Regional Community Food Project

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Cultivating Knowledge Building Networks Catalyzing
Collaboration
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WHO WE ARE

• A coalition of organizations and individuals
  aiming to create food-secure communities and
  improve the quality of life in SCNY by supporting
  practices, projects, and policies leading to
  increased use of nutritious, locally produced
  foods.
• An interdisciplinary, systemic, and regional
  approach to impact SCNYs food security.
• Collaboration is the name of the game! Everyone
  has a stake in our regional food system.

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STAKEHOLDERS

• Diverse stakeholders in 8 NY Counties Broome,
  Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego,
  Tioga, and Tompkins.
• Organizational, business, and individual members
  and sponsors
• Partners represent the agricultural, food
  security, nutrition and public health,
  environmental health/sustainability,
  planning/economic development, business,
  educational, and community sectors. 

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2015 MEMBERS SPONSORS
Broome-Tioga BOCES Food Service Broome
County Council of Churches Center for
Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship
(CADE) Chenango County Health Department Cornell
Cooperative Extension Broome County Cornell
Cooperative Extension Tioga County Delaware
Opportunities Inc. Excellus BlueCross
BlueShield Family Enrichment Network Food Bank of
the Southern Tier Hatherleigh Foundation Healthy
Lifestyles Coalition (United Way) Peaceful By
Nature Farm Rural Health Network of South Central
New York Seven Valleys Health Coalition Tioga
County Farm Bureau Tioga County Hunger
Coalition Tioga Opportunities Tompkins County
Food Distribution Network United Health Care
United Health Services (UHS) VINES Volunteers
Improving Neighborhood Environments Susan
Adair Diane Albrecht Richard Andrus Connie
Barnes Donna Bates Mark Bordeau Christina
Boyd Ray Denniston Nancy Eckstrom Matthew
Griffin Kathleen Horner Sonia Janiszewski Kevin
Millar Ann Moring Jeffrey Piestrak Tony
Preus Amy Shapiro Lauren Tonti Rose
Zonetti Diane Albrecht Greg Albrecht Victoria
Zeppelin Connie Barnes Susan Beaudoin Elizabeth
Bossong Diane Crews Ray Denniston Nancy
Eckstrom Jeffrey Piestrak Charles and Mary
Place John and Linda Roush Jack Salo Linda
Seeger Doris Summerlee Lauren Tonti
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HOW WE WORK

• Supported by the Rural Health Network of South
  Central NY
• Guided by eight person Steering Committee
• 1 FTE staff person
• AmeriCorps and VISTA support through the Rural
  Health Service Corps
• Monthly meetings, information sharing, and
  collaborative work plan

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PROJECTS PROGRAMS

• Regional Food System Assessment
• Farm to School Institution
• Healthy Food Procurement
• Summer Food Service Program
• Assessment Capacity Building
• Community Education
• Regional food policy and advocacy
• Collaborative Resource Development
• E-Newsletter Information Sharing

"FaHN represents an important nexus in the
discussion of local food, agriculture, and
community. -Andrew Flach, Hatherleigh Foundation
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Regional Food System Assessment for South Central
NY

• 4 Themes
• Quantitative and qualitative data grounded in the
  context of the food cycle
• Planning, evaluation, and educational tool

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Helping to Create Hunger-Free Communities2014
FSA Food Security Update

• Focus on food security and progress since 2012
• Highlight of findings
• More eligible recipients benefiting from Food
  Stamps
• Increased sales at farmers markets with EBT
• More CSAs providing shares to low income
  residents
• More ground venison donated to food banks
• More fresh produce distributed by food banks to
  hunger relief agencies

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Strengthening SFSP in 2015

• Results of the 2014 update initiated a regional
  assessment of the SFSP
• Goals to increase capacity
  and participation
• Collaborate with local
  groups throughout the
  region
• Focus on Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2015

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Collaborative initiatives around the region

• CHOW Bus (rural food and summer meal
  distribution)
• Binghamton Farm Share, Healthy Food For All
• Local fruit and vegetable distribution through
  regional food banks and pantries
• County-based hunger coalitions and task forces
  Broome County Child Hunger Task Force, Chemung
  Child Hunger Task Force,
  
  Cortland County Hunger
  Coalition, Tompkins
  
  
  County, Tioga County

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Lessons Learned Best Practices for SFSP Around
the Region

• Community engagement getting the right folks to
  the table
• Partnerships are essential no one organization
  can do everything well
• A backbone or facilitator helps to glue
  everything together
• Plan year round promotion, promotion,
  promotion!

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Partners at work
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For Additional Information

• Erin Summerlee, Coordinator
• Food and Health Network of South Central NY
• fahncoordinator_at_rhnscny.org
• www.foodandhealthnetwork.org
• 607-692-7669