Edible Magazines and Niman Ranch Partner to Celebrate Local Food Heroes

Edible Communities, the award-winning network of more than 80 independently-owned locally focused food magazines, is collecting nominations for food heroes going above and beyond to support their communities. Edible magazine publishers from across the U.S. and Canada will select nominations to feature in their local publications to celebrate the real-life stories and inspire hope during a dark time. For every submission made at www.EdibleCommunities.com/niman-ranch-beyond-plate, Niman Ranch, the sustainable meat pioneer, will donate a serving of their Certified Humane meat to grassroots-based COVID-19 relief efforts.

"We wanted to celebrate the many people who are doing so much for their communities during a challenging time," said Chris Oliviero, Niman Ranch General Manager. "We are seeing food heroes step up along the food chain?chefs, farmers, truckers, meat cutters, grocery store clerks?to help their neighbors in need. Our partnership with Edible Communities puts a well-deserved spotlight on these heroes, while also supporting our network of family farmers to bring more wholesome meats to those in need through our donations," continued Oliviero.

The initiative launched featuring three Food Heroes:

• Kirsten Eckerman is an emergency room nurse, Niman Ranch hog farmer, wife, mother and community leader. She's also an advocate for connecting people who have limited resources to quality, local foods, especially those in rural areas. When she began to hear of her neighbors in rural Wisconsin facing food insecurity due to COVID-19 layoffs, she sprang into action.
• Brandon Rosenberg is the 3^rd generation involved in the family business, Miami Purveyors, delivering premium meats to the Miami area's top restaurants and boutique retail stores. As Brandon saw the human health and economic impact of COVID-19 quickly spread throughout his community, he knew his family business had a responsibility to help support their staff, customers and neighbors through this unprecedented time.
• Chef Patrick Mulvaney is a steadfast champion of the "restaurant staff is family" ethos and didn't hesitate to show it when the coronavirus pandemic began disrupting the industry earlier this year. Knowing that people still need to eat, and chefs still need to cook, he transformed his B & L kitchen to create the Family Meals for Four program. Mulvaney and his crew, while working with all social distancing protocols in place, are creating meals for low income seniors, students and families in need.

"We are proud to partner with an organization like Niman Ranch whose core values match ours so well ? the support of family farmers, the humane treatment of animals and care for natural resources," said Tracey Ryder, Co-Founder of Edible Communities, then added, "the most rewarding work we can possibly do as a media company is to provide readers with authentic, quality storytelling; and no one does that better than our publishers, who are so intimately connected to the members of their local food communities."

Edible Communities is collecting nominations for food heroes who are impacting lives beyond the plate through May 31, 2020.

Edible Communities celebrates local food, season by season, community by community. With a network of more than 80 independently-owned, locally-focused magazines across the U.S. and Canada, we are the largest media organization devoted to telling the stories and sustaining the efforts of the farmers, chefs, food artisans, fishers, vintners, and home cooks who feed us. In addition to our award-winning content, we help people experience the vibrant flavors of local communities via Edible events, podcasts, and travel guides, along with fresh, seasonal recipes, videos and more. We explore the issues impacting local food cultures and economies through thought leadership forums and conferences. We advocate for healthy, nourishing food traditions.

Niman Ranch is a community of more than 750 independent family farmers and ranchers who raise pork, beef and lamb traditionally, humanely and sustainably to deliver the Finest-Tasting Meat in the World®. Niman Ranch is the largest farmer and rancher network in North America to be Certified Humane®. The protein of choice for America's most celebrated chefs, Niman Ranch is also the premier option for discerning home cooks looking for meats Raised with Care®, with no antibiotics or added hormones?ever, by U.S. farm and ranch families. Follow Niman Ranch on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.