Dr. Julie Guthman, a nationally-known “foodie,” will kick off a discussion of the Lehigh Valley food supply at 10 a.m. May 20, Northampton Community College Fowler Family Southside Center, 511 E. Third St., Bethlehem.

Is there enough healthy food in the Lehigh Valley? Is it affordable and available to everyone?

These are among the questions that will be explored in a series of free programs starting with a community forum with keynote speaker Guthman, who teaches at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Guthman draws on science and economics seasoned with humor to analyze the United States’ food supply. She is perhaps best-known for an article she wrote, “The Food Police: Why Michael Pollan Made Me Want to Eat Cheetos.”

Guthman’s talk will be followed at 11 a.m by a panel discussion, hosted by Renew Lehigh Valley. At 2 p.m., there will be a poetry workshop led by poet Marilyn Hazelton, and a cooking demonstration and tasting hosted by Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley.

The events are free and open to the public. Guests are welcome to attend a specific activity or all of the events. Reservations are not required.

Participating on the panel will be Kelly Allen, associate professor of English and founder of the Community Garden at Northampton Community College; Breena Holland, associate professor of political science at Lehigh University; M. Dawn King, faculty fellow and lecturer at Brown University; Ben Cohen, assistant professor of engineering studies and environmental studies at Lafayette College; Maria McGrath, associate professor of humanities and history at Bucks County Community College, and Dr. Sandra Aguilar-Rodriguez, assistant professor of Latin American history at Moravian College.

Allen is coordinating the forum and the programs that will follow in conjunction with RenewLV, Second Harvest Food Bank, the Hispanic Center, BuyFresh, BuyLocal Lehigh Valley, and the Penn State Agricultural Extension.

The goal is “to focus on the human relationship with food across cultures and how we can ensure an adequate, safe, and appropriate food supply,” according to Allen.

The series will include a screening of the film “Growing Cities” and a talkback, 4:30 p.m. May 20, ArtsQuest Center, SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem; four cooking workshops at the Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley; three gardening workshops; a full-day celebration of local farms and foods at Lehigh Valley PBS, July 24, and a closing forum including a report-out on findings and recommendations, Oct. 29.

The programs are funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the “Humanities in the Public Square” initiative which builds on humanities scholarship to engage the public in understanding pressing issues.

Information: northampton.edu/publicsquare