Growing Connections Workshop Notes Jefferson, Clallam Counties Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center – Red Cedar Room March 14, 2017

1) Welcome and Introductions

Attendees introduced themselves, the organization they represent, and briefly spoke to their personal goals for the workshop. For many this revolved around how to improve upon the work that is already happening within the community – increasing the efficiency and cohesion of many ‘fresh-to-food program’ strategies already being utilized.

Jessica Hernandez (Port Angeles Food Bank) Andra Smith (Sequim Food Bank)

Arianna Moccardine (Makah Food Bank) Rachel Booke (Tri-Area Food Bank)

Susan Hall (Port Townsend Food Bank) Bob Wallace (Port Townsend Food Bank)

Roger Coble (Port Townsend Food Bank) Kathy Ryan (Port Townsend Food Bank)

Carol Meyer (Port Townsend Food Bank) Monica Dixon (Olympic Peninsula Healthy Communities Coalition)

Karen Weaver (Wild Edge Farm) Jennifer Jabs (The Farm)

Lisa Bridge (Sequim Farmers Market) Clea Rome (WSU Extension – Clallam County)

Dan Littlefield (WSU Extension – Clallam County) Juliann Finn (WSU Extension – Clallam County)

Jen Hey (WSU Extension – SNAP-Ed, Farm-to-Community)

Julie Evenson (WSU Extension – SNAP-Ed)

Tracy Wilking (WSDA Small Farms and Direct Marketing)

Laura Titzer (Northwest Harvest)

Alex Arroyo (Northwest Harvest)

2) Workshop Overview

What is Growing Connections? Growing Connections is a program of Northwest Harvest that seeks to provide support and resources for implementing local strategies to increase the amount of fresh produce available to food program clients. Such 'Fresh to Food Program' initiatives are vital in supporting access to healthy and nutritious, fresh food. Community collaboration is fundamental to developing and sustaining successful F2FB initiatives. Growing Connections seeks to facilitate the development of community relationships that increase the amount of fresh, nutritious food to clients and bolster the hunger relief system across the state.

The latest tool we have developed is the Growing Connections Produce Portal, which is a web-based platform for connecting local growers (ranging from commercial growers to community gardeners, home gardeners,

and anyone else that wants to grow fresh food for food pantries!). The website is live here: www.growing-connections.azurewebsites.net. You can also browse to the Growing Connections page of Northwest Harvest.org: http://www.northwestharvest.org/produce-portal.

We will be continuing to discuss, get food programs and growers signed-up to use the site, and providing further support going forward.

The goals of today's workshop involve reflecting on 'farm to food program' activities in Jefferson and Clallam counties, including challenges, opportunities, and strategies. We hope you will think about your organization and your role, and vision how you can collaborate with others and be involved!

Goals:

1) Explore the question: How do we enhance the current F2FP program to work better for all the pantries and growers?

2) Learn what other programs, organizations, and individuals are doing.

3) Brainstorm and discuss F2FP initiatives for your community.

4) Create actionable next steps to begin or strengthen F2FP initiatives.

3) Icebreaker

Attendees were asked to walk around and briefly introduce themselves to other attendees. Each person was asked to respond to the question of “What is important to you about ‘fresh-to-food program’ initiatives and why do you care?”

4) Small Group Discussions Attendees divided into four groups and discussed the following core questions about ‘Fresh-to-Food Program’. Individuals rotated into different groups for each question, creating a dynamic exchange of ideas and a chance for each attendee to speak with different people. During each group discussion, the table wrote down observations on flip chart paper that were then posted for the entire group to see.

a. What are the challenges you face in F2FP and how might you meet them? i. Storage capacity

ii. Limited hours iii. Cost of equipment / labor iv. Processing raw food v. Fragility of fresh produce

vi. Regulations and permits vii. Food distribution across large area

viii. Distant programs ix. Seasonal nature of agriculture x. Dietary needs, cultural appropriateness, and preference of clients

xi. Using technology (especially when so busy)

xii. Suspicion of where produce came from

b. What are the untapped opportunities in F2FP? i. Transportation

ii. Processing raw food iii. Education for skills in cooking and preserving iv. Summer meal programs v. Drop site or food hub

vi. Food Bank gardens vii. Farm contracting

viii. Lots of passionate volunteers! ix. Sharing / trading of products x. Growing Connections Produce Portal

c. What kinds of partnerships and resource sharing could be created to achieve new opportunities

and overcome challenges? i. Coordinated distribution system

ii. Food coalition; Farm-Food Bank ‘buying co-op’ iii. Collaborate to share capacity, distribution, storage iv. Funding for gas and drivers v. Exchange/Trade with west-end

vi. Partner with Tribal nations vii. Processing/Value-addition cooperation between farm sector and food banks; ‘Fair Start’

model; social enterprise viii. What could be leveraged from statewide NPOs (NWH, Rotary, WFC)?

ix. Supplemental CSAs (‘Good Food Bag’) x. Healthy communities

xi. Chefs and emergency food

5) Designing Strategies After participating in the three small group discussions, attendees were asked to reflect and write down strategies that they would like to take to progress toward goals and solutions discussed. Paper was posted on walls and attendees were asked to write down personal strategies and group strategies that could be employed to make progress toward community goals. Attendees mingled with other participants and continued strategizing about next steps for their community. There are a lot of great ideas and potential strategies to engage with!

Personal Strategies: - Create an identity at the Farmers Market as connected to food issues - Talk to farmers about ‘grow a row’ for food pantry - Speak with Food Bank personnel re: what type of foods they would LOVE to see at the food bank - Food pantry staff and volunteers visit farmers to create relationship - Connect with food bank for a regular Saturday pick-up - Increase F2FB purchasing money! - Source produce that food pantry has a lack of - Continue to network and help convene stakeholders - Be open to community thought - Deliberate, strategic connections - Continued learning - Keep exploring possibilities for connecting - Research opportunities in summer food programs - Secure funds and purchase form local farmers - Admin assistance - Connect dietitians to food bank system for education Group Strategies: - Identify problem, then communicate - Work in coalition - Teamwork - Meet more often - Resource sharing exercise: what do you have? / what do you need? - Ensure that representation from tribes is present at future meetings - Use resources to create more accessibility - Present to Sequim Farmers Market on EBT - Reconvene; bring someone else; keep talking - Communicate back findings and outcomes from this workshop to wider community and think of action steps - Map county capacity for storage and transportation - Coordinated distribution system - Find a funder for a refrigerated truck to increase delivery capacity to west-end - Find resources to fund processing infrastructure - Processing feasibility study - Food bank personnel come on site to farms to meet/make connections (and vice versa) - Meet and greet between farmers and food bank managers - Better communication between growers and food pantries - Set up a communication system between farmers and consumers; advertise Produce Portal to other institutions besides food banks (ie. schools, restaurants, tribes, etc.) - Form multi-food bank ‘buying club’ to purchase from farms - Summer food program and local purchasing - Trading fresh produce for fresh fish; coordinate delivery and pick-up between eastside and west-end - Co-op of Food Banks and Farmers

- Develop a non-profit to travel around and cook at food banks - providing weekly meal, education classes - Use the GC Produce Portal - Use coalition funds to subsidize travel expenses for tribal food banks

6) Next Steps a. Form a committee (local individuals and Northwest Harvest) to plan a follow-up workshop, to be

held later in Spring. Goals of the follow-up workshop will be to solidify strategies and roles for during the upcoming growing season and increase the coordination and communication of community groups, food programs, and growers.

b. Read through the Personal and Group Strategies and find something that you want to take ownership of!

c. Stay in touch with Growing Connections and be thinking of how you can integrate the Produce Portal into your upcoming season of ‘Farm-to-Food Bank’ initiatives.