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Inspiring connections and encouraging collective action.
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It’s hard to believe it is July, and we are halfway through a heart-breaking and heart-expanding year, deep in the midst of two lethal pandemics - the coronavirus and systemic racial injustice. We honor and mourn the recent black and brown lives who have been lost to police brutality and a system of white supremacy. The recent racial uprisings underscore the historic and pervasive injustices across our nation’s systems, and are felt especially deeply in our food system among farmers, food system workers, and a record number of families experiencing hunger, all of which is experienced at a higher rate among our BIPOC communities. Our work together has never been more necessary. Our team acknowledges this time as an invitation to deepen our commitment to racial equity on our team, in our approach, and across the network.
Like many of you, this year we made quick adjustments to reflect the ongoing coronavirus pandemic - hosting virtual facilitation workshops, coordinating biweekly statewide calls, and offering rapid response grants. We value being responsive to community needs and listening to you, the network members, for direction. We are looking forward to using this time to reflect, organize, and advance an anti-racist approach to food work.
This newsletter highlights key upcoming events and opportunities with this year’s food council microgrants, trainings on hosting virtual candidate forums and engaging elected officials, and ways to connect with other food councils across the state. We also share some of the many stories of black and brown voices engaged in the food system across North Carolina.
We’re always learning and looking forward to learning with and from you.
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Wed, July 8 & 22, 12 - 1pm
Do you want to ask your elected officials or those running for office what they plan to do about healthy food access, school meals, supporting local farmers and food business entrepreneurs? Along with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, RAFI-USA, and our team learn how to host a virtual nonpartisan candidate forum, get a free consultation and participate in a statewide forum this fall.
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July 9th, 11am. Register here.
This session will provide the tools you'll need to connect with your elected leaders. Join the NC Rural Center, experienced lobbyists, and legislative staffers and get real-world examples, talking points, and advice on the best ways to engage your elected leaders in Raleigh and at home.
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Tuesdays, 2:30 - 3:45pm. Zoom link.
Join us twice a month to connect with other food councils and partners across the state to exchange ideas, explore collaborations, new resources and understanding of current events related to our food and farm environments. We'll break out by topics and by race to better facilitate learning and action.
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Applications open Jul 9th - Aug 17th
We're inviting food councils to be the funders! Food councils apply to receive funds and gift funds to other food councils in a participatory grant-making process called Shared Gifting. Get to know your neighboring food council's work better, get feedback on your proposal, and decide where the money goes.
We are looking for funders who are interested to learn with us!
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July 14th, 10am. Register here.
Could your food council already be the hub for all things local food related? Join Carteret Local Food Network and the NCDA Visit NC Farms App team to hear about cost-share programs, key connections, and benefits of being the App Administrator for your county or region.
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Save the Date - Virtual Gathering of Food Councils
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Wednesday, October 28, 2020
With the covid pandemic, we'll continue our online connections. Instead of larger regional gatherings this year, we're planning to host a single network-wide gathering online with regional breakouts to celebrate our work, explore future possibilities, and connect as a network advancing equity-based food work.
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- Reckoning with Racial Justice in Farm Country, a conversation with Davon Goodwin, the only commercial Black farmer in Scotland County and food hub manager at Sandhills AGInnovation Center in Civil Eats.
- Youth Are Flipping an Abandoned North Carolina Prison into a Sustainable Farm, a Civil Eats article featuring the young men of Growing Change in Scotland County
- Voices of NC Hunger podcast featuring Michael Banner a Wiston-Salem urban farmer, Greater High Point Food Alliance, and others. Listen to Michael share his work towards food justice in his neighborhood. And in a three part, pre/post COVID-19 series, meet Carl, Jakki, and Victoria, who share how the Greater High Point Food Alliance is working to alleviate hunger and develop more just and equitable food systems.
- On the Southern Fork podcast, Shorlette Ammons, Community Food Strategies team member, shares her country upbringing and family connections in eastern NC, the work of food councils, and the work to disrupt the often unseen, ongoing gears of systemic racism in our food system.
- Covid-19 outbreaks at meat-processing plants in US being kept quiet. The Guardian article highlights that only a few types of North Carolina businesses are required to report outbreaks.
- NC not doing enough to protect immigrant farmworkers from coronavirus, advocates say. News & Observer. Dr. Mandy Cohen talks pockets of higher rates of COVID infection in agricultural areas of eastern N.C., as well as higher rates in the Latinx communities.
- Teenagers Gain Confidence Raising Bees and Growing Crops at North Carolina Farm. An article in Southern Living featuring Kamal Bell and Sankofa Farms in Alamance County.
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From ‘Scrambling’ to ‘Devastated’: The Impact of COVID-19 on Farms in North and South Carolina: This Carolina Farm Stewardship Association report summarizes survey results showing the small- and mid-sized farms selling in local food markets are suffering greatly.
Young Farmers Racial Equity Toolkit: National Young Farmers Coalition provided this toolkit as a starting point for white farmers to deepen their understanding of pervasive racialized oppression.
Facilitating for More Voices: A virtual series for best practices for facilitating meetings, particularly with online platforms
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Community Food Strategies works with local food councils and networks to create community-led collaboration and equitable policy change at the local, state and national level. This multi-organizational initiative focuses on building alliances and providing tools, trainings, and statewide structure to a growing network of local food councils across North Carolina.
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