Man in Overalls

(Apologies in advance for the length of this note. It is a resource of who's who info in light of my departure, so save it for another day if you don't have a few moments right now). Update: As of 2015, I've rooted in Jacksonville, FL where I am now growing and connecting with an awesome bunch of people and efforts related to good food. To stay up to date on my work and dreams, check me out on facebook , instagram  or send me an email with subject line "Count Me In" to receive my "semi-monthly" updates which include a story and food gardening tip. A  few years back , I drafted a dream for a Tallahassee Center for Urban Agriculture: The Tallahassee Center for Urban Agriculture will serve as a hub of Tallahassee’s food movement, an incubator, a food “movement halfway house.” Akin to Milwaukee’s  Growing Power , Birmingham’s  Jones Valley Urban Farm , and Detroit area’s  Growing Hope .  On a surface level, the Center will simply be a functi...

Last week, I was honored by Tallahassee Democrat as Volunteer of the Year  and given the Jefferson Award for Public Service, an honor that highlights my work, yes, but was certainly given based on the impact that our whole Tallahassee Food Network team is making in our work across lines of division to grow community-based good food systems. Much thanks to Nancy Miller and her aid SarahKeith Valentine who nominated me. Sue Dick, President of the Tallahassee Chamber delivered the following words (prepared by Leslie Smith) at the Volunteer of the Year Luncheon: Nathan Ballentine, co-founder and volunteer co-director of the Tallahassee Food Network has been working for local food security since 2009.  Along with the Tallahassee Food Network, Nathan coordinates monthly Collards and Cornbread gatherings, facilitates the Community Garden Network Circle and Farm-to-Table team.  Nathan has cultivated roughly 260 organizational partnership and 740 personal relationship...