Author Vicki Robins, of Whidbey Island, Washington, was a self-described “local food dabbler” for a long time. She would shop at the farmer’s market if she had the time, and she joined a community-supported agriculture program—which she later quit because she didn’t use all the vegetables that came her way. Then, in September 2010, she accepted a challenge from a farmer friend to eat only foods sourced within 10 miles of her home. Though she had previously co-authored a book on financially sustainable consumption, the month-long commitment transformed the way she thought about food. “I’m a living creature in a living world. I’m surrounded by food and I don’t recognize it,” she said. She decided to commit as much as possible to nourishing herself with food sourced from local farmers and producers—by “people you know and places you can go.” Ms. Robins will give a reading at the Point Reyes Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20 of her new book, Blessing the Hands that Feed Us: What Eating Closer to Home Can Teach Us About Food, Community and Our Place on Earth. The event is sponsored by Point Reyes Books.