KRC
The Kansas Rural Center announced this week the addition of Caryl Hale of Norton, Kansas, to the KRC staff. Caryl will join KRC as a Field Coordinator for all aspects of KRC’s grassroots engagement work including building relationships with constituents across the state but primarily in western and central Kansas.
She will be involved in KRC’s educational activities that advance community or regional dialogue around state and local food and farming systems and related health equity issues through leadership development, mobilizing communities, and voter registration education. Health equity issues include local food access and availability, access to health care, education funding, state budget and revenue analysis, opportunities in specialty crop or food production and marketing for local economic development, and federal farm bill programs that encourage local food systems and environmentally sound farming practices.
Caryl has owned and operated her own business, Hale Storm Press, designing and managing websites since 2015, and has been an active volunteer in Northwest Kansas local and regional food circles and community organizations. She serves as the Norton Farmers Market manager, and on the Norton County Arts Council, and as Women’s Chair of the Norton County Farm Bureau.
“Caryl brings a variety of skills and talents to KRC, as well as a thoughtful approach to working with a wide political spectrum of people and opinions,” stated Mary Fund, KRC Executive Director. “She has been a board member for KRC for three years, and though we lose her from the board, we gain a seasoned spokesperson for KRC and rural issues.”
Caryl commented, “Kansas Rural Center has been my go-to resource for information and workshops related to everything from butchering chickens and keeping bees, to learning how to engage with restaurants and institutions in sourcing local produce options. It is an honor to work for KRC and help the organization continue with its outreach into the western side of the state where many of these workshops and resources are hard to come by.”
KRC is a private, non-profit organization promoting sustainable agriculture and a sustainable food system.