August 2017 — Chase is a rising sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill, studying business. He has lived most of his life in Jacksonville, NC, where both his parents retired from the military after being stationed at Camp Lejeune. He recognizes that most people with military affiliations live their lives moving from place to place, and he feels lucky to have stayed in Jacksonville, where he feels a sense of home and community that perhaps not many do.
“It’s a transitional city with the military presence; most people aren’t here for long,” says Chase. “Most of my military friends have moved away or just got here,” he adds. As he learned during his work with the Onslow County Incubator Farm, this poses special challenges to the local food system of Onslow County. “[It’s] constant re-education and outreach,” he explains, “[it’s] one of the reasons local farmers have a hard time selling things, it’s hard to get a steady clientele.”
Chase has been working this summer with Onslow County Cooperative Extension to assess potential remedies for the many food deserts in the County. With his background in business, Chase looks forward to one day returning to Jacksonville to give back to the community and encourage the development of a local food supply chain. “There’s not much here than can be considered a community identity. Everyone is from different places here, everyone’s looking for something they can call home…. With local foods, one thing they can say is that this came from Jacksonville, NC. That’s one of the only things that they can know is from here.”
This article originally appeared in the August 2017 NC Growing Together Newsletter.