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Food hubs are creating communities of co-producers and building a viable al- ternative to the industrial food system. Donna O’Shaughnessy and her hus- band, Keith Parish, were some of the first to join. They raise Ark of Taste Red Wattle hogs. The “Stewards” connect- ed them to chefs who wanted “not just a special kind of meat, but meat deliv- ered in a special kind of way, as a whole animal.” The rural to urban community embodied in the food hub created re- lationships that allowed both chefs and farmers to practice their artistry.Every summer, farmers from the Stew- ards of the Land teach chefs about real food at an event known as Chef Camp. Chef Camp is run by the Spence Farm Foundation; an independent non-profit organization that mentors future farm- ers. Foundation board member Thomas Leavitt says, “The change that we have to make in the food system has to startyoung.” The Foundation works in local schools to provide education on sus- tainable growing methods and real food. They also carry out training for new food hubs in places such as South Dakota, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, and collab- orate with Slow Food chapters, bring- ing together a vibrant community, in the countryside and in cities.This is a story of hope. Hope is grow- ing in the fields of the U.S., but it has not edged out the threat that the in- dustrial food system poses to the en- vironment, our health and our cultural wealth. Thinking of his citizenship in the global community, Marty says, “We all have to do our part,” and first of all, “it has to be on the scale of a farmer and a family.” The story of hope belongs to real individuals: The tens of thousands of people who are Slow Food USA, creating and living powerful stories of hope every day.51@ Slow Food USa