AFPC Welcomes New Staff: Meghan Hargis, Special Events Coordinator
By Meghan Hargis, Special Events Coordinator, AFPC
Hello everyone! My name is Meghan Hargis, and I am thrilled to be joining the AFPC team as the new Special Events Coordinator. My Alaskan roots run deep. I was born in the old Palmer hospital and raised in the Matanuska Valley, in the shadow of Pioneer Peak. My childhood was spent roaming Hatcher Pass, camping on the Kenai every weekend in the summer, and growing sunflowers to compete at the state fair each fall. I now reside in Craig, on Prince of Wales Island, with my husband and our two fur babies. We spend our days on the ocean or with our vibrant church community and have loved getting to know Southeast Alaska more deeply over the three years living here.
My journey into agriculture began at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, where I fell in love with adorable musk oxen and gazed daily at the Talkeetna and Chugach mountains over the rolling fields. An original homestead during the colony days, the Musk Ox Farm barn was built in the 1930s and was used for dairy production. Often drafty, but full of character, the old barn became a summer home for me. I loved meeting people from around the world and sharing about Alaska’s agricultural history and sustainable farming practices. The farm exists to gently and sustainably harvest qiviut, the under-wool of a musk ox, except, it isn’t wool at all! In fact, it’s much stronger and warmer than sheep’s wool and is softer than cashmere. Working at the farm opened my mind to working within the agricultural sector in Alaska.
In 2018, a chance to work for the Division of Agriculture’s Alaska Grown Marketing Program arose and I jumped at the opportunity. My last year of college at UAF was underway, so I assumed that this internship would be a “foot in the door” so to speak, despite being what I felt was wildly underqualified for the job. I was chosen for the internship and took my excitement to many markets around the state that summer. From Fairbanks to Soldotna to Petersburg, I represented the Alaska Grown program and collected data, but more importantly, I built relationships. I met incredible market managers, vendors, visitors, and locals who were accessing the market for a variety of reasons. The critical role that farmers markets play in our food system was very apparent. There is so much joy and community building at markets, and are pivotal in the important work of moving healthy, local foods into the hands of Alaskans.
The following year, after graduating with my Bachelor of Arts in English at UAF, the Division of Agriculture was slashed in the state budget and every employee was laid off until further notice. Cook Inletkeeper, the fiscal sponsor at the time for the Alaska Farmers Market Association (AFMA), worked quickly to adopt me as staff, ensuring the good work would continue during uncertain times. My role at AFMA has been beyond fulfilling! I have continued to cultivate relationships and build networks with others doing phenomenal work to strengthen our food system. AFMA has been a vehicle of education and change, developing projects like the Alaska Farmers Market Toolkit, an online and physical compilation of resources to help anyone begin a new or strengthen an existing market. Food access programs help local foods make it to more Alaskans’ tables; AFMA implements SNAP matching at markets and a newer program called the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (LFPA). I am so proud to have played a part in AFMA’s growth and am so excited to see their programs expand as they continue to support markets statewide.
That brings me to the Alaska Food Policy Council. I have been honored to collaborate with AFPC on their last four conferences, as well as numerous other projects over my six years as AFMA’s Local Foods Director. My work in the food system has thus far been focused heavily on direct-to-consumer markets in Alaska. Farmers markets are beautiful centers for community, fresh foods, and education that I love dearly, and I intend to continue supporting them. Working with AFPC on their sesquiennial conference, I have had opportunities to engage with the greater food system and learn more about the inner workings of food production in Alaska. I am so excited to continue to provide venues for connection and education through Regional Food Business Center events, including AFPC’s conferences.
People are the heart of our work. Strengthening our relationships strengthens food security and helps to create the kind of world I want all of us to be able to live in, where families are fed and communities are thriving. Playing even a small part in that brings me a great deal of joy.
In preparation for the upcoming 2025 Alaska Food Festival & Conference, I am thrilled to have been hired as the new Special Events Coordinator for AFPC. We are taking the conference off the road system for the very first time (!) and hope to see all of you in Kodiak, on March 28-29, 2025. Until then, you can reach me at events@alaskafoodpolicycouncil.org and share any ideas or questions you have!
