Religious communities across the United States are finding common ground through food. In a Wednesday, October 14, lecture at Kalamazoo College, Adrienne Krone will discuss how people from diverse religious and secular backgrounds are working to reshape the food system and address questions of sustainability, ethics and community. 

Krone, associate professor of environmental science and sustainability and religious studies at Allegheny College, will draw on research from her recent book, Free-Range Religion: Alternative Food Movements and Religious Life in the United States. The book examines four faith-connected food initiatives, including a religious dietary community, a pasture-raised cattle farm, a Jewish farm and a Jewish retreat center that observed the biblical agricultural sabbatical year. 

Through these case studies, Krone explores how food practices intersect with religious identity, environmental stewardship and social justice. Her research focuses on religious food-justice movements across North America and the ways communities use food to express their values and build connections across differences. 

A reception and meet-and-greet with the speaker will follow the 4:15 p.m. lecture in the Hicks Banquet Room at the Hicks Student Center. The event is free and open to the public. Please note that unauthorized signs or posters will not be permitted. 

Sponsored by the Department of Religion, the lecture is part of the Paul Lamont Thompson Memorial Lecture Series, established in honor of Kalamazoo College President Paul Lamont Thompson, who led the College from 1938 to 1949. Endowed through gifts from alumni, family members and friends, the series continues Thompson’s legacy by bringing distinguished speakers to campus to deepen understanding of ethical issues and society’s broader challenges.