Get to know the Food Council Staff...

AManda Hixson
​Director

Nearly 15 years ago, when Amanda asked a professor and mentor what she should do now that she had completed her undergrad in Environmental Studies, he responded "you have always been interested in food". From managing her parent's farm in Idaho while creating a farm-to-table ice cream and hummus business, examining hunger and the obesity epidemic with the United Nation's World Food Program, or observing poor nutrition habits among students and reinforced by schools; Amanda has been working within the complex realm of food for nearly two decades. She is especially intrigued by the challenge of transforming entrenched systems, and understanding how our growing practices affect the environment, what determines people's access to food, and how transnational food corporations are pushing non-nutritious eating that is negatively affecting global health. As Food Program Director of the Del Norte and Tribal Lands Community Food Council, Amanda is excited to be collaborating with the Del Norte community and her team in transforming DNATL's food system for the better.

Andrea Lanctot
​Coordinator

Andrea has spent her entire life in gardens and knows that the greatest thing you can do for your health is eating local, fresh food. She believes every one should have access to the knowledge on how to grow, harvest, gather, and obtain cultural appropriate, healthy food. Her love of plants and being outside has infused her passion for sustainable agriculture, permaculture, and hands-on experiential education. She has worked at 3 plant nurseries, a small organic vegetable farm, lived and worked on a permaculture homestead in the Klamath mountains, worked as a community educator for the University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Humboldt, and has recently started her own small plant nursery here in Del Norte. While at Humboldt State University, she completed a  BS in Environmental Science with a concentration in Sustainable Agriculture & Community Organizing and was a co-director for the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, a live in demonstration house for sustainable living. She has organized and led over a 100 workshops, events, & classes in regenerative agriculture and living.  Her desire to restore our ecological habitats and live more lightly on the earth fuels her drive to keep learning and sharing her knowledge with others. A permaculture designer for 10 years, she has been an active member of the Humboldt Permaculture Guild, help design and teach a permaculture design course through Klamath Knot Permaculture, and has supported the emergence of the Wild Rivers Permaculture Guild. 

ANGELA GRAY
​​Food Forest

Marina MacNeill
Food Distribution coordinator

Angela Gray comes to the Community Food Council with a deep passion for supporting community access to eating well. Angela has had the pleasure of calling Del Norte home for the last 6 years and relocated to the area with her daughter in search of a slower pace and a deeper connection to place. When she's not in the dirt or the kitchen you can find Angela exploring our beautiful trails, parks and beaches with her daughter and pups or participating in our local Wild Rivers Permaculture Guild. As an avid plant lover, home cook and gardner she knows that healthy food can also be delicious. Angela found her way to the garden along a meandering path driven by a desire to source the best ingredients. Let thy food be thy medicine!  Angela's background as a home gardener, landscaper, herbalist and farmer give her a wide scope of experience. The curiosity, delight, and wonder at the nutrition and medicine inside each plant (even plants considered weeds!) has infused her passion for living and working closely with nature. The empowerment experienced from providing your own nourishment is so valuable to Angela that it has become her lifelong goal to share this empowerment with others. As the new Food Forest Program Manager Angela hopes to ignite the passion for growing food for our next generation of healthy eaters here in Del Norte.​

Born and raised in southern California, Marina grew up eating healthy simple foods from her family’s gardens. Some of her favorite memories were picking apricots and pecans from the trees in the backyard. She moved up here in 2012 and has been in love with the beach and redwoods ever since. Marina spends her free time getting her hands dirty in the community garden with her 4-year-old daughter. She also enjoys naturally dyeing yarn with foraged plants from our beautiful diverse environment in Del Norte County.  Marina worked for the local health food store for the past several years and is excited to bring her knowledge and passion for locally sourced foods to the many projects of the Community Food Council. ​