We are pleased to announce that Patrick Andrews and Emma Witwer recently joined the CCFSA Leadership Council. 

Patrick Andrews is the Chief of the Agricultural Marketing Division at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, where he supervises the PA Preferred® program; manages the agricultural marketing and research boards; and coordinates statewide farm to school programming and support.

Patrick’s work in Pennsylvania’s food systems began in 2010 when, after 20 years of restaurant management, he decided to open his own Farm to Table restaurant in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. There, he developed a network of local farmers to form his supply chain. Subsequently in 2015, Patrick built a farm to school food hub at the Northern York County School District where he recruited ten school districts to join in making purchases directly from local farmers. 

Patrick attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. In 2019, he graduated from Penn State’s Rural Urban Leadership Program (RULE). Patrick also holds Food Safety Certifications from USDA’s Produce Safety University, The Food Safety Alliance, and ServSafe.
 

Emma Witwer is the Nutrition Coordinator at Project SHARE, a food pantry in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She is responsible for providing nutrition education, implementing SWAP (Supporting Wellness At Pantries) nutrient analysis for the pantry’s inventory and coordinating the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program, among other initiatives.
 

Emma is a Registered Dietitian, earning her B.S. in Nutrition Management from Rochester Institute of Technology (2015) and completing an accredited dietetic internship from Penn State University (2016). Prior to working at Project SHARE, Emma worked as a corporate wellness dietitian. Born and raised in Ireland, Emma moved to Pennsylvania at age 10. Away from SHARE, Emma can be found hiking, reading or sharing a meal with friends and family.

Students in Dr. Bedi’s Environmental Studies and Food Studies courses at Dickinson College initially researched and wrote the Food Access and Poverty story map of Cumberland County in 2018. The map aimed to inform and enhance community food planning in the county. While the 2018 report has been a guiding force and resource, the data is now outdated and the impact of COVID-19 and its many variants has altered the landscape of our food system and the scope of food insecurity. The Cumberland County Food System Alliance strives to be a comprehensive resource for community stakeholders and through our website, we aim to be a repository of real and relevant information pertaining to the many components of our local food system. As such, the CCFSA has recently activated a Data and Assessment Work Group that is interested in exploring the breadth of food system related data so that we can have a better picture and understanding of the true ‘food’ conditions in our community. Conversations within this work group have underscored the need for more accurate, real-time data and the prospect of a 2.0 Cumberland County Food Systems Assessment aligns with the work group’s priorities. We are happy to partner with Dr. Bedi on the next version of the food system assessment.

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Many thanks to our partners for helping build a local food system that supports healthy and resilient communities. Please let us know if you have project highlights, updates, or resources to share!

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Email: foodsystemalliance@gmail.com
Phone: 717-477-1509