Julia Harper, Coordinator for the Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn
The Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn (GFCLA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Julia Harper as the Council’s Coordinator. The GFCLA, formed in 2012, was created to support improvements to the area’s food system through education, coordination and supporting programs that meet local needs. The Council envisions a community bustling with people sharing good food that is healthy, affordable and accessible.
Julia Harper is an Androscoggin County native with a passion for health and food justice who is excited to join GFCLA. Julia currently splits her work between GFCLA, Valley View Farm and 4 Season Farm Market in New Auburn. She has also spent many hours volunteering on the Food Hub Task Force with non-profit Grow L+A since last December and recently joined Grow L+A’s board of directors. Prior to joining the GFCLA, Julia served as an AmeriCorps Culinary and Agricultural Educator at the REAL School in Falmouth. She was also employed by Central Maine Medical Center and the Dempsey Challenge as an event coordinator for three years prior. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Maine. She currently lives in a housing cooperative in downtown Lewiston. Julia states, “In my quest to support those working to build a healthy food system, I am excited to be able to offer my leadership skills to the Council and explore how to deepen its role and impact across the region”.
Julia is taking the place of the Council’s first Coordinator, Brendan Schauffler. The Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn bids a fond farewell and best wishes to Brendan as he welcomes his newborn son and focuses on his ongoing work as the Active Community Environments Coordinator at Healthy Oxford Hills. Over the last year and a half Brendan worked tirelessly in readying the Community Food Assessment for publication while supporting Council members; helping to educate us about the food system and providing kind words as the Council designed and charted the course of how to move forward as a new initiative. Thank you Brendan….we could not have done it without you!