtful posts by a network of people that are doing the same work. All of this is available by just creating a profile and checking in once in a while.

You might say that there are so many online listserves that you don’t want another but because this site is archived and organized, you can search topics, find speakers for your events, or hear details of someone’s experience. Most importantly, it is about freely sharing information and support among practioners, and that is what our work is really about. You can also use FSLN to:

• Apply for Organizational Capacity Building Mini-Grants and Professional Development Scholarships
• Sharpen your non-profit management and business skills in the Non-Profit Boot Camp E-Learning Series
• Apply to attend regional Food Systems Leadership Retreats
• Connect with Community Food Systems Mentors for individual coaching and support

I remember when I first joined Market Umbrella in 2000 and the E.D. gave me a list of names and phone numbers and said, “if you need help, call these folks. They are our network and will help you just as they helped me. And whenever a market calls us, return that call right away; in this work, everyone shares.”

Let’s keep that going.