Community & Projects
Goal 1:
Create space for community leaders to produce change together. ​
Led by Equity + Powersharing Committee
Project 1: Leadership Development
We equip our coalition members with the know-how to collaboratively change the systems that impact food access. We design and deliver these learning experiences through researching and tailoring best practices that are responsive to their learning needs.
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Outcome: All stakeholders and partners, no matter their background, are prepared to create changes together throughout our food system.
Project 2: Collaboration
We explore best practices, tools, relationships, and resources, designing the collaborative infrastructure and initiatives needed to organize our community. We avoid strategies and behaviors that diminish transparency. Using these models, we ensure equitable and just decision-making to efficiently and effectively improve food access for all.
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Outcome: Our coalition is more efficient, transparent, equitable and effective at working together with our diverse community to decrease food access barriers .
Project 1: Collaborative Purchasing
We’ve created a network of partners to collaboratively and equitably purchase more local, healthy and culturally relevant foods for our community. This regionally vibrant purchasing network also grows our local economy.
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Outcome: Collaborative purchasing across the hunger relief system fosters positive impact on community well-being, our local food system and food economy, and our environment. Featuring these healthy, fresh foods also reduces stigma traditionally associated with food pantry use by conveying respect for the community.
Project 2: Resource Sharing
We broker and build relationships among key partners in the hunger relief system, encouraging collective efforts to share and learn from one another in a transparent and equitable manner.
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Outcome: Our hunger relief system is more efficient, effective, and equitable–best suited for the communities we serve. When partners share resources, data and knowledge funding and time is saved amongst the system and the community is better off for it.
Goal 2:
Advance equity, efficiency, accessibility, and collaboration across our hunger relief system. ​
Led by Hunger Relief System Committee
Goal 3:
Strengthen our local food system by deploying equitable policy, advocacy, and other initiatives​
Led by Policy + Advocacy Committee
Project 1: Food Justice Projects
FSN members advance food justice focused project ideas for consideration and endorsement by the coalition, such as improving local food system infrastructure within low-income neighborhoods. At any given time FSN has 2-3 community food justice projects under way.
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Outcome: Revitalization of our local food economies, improved community health, strengthening of cultural identity, and increased food access and resiliency through sustainable infrastructural changes.
Project 2: Policy & Advocacy
After a data dive and extensive community story- gathering, we have identified barriers to healthy food access and associated policy solutions. We’re now deploying a community-specific, multi-tiered policy and systems change strategic plan based on our findings and community priorities.
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Outcome: Sustainable systemic changes, multilevel impact, community capacity and leadership development, and equitable food justice for all throughout our 2 counties.