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For the rural parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Cherry Valley, the well-being of local farmers is a serious concern.

To educate on the importance of "eating locally," the parish is holding a potluck dinner and presentation May 15 to discuss Catholics' moral responsibility for how and where food is produced.

"We wanted to come up with a way to support families, discuss important issues and tie it all back to Catholicism," explained St. Thomas' parish life director, Karen Walker, adding: "And we just happen to love potluck dinners."

Mrs. Walker explained that rural areas like Cherry Valley, located in Otsego County, were the hardest hit by the economic downturn.

"We were already poor; now we're really very poor," she said. "But this rural way of life is important for the family and for the economy - and we're losing it."

In February, St. Thomas parish became a part of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. This national organization - which has historically had more of a presence in the western U.S. - offers rural parishes a sense of community with peers, as well as information on recycling, food production, composting and agriculture, and how faith contributes to these issues.

The upcoming presentation at St. Thomas is related to a campaign of the conference, "Eating is a Moral Act." The campaign is attempting to raise awareness about the food people eat and how it is produced.

To speak on that subject, the parish invited Chris Harmon of the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship in Oneonta.

"Food is a necessity and a basic right, and education in food systems is important for everybody," Mr. Harmon told The Evangelist. "We are stewards of the earth and our choices have consequences. We could either be a part of the solution or continue to be a part of the problem."

He hopes that, through his presentation, parishioners from St. Thomas' will better understand how their money ties into the local community and their true "purchasing power": how they can make their community better by buying locally-grown or produced foods.

"In the end, it is an ethics issue," said Mr. Harmon. "What it all comes down to is doing good in the world and a part of that is considering the plight of the poor and downtrodden that need assistance - and that includes small family farms and the agro-business."
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