Emily Watson-Lamb
Jonesborough Locally Grown
Jonesborough, Tennessee
Becoming an AmeriCorps member was an easy decision for me – I was offered a chance to help a worthy cause, serve with some great people, and leave an impact on the surrounding community. If you’re interested in becoming an AmeriCorps member, do it – you won’t regret it. The people, organization, and community you get to serve are wonderful, and the experiences you gain are once in a lifetime.
Serving with Jonesborough Locally Grown has allowed me to learn so much about the local agriculture environment, network with fantastic food producers, learn more about business and the local food economy, and more. I’ve also been able to interact heavily with locals, which is important to me as someone who moved to East Tennessee within the last three years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, JLG has continued to provide fresh, quality, local food in a relatively safe environment through the brick-and-mortar store Boone Street Market and the online Jonesborough Farmers Market. Access to local food is so important, as we saw at the start of the pandemic with mainstream grocery stores seeing their distribution channels turned upside down and the shelves empty. After my contract expires, I hope that JLG and the local food economy will be better off that it was pre-pandemic.
