Local Matters is a private non-profit organization dedicated to creating healthier communities through food education, access, and advocacy. It addresses food insecurity by providing cooking & nutrition classes, operating the Veggie Van for fresh produce, and managing Columbus Food Rescue to reduce food waste. Since its founding in 2008, it has reached over 180,000 people with its services.
Its vision is the creation of equitable access to a sustainable food system and a world free of food-related chronic disease. It advocates for the human right to healthy, culturally appropriate food produced in a just & sustainable manner. It teaches children & adults about healthy food: how to grow it, how to cook it, and how to access it affordably.
Local Matters inspires people to take action to change the current food system and to consider why food choices matter and how food connects us. It develops cross-sector collaborations to impact systemic food and health issues. It welcomes and engages different voices, perspectives, and backgrounds to achieve its mission. It celebrates the joy and connections that food fosters in the community.
Expanding Access to Fresh and Affordable Food
Consistent access to affordable and nutritious food is key to one’s growth, development, and overall health. But food is inaccessible for many members of our community due to barriers like cost, lack of transportation, and inadequate grocery store locations.
Advocacy is a fundamental part of working toward food justice. Local Matters focuses its advocacy efforts on projects & campaigns that strive for better nutrition education, healthy food access, food-related social safety nets, and sustainable agriculture.
Local Matters Veggie Van
Shopping at The Veggie Van connects community members with fresh produce, pantry staples, and nutritious meal kits at an affordable price through mobile markets and delivery services.
Customers can shop at the Veggie Van in-person by stopping at a mobile market (the market schedule can be accessed on the website) or online through the website for pick-up or delivery. Free delivery is eligible for customers located within I-270 with an order total of at least $10. Locations outside of I-270 but still in the greater Columbus area can have their order delivered for a $10 fee.
Rescuing Food
Columbus Food Rescue is a program of Local Matters that was highlighted in the newsletter a couple months ago. It fights food waste and food inequity by rescuing excess foods and directly redistributing it to shelters, agencies, and other community groups serving people facing food insecurity. Headquartered at IMPACT Community Action, Columbus Food Rescue also operates Ro’s Kitchen, where a portion of rescued food is transformed by talented chefs and generous volunteers into ready-to-enjoy meals that are distributed to those same shelters, agencies, and community groups.
Local Matters Facing Funding Crisis
For more than 18 years, Local Matters has served Central Ohio. It has helped children and adults discover that they can grow something beautiful and eat what they create. It has worked with neighbors to rescue fresh, local food. And it has reminded policymakers that food justice is a requirement for building a community with dignity.
Nonprofit funding is always difficult to predict, and the first quarter of 2026 has been especially difficult on that front. Local Matters is in a uniquely challenging position after the loss of several funding sources, and it’s dealing with a gap in funding that threatens its ability to keep the doors open. It needs help to bridge that gap to ensure that its work doesn’t come to an end.
Your Donation to Local Matters can keep the mission alive. Thanks to significant contributions from Mike & Megan James and Kathy & Gary Flynn, there is a $75,000 Match Campaign running until June 1st. Every dollar donated will be matched!
History of Local Matters
Local Matters co-founders Michael Jones and Noreen Warnock first met in the summer of 2005. They quickly discovered a shared love of food and a concern about how our food was being grown, distributed, and consumed.
of Local Matters
Following a series of conversations and through lots of engagement with community partners, Michael & Noreen chose the creation and implementation of a healthful food education curriculum for young children as a place to begin Local Matters’ journey. This curriculum drew from their collective expertise in public health, food preparation, community organizing, and food system logistics.
Fast forward to today, through the work of dedicated staff and board members, Local Matters is a recognized leader and community collaborator, increasing critical healthful food education and food access to combat food insecurity and diet-related diseases, particularly in low-income communities.
