Nancy O’Connor, director of education for The Merc co-op, 901 Iowa St., teaches area students like Abigail Fowler, 14, the importance of growing their own food.

As much of the world went through conflict, civil unrest and change in the 1970s, Nancy O’Connor, a New Jersey native and at the time a university undergraduate in Illinois, was undergoing her own transformation. She began to understand the importance of food, nourishment and the surrounding culture.

“There was a lot of questioning and upheaval on campuses. It was the time of the Vietnam War and a lot of people were questioning what they were doing,” O’Connor said. “And here I was, this art major, but somehow I wanted to do something of service, something where I could really touch people.”

Now, O’Connor is preparing to enter her 23rd year at The Merc, a Lawrence cooperative grocery store focused on providing healthy opportunities for shoppers to connect with their food.

As The Merc’s director of education and outreach, O’Connor shares her passion for nutrition and stresses that often the most important choices are connected to what people eat.

Nancy O'Connor is entering her 23rd year at The Merc, a Lawrence cooperative grocery store. Here she works in the school garden at West Middle School with Abigail Fowler 14.

“Now there are so many people writing and talking about food, but back in the ’70s that was all pretty new stuff, and it just resonated with me,” she said.

Alongside her husband and oldest son, O’Connor moved to Lawrence around 28 years ago. Almost immediately she began volunteering at The Merc, while working toward her graduate degree in community health education from Kansas University.

Through her work and her studies O’Connor said she came to understand the significance of closing the gap between those who produce the food and those who eat the food.

“I think the disconnect that most people have with food is what leads to a lot of issues with unhealthy eating, because there’s no grounding there,” she said. “Food just becomes generic, stuff, calories you eat because it tastes good.”

Changing the way people look at their food is one of the first steps in promoting healthy choices and creating lasting relationships, O’Connor said.

“While I was in grad school everything was moving towards this job at The Merc,” she said. “I didn’t want to work for an institution or the state. I never wanted any of that. I knew this was a place that would support my values on food and give me the freedom to create the curriculum and outreach programs and support it.”

Outreach is key

O’Connor’s influence has reached far beyond the walls of the grocery store, said Zac Hamlin, the store’s human resources manager.

“Nancy has a very keen understanding of nutrition and the role of good food as a part of the relationship between farmers or families,” he said. “Food is a central point of that and maybe a great equalizer. That’s a focus of hers. Love people and feed them good food. And she tries to be respectful of the whole process.”

What that process does, O’Connor said, is encourage people to examine how their food choices affect them and the world around them.

“The first and most obvious choice is taste, and then when you start becoming more thoughtful you might start to wonder how much fat is in that food, or if you eat it how you’ll feel,” she said. “And then you can keep going further to how the choice impacts your environment, your community. Are the people who grow these coffee beans being taken care of? Do they have health care or education?”

One way to jumpstart that line of thinking begins in the dirt, O’Connor said.

About six years ago, O’Connor approached West Middle School to discuss starting a school garden, principal Myron Melton said.

Although he had questions, Melton said O’Connor was fully prepared with a comprehensive plan to grow the operation from the ground up, literally.

Now students are able to get their hands dirty, growing their own food and learning about nutrition, Melton said. They can then share the fruits of their labor with fellow students and the rest of the town.

“We have a substantial amount of produce that goes into our cafeteria,” he said. “The kids are actually eating food grown on site and they feel really good about that. It really encourages kids to eat healthily and they get excited about that.”

Surplus produce is sold at The Merc or the Lawrence Farmers Market, with proceeds supporting the garden, Melton said.

In fact, the project has grown so much in the past several years it has become a self-sustaining asset to the school and teachers are looking into further incorporating the garden into curriculum, Melton said.

“It will be a kind of hands-on lab, if you will,” he said. “Where they can apply the garden to science and health and nutrition classes.”

Well-suited to the task

Hamlin and Melton agree O’Connor’s unassuming nature and teaching abilities have enabled her to make an impact on those who will listen.

“She’s keenly aware of the fact that food is an equalizer,” Hamlin said. “And if you can speak to peoples’ bellies you can get them to try new things.”

Much of O’Connor’s work can be considered an uphill battle, Hamlin added. With the big budgets of food companies aiming much of their marketing at children, proper nutrition can be a challenge to teach.

“She’s going into these schools and talking to kids about lunches that include greens and fresh produce,” he said. “She recognizes what she’s up against.”

Although there are times when people make quick decisions based on taste, affordability and convenience, O’Connor said she tries to teach people it’s okay to take your time in the kitchen.

Committing a portion of the day to considering your food has implications far beyond physical health, she said. Rather, it is a lifestyle and a potential gateway into healthy and long lasting community connections.

“What we eat is so important. It’s one of the most important decisions we make, and we make it two to three times a day,” she said. “You’ve got to ask, where do we get our food? What are the implications? Does it strengthen our local economy? Is it fair traded? Did our neighbors grow it?”

Asking those types of questions and engaging in nutritional discussions is a two-way street, O’Connor said. And for the past two decades the community in Lawrence has been welcoming and receptive to her message.