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Cultivating community. Creating equitable food policy.
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Happy May! It has been a full spring bustling with activity and planning for an exciting year ahead. As we enjoy the first few weeks of strawberries, our team is excited about upcoming workshops, community conversations, new resources, and our 2019 Statewide Gathering of Food Councils on December 5 & 6th. We started this year with a recap of 2018 in our Annual Report and an impressive list of micro-grant applicants, awarding $39,000 to 17 food councils across the state.
We also worked with several food councils members on this new video below to communicate the work of food councils. We like it, and would love to know what you think! Feel free to share this short video with your networks and use it for presentations or other communications.
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This video shares the value, the players, and actions of food councils told from the perspective of food council members across the state of North Carolina.
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It was a year of partnership building and learning - we added new members and organizations to our team, supported food councils working together, and continued to evaluate our approach to equity, rural leadership, and regional structure. In the report, you'll see our accomplishments, food council highlights, and how we are weaving equity throughout our project.
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We are excited to both support and learn from each of the 17 projects funded in 2019 and look forward to sharing the connections, models, and practices each council creates through these place-based efforts. The next round of Community Food Strategies micro-grants for food councils will be opening in Quarter 3 of 2019.
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We're thrilled for the full network across North Carolina and beyond to come together for the Statewide Food Council Gathering in Rocky Mount on December 5 & 6, 2019. We'll have two keynote speakers, a series of workshops, and plenty of time to network and learn from each other. Stay tuned for more information soon!
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We're redesigning our website!
Share your ideas with us in this short survey and be entered in a raffle for FREE Statewide Food Council Gathering registration.
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How are food councils engaging in advocacy and policy?
As discussed in this New Food Economy piece, highlighting the NC network of food councils, a trend in policy engagement around food issues is increasing across North Carolina and across the nation. From writing letters to Congresspeople, to joining statewide strategy calls, members of food councils in NC are engaging more collaboratively and are making their voices heard. For ideas and inspiration, we compiled the 2018 policy engagements in each region happening across the state.
“Our 2018 Candidate Forum gave our citizens an opportunity to meet their local and national level representatives and bring community food issues to the forefront of policy conversations. The forum served as a catalyst for increased political involvement and support for improving food issues”,
says Alex Portelli, member of the McDowell Local Food Advisory Council.
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Youth Food Council, Community Forums, a Food Finder App, and other food council updates
 Food councils and partners convened by region last fall to connect, learn, and inspire each other. Each event was unique to the region's interests. The gathering summaries highlight the discussions, updates, and resources shared at each event. Snapshots of the work of food councils were created for each region.
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A Passion for Food Pantries: Implementing the Wake County Food Security Plan
 “I have a passion for food pantries!”, commented Ruthie Wofford, the AmeriCorps VISTA that served as staff to the Capital Area Food Network (CAFN) in 2017-2018. She helped CAFN conduct a Food Pantries Study that was one of several strategies listed in the 2017 Wake County Comprehensive Food Security Plan.
The focus of this study, the first of its kind for Wake County, was to gather information the the structure, outreach, goals, and barriers for each food pantry. Of more than 215 organizations contacted, 99 were considered operational food pantries, by their definition. The study also revealed unique challenges in the five university food pantries supporting college students. CAFN's work provides a foundation for more collaboration and targeted strategies to bridge the hunger gap in Wake County.
Read more.
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U.S. Food System: Perspectives from Public Health, free online course by John Hopkins University
Young Leaders as a Self-Organizing Vanguard - In rapidly changing environments where problems are systemic, adaptability and fluidity are essential for organizations to effectively maneuver. Thus, centralized leadership falls short, organizing efforts must operate differently. See self-organizing as an effective tool.
The Future of Nonprofit Leadership: Worker Self-directed Organizations - Research shows that distributing leadership can create organizations that are more effective at advancing their mission, more adaptable and responsive to complex systems, more accountable to their communities, and more fun.
Try This NC - Tried & Tested Ideas for Healthy Rural Communities - This website from Resourceful Communities showcases dozens of healthy living programs, initiatives, and ideas from around the state of North Carolina.
Good Food Funding Guide from New Venture Advisors lists sources of grants, loans and equity for businesses and programs promoting sustainable food and agriculture and local economies.
Advocacy & Lobbying 101 for Food Policy Councils - A new guide from Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic explains the legal definitions, laws applicable to lobbying, and best organizational structures to help food policy councils understand how they can influence the decisions of local, state, and federal government officials.
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Community Food Strategies works to empower 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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