June 17, 2009
Tacoma Community College
Who attended?
49 people attended the Community Food Assessment (CFA) and Food Policy Council (FPC) workshop. Attendees included representatives from:
-
communities that have FPC’s
-
communities that have undertaken CFA’s
-
communities that are planning FPC’s and CFA’s
-
state agencies
-
local health departments
-
schools
-
farms
-
universities
-
non-profits
-
small businesses
What did we do all day?
Planning and Using a CFA
Colleen Donovan, Pacific NW Program Manager, Heifer Int’l, described skills and the perspective a community group needs to have when planning and implementing a community food assessment (CFA). She closed her talk with an interactive session where participants talked about how to apply the skills to working with community groups.
Click here for Power Point presentation
Louisville, Kentucky Community Food Assessment
SteVon Edwards, MPH, Community Organizer, Community Farm Alliance, presented the background and outcomes of the Louisville CFA.
Click here for Power Point presentation
Cleveland-Cayuhoga County Food Policy Coalition
Matthew Russell, MNO, Center for Health Promotion Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, focused on the structure of the Cleveland-Cayuhoga County Food Policy Coalition, which has been in existence for approximately 18 months.
Click here for Power Point presentation
http://www.cccfoodpolicy.org/
Portland-Multnomah Food Policy Council
Steve Cohen, Food Policy and Programs, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, City of Portland, OR, shared the experiences, structure and activities of the Portland-Multnomah Food Policy Council, which has been in existence for several years.
http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=42290&.=
Food Policy Councils, Coalitions and Organizations in Washington
Everyone participated in this activity. Participants gathered into small groups and discussed several questions. Each group then shared with each other what activities have happened in their communities regarding CFA’s and FPC’s. State agencies, state non-profits, and Universities shared what resources they could provide for communities planning and implementing CFA’s and FPC’s.
What did attendees think about the workshop?
All attendees who took the evaluation said that attending the workshop was a good use of their time.
All parts of the day got a 4 or higher on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).
Almost all attendees (93%) would recommend this workshop to others. The other 7% said they might recommend the workshop. When asked why they would or would not recommend the workshop, here are some quotes from participants:
“[The workshop provided] a complete overview of the current food network and useful applications to enact change.”
“Anyone concerned about food systems should attend.”
“Great info for those interested in helping their community be healthier.”
Participants’ insights from the workshop:
-
Learned data sources and skills needed for a CFA
-
Better understanding of structure and possible outcomes of FPC’s
-
Coalition building, FPC work, and conducting a CFA are slow processes
-
Built relationships with people interested in similar issues
-
Learned about different approaches/methods to bring healthy foods and access into communities
-
Learned about resources the state offers
Food Policy Council Resources
Community Food Assessment Resources
