STAUNTON CREATIVE COMMUNITY FUND PLANNING PROJECT

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0225495
• Grant No.: 2011-33800-30494
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $25,000.00
• Proposal No.: 2011-00826
• Project Start Date: Jul 15, 2011
• Project End Date: May 15, 2013
• Grant Year: 2011
• Program Code: [LN.B]- Community Foods Project Planning

Recipient Organization
Staunton Creative Community Fund, Inc.
35B South New Street
Staunton,VA 24401

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
"Building a Community Foods Network through Partnership and Entrepreneurship in Staunton, VA" is a partnership program led by the Staunton Creative Community Fund to connect growers, residents, and entrepreneurs with community resources to support the local foods economy. The project will bring together the local university, community development nonprofits, environmental organizations, community gardens, and small business development institutions to provide access to capital and resources for members of the local foods economy. Low-income residents will benefit both as the entrepreneurs who receive direct assistance, and due to increased access to locally grown nutritious food. The program is particularly focused on using the growth, access, and distribution of local foods as a tool for sustainable and inclusive community revitalization.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

100%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
704	6099	1010	100%

Knowledge Area
704 - Nutrition and Hunger in the Population;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;

Keywords

community

entrepreneurship

partnership

gardens

locally sourcing

low-income

university

rural

microloan

small business development

revitalization

Goals / Objectives
The goals of this Community Foods Planning Project is to (1) address the significant fragmentation of segments of the local foods economy and address gaps in supply, distribution, marketing, financial support, and access to resource providers; and (2) to ensure that low income residents can participate in the emerging foods economy. Specific objectives include: (a) to utilize the strengthening of the local foods economy as a tool for community revitalization; (b) to creative jobs, economic opportunity, and community-based wealth through the support, funding and development of neighborhood-scale entrepreneurial ventures in the community foods economy; (c) improve customer access to local and nutritious food by addressing gaps in production, distribution, and access to markets through entrepreneurship; (d) increase Staunton's food self-sufficiency through local production, processing, distribution, and sales while increasing its economic resiliency by cultivating a culture of creative entrepreneurship; and (e) engaging university students, faculty, and local nonprofits in the community foods planning project.

Project Methods
The primary goals of the community foods project is to meet the needs of low-income individuals while increasing the self-reliance of the community in providing for its food needs, through efforts that connect sectors of the food economy, develop entrepreneurial projects, and enhance local partnerships and networks. The Staunton Creative Community Fund (SCCF), a local community development nonprofit, will partner with the local university, economic development and tourism departments, community action program, downtown development organization, local environmental organization, local community gardening efforts, and other nonprofit partners to survey and assess the gaps and needs of the local foods economy. SCCF will then implement an outreach program and workshops for local foods entrepreneurs, farmers, and growers. Gaps in the local foods economy will be matched and evaluated against the survey of local resource providers in the community. The project will result in a set of recommendations and evaluations for significant capital infrastructure that will improve the local food security and community economy.

Progress 07/15/11 to 05/15/13

Outputs
Target Audience:The Staunton Community Foods Planning Project's goal is to increase the production, consumption, and economic viability of local and nutritious foods through the creation of a community-based network that funds, develops, and empowers entrepreneurs in the local foods economy. The Planning Project leverages significant existing community assets, including a "Green Loans and Local Producers" microloan fund to support the training and funding of local food entrepreneurs, with a focus on low-income entrepreneurs and neighborhoods; a cluster of locally sourcing restaurants and grocery stores within the rural community; an established marketing program highlighting local foods venues; an active and engaged partnership with the local college to provide grassroots student outreach and entrepreneurial development; a supportive Community Action Program agency to connect community foods resources generated during the planning process with the needs and entrepreneurial potential of low income residents; and a strong agricultural heritage within the Shenandoah Valley. The Planning Project will identify existing local foods business and farming ventures; ascertain their current development and support needs; identify gaps and additional entrepreneurial opportunities within the local foods supply and demand chain; and build a network of resource providers to fund, train, support, and market the development of the local foods economy in Staunton, VA. Support of community foods growers, producers, and entrepreneurs will increase both the food and economic self-sufficiency of the local community and while increasing access to local food for rural residents. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Using our existing microloan funding sources as well as a small Virginia Enterprise Initiative (VEI) Innovation Grant, the Staunton Creative Community Fund was able to aid in the launch of four food-related businesses during the grant period. More than $50,000 start-up microloan funds were dispersed in addition to $5,000 in grant funding; the grant was awarded to a project which was first presented to the Staunton community during the Ignite Staunton event. By surveying local food ventures that spanned from farmers to retailers to consumers, SCCF identified several significant areas where the gaps in the local food supply and demand chain are most pronounced. From season extension to distribution to marketing to professional training, these gaps are considered "entrepreneurial opportunities" where SCCF has focused and will continue to focus support in the form of community network-building and small business loan funding for local entrepreneurs who are filling these gaps with a focus on low income individuals. While access to microloans can be instrumental in helping launch a business, they do not necessarily bridge a gap to profitability. SCCF found that with a smaller customer base to support sales within rural communities, generating the cash flow needed for activities to sustain and grow a business is often out of reach for our small start-up food businesses. SCCF has launched an ambitious program that will seek to connect the infrastructure, skills, resources, and talents of local food entrepreneurs with one another, particularly those who cannot currently afford access to these resources as business expenses. A private sector response to helping microenterprises access the capital and resources they need for business success, we have named our proposed program "Connections for the New Economy." For our local foods network, this project aims to help lower fixed costs and thereby reduce debt loads for start-up food businesses by surveying and inventorying local school, church, and commercial kitchens regarding their ability and willingness to rent and/or provide space to entrepreneurs on an event basis. This in turn will provide a networked community kitchen incubator through local partnerships and existing assets, rather than through new construction. It also aims to enhance and expand our monthly community networking events, developing innovative connections between individuals, businesses, and for-profit and non-profit partners. While university and community development professionals will provide the research, surveying, and program design at the non-profit level, local for-profit farmers, retailers, and entrepreneurs will be supported as the ultimate beneficiaries of the program, along with the consumers they serve. Multiple partnerships, a bridging of the public and private sectors, and the empowerment of local and low income entrepreneurs in meeting their own community foods needs are integral to this strategy How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?see above What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The significant fragmentation of the Staunton, Virginia foods economy, particularly its gaps in supply, distribution, marketing, financial support, and access to resource providers was addressed through a variety of outreach projects, events, and services provided by the Staunton Creative Community Fund and other local partners. A consumer survey of three lower income neighborhoods within walking distance of the Staunton Downtown area inquired about the nutritional habits and goals of residents of these neighborhoods and their awareness of a variety of applicable food production and dietary issues. Staunton area food producers and Downtown food retailers were surveyed regarding their experiences, perceived benefits, challenges, goals and ideals working with local food producers and for their role in the local foods economy. Monthly community organizing events were also held to engage the community's voice in the emerging local foods economy. These events included the global speaking event, Ignite, the first ever held in Virginia and with Staunton as one of the smallest communities to hold such an event; community cooking demonstrations and discussions, some featuring food experts who demonstrated the various uses of local, seasonal food and who could speak to the nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits of local foods; and several highlighting partnerships among other local organizations seeking to address notable gaps in the local foods economy. Through these events and during one-on-one listening sessions, SCCF was able to foster networks and partnerships among community members and organizations but also to promote and offer business counseling and advice for potential entrepreneurs interested in starting neighborhood-scale businesses supportive of the local foods economy. During the grant period, the Staunton Creative Community Fund provided more than 80 hours of individual business counseling and technical assistance to 19 different existing or potential food-related entrepreneurs. 82 residents were contacted or sought out for survey responses on local food usage and knowledge, and approximately 45 people attended local foods cooking demonstrations. Four new food-related business ventures were launched with start-up capital from the Staunton Creative Community Fund, with more than $50,000 in start-up microloan funds and micro-grant dollars.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2012 Citation: Eatery Stella, Bella and Lucys, a fine cafe, indeed. The News Leader. Staunton, VA. Via website of www.newsleader.com.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Herz, E. 2012. Composting Ease. Sustainability at Darden: How We Live and How We Learn. Via website of blogs.darden.virginia.edu.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2012 Citation: Walter, E. 2012. Challenges and Lessons in Building a Foods Scraps Composting Facility. Virginia Recycling Association 2012 Annual Conference. Roanoke, VA. Via website of www.varecycles.org.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Special Delivery. Edible Blue Ridge. p. 9. Via website of onlinedigitaleditions.com.

Progress 07/15/11 to 07/14/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The significant fragmentation of the Staunton, Virginia foods economy, particularly its gaps in supply, distribution, marketing, financial support, and access to resource providers was addressed through a variety of outreach projects, events, and services provided by the Staunton Creative Community Fund and other local partners. A consumer survey of three lower income neighborhoods within walking distance of the Staunton Downtown area inquired about the nutritional habits and goals of residents of these neighborhoods and their awareness of a variety of applicable food production and dietary issues. Staunton area food producers and Downtown food retailers were surveyed regarding their experiences, perceived benefits, challenges, goals and ideals working with local food producers and for their role in the local foods economy. Monthly community organizing events were also held to engage the community's voice in the emerging local foods economy. These events included the global speaking event, Ignite, the first ever held in Virginia and with Staunton as one of the smallest communities to hold such an event; community cooking demonstrations and discussions, some featuring food experts who demonstrated the various uses of local, seasonal food and who could speak to the nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits of local foods; and several highlighting partnerships among other local organizations seeking to address notable gaps in the local foods economy. Through these events and during one-on-one listening sessions, SCCF was able to foster networks and partnerships among community members and organizations but also to promote and offer business counseling and advice for potential entrepreneurs interested in starting neighborhood-scale businesses supportive of the local foods economy. During the grant period, the Staunton Creative Community Fund provided more than 80 hours of individual business counseling and technical assistance to 19 different existing or potential food-related entrepreneurs. 82 residents were contacted or sought out for survey responses on local food usage and knowledge, and approximately 45 people attended local foods cooking demonstrations. Four new food-related business ventures were launched with start-up capital from the Staunton Creative Community Fund, with more than $50,000 in start-up microloan funds and micro-grant dollars. PARTICIPANTS: Staunton Creative Community Fund (SCCF) acted as project coordinator and implementer for the Community Food Planning Project. SCCF staff included: Meghan Williamson, Executive Director through May 2012; Joelle Hackney, Program Coordinator; Justin Van Kleeck, Director of Training & Education; Christina Cain, Executive Director beginning in May 2012. SCCF partnered with the following food businesses and organizations: Staunton Fresh, Mike Lund Food, George Bowers Grocery, Cranberry's Grocery & Eatery, BuzzNutrition, Chef Laurie, The Little Grill Collective, New Community Project, Friendly City Food Co-op, Nu-Beginning Farm, Geezer Farm, Darjeeling Cafe, Mill Street Grill, Mary Baldwin College Dining Services, Black Bear Composting, and The Fairfield Center. In addition, SCCF provided one-on-one business assistance to these food entrepreneurs and businesses: Annie Cantrell, Friendly City Food Co-op, Stella Bella & Lucy's, Debra Hampton, Mary Ann Heerschap, Mike Lund Food, George Bowers Grocery, Tony Polanco, Michael Reeps, Mandrel Stuart, Deborah Tokarz, New Leaf Pastry Kitchen, Black Bear Composting, Greg Williams, Mike Bowling, Chris Brown, Rachel Campise, JC Gartrell, and Crystal Huang, for a total of 80.5 hours of counseling. Mary Baldwin College's Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement provided support for programs including the community foods surveys and Ignite Staunton. Participants included Steve Grande, Director; Robyn Stegman, Associate Director of Civic and Global Engagement; and Soula Pefkaros, AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer. Other key partnerships and contacts include: Staunton Downtown Development Association, Staunton Green, Staunton Economic Development Authority, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Project Grows, The Highland Center, City of Waynesboro, City of Harrisonburg, and New Community Project. In-kind support was offered by: Mike Lund Food, George Bowers Grocery, Nu- Beginning Farm, The Fairfield Center, Mill Street Grill, Darjeeling Cafe, Chef Laurie, The Little Grill Collective, Staunton Green, and Mary Baldwin College's Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement, Norm Shafer, Tom Brenneman, Francie Kennedy (Shenandoah Valley Buy Fresh, Buy Local), Charles Walker. TARGET AUDIENCES: SCCF's Community Food Planning Project focused on several target audiences in the Shenandoah Valley. These included: new and existing food businesses, with a total of over 80 hours of counseling provided; food consumers, especially individuals in downtown neighborhoods, many of whom are concerned about improved access to local foods but face income, transportation, educational, or other challenges to increasing their local-food purchases; local food producers, such as farmers, bakers, chefs, grocers, and food distributors; food/agriculture and environmental organizations, such as New Community Project, Staunton Green, and Virginia Cooperative Extension. These audiences were reached through efforts including: direct business counseling; targeted surveys and community listening sessions; participation in meetings; community events such as Ignite Staunton; and collaboration in planning sessions. SCCF staff committed approximately 250 hours to the Community Food Planning Project, much of which directly related to outreach to target audiences. In addition, outside participants (student volunteers, partnering organizations, and individual in-kind service) provided support in outreach to target audiences totaling over 450 hours PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The only major change to the project as planned was the addition of a key partner organization, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE). VCE administers the Shenandoah Valley Buy Fresh, Buy Local program, and has longstanding relationships with food producers of all types; in addition, they run or help promote programs directed towards consumers. SCCF attended monthly meetings of their Food & Farm Network, which provided opportunities to meet other food and agriculture organizations, farmers, and entrepreneurs. SCCF also has been participating in the planning of VCE's food and finance conference, scheduled for December 2012. VCE has provided input and support to SCCF for food-related programs, especially the community foods surveys and listening sessions, as well as Food Day.

Impacts
Using our existing microloan funding sources as well as a small Virginia Enterprise Initiative (VEI) Innovation Grant, the Staunton Creative Community Fund was able to aid in the launch of four food-related businesses during the grant period. More than $50,000 start-up microloan funds were dispersed in addition to $5,000 in grant funding; the grant was awarded to a project which was first presented to the Staunton community during the Ignite Staunton event. By surveying local food ventures that spanned from farmers to retailers to consumers, SCCF identified several significant areas where the gaps in the local food supply and demand chain are most pronounced. From season extension to distribution to marketing to professional training, these gaps are considered "entrepreneurial opportunities" where SCCF has focused and will continue to focus support in the form of community network-building and small business loan funding for local entrepreneurs who are filling these gaps with a focus on low income individuals. While access to microloans can be instrumental in helping launch a business, they do not necessarily bridge a gap to profitability. SCCF found that with a smaller customer base to support sales within rural communities, generating the cash flow needed for activities to sustain and grow a business is often out of reach for our small start-up food businesses. SCCF has launched an ambitious program that will seek to connect the infrastructure, skills, resources, and talents of local food entrepreneurs with one another, particularly those who cannot currently afford access to these resources as business expenses. A private sector response to helping microenterprises access the capital and resources they need for business success, we have named our proposed program "Connections for the New Economy." For our local foods network, this project aims to help lower fixed costs and thereby reduce debt loads for start-up food businesses by surveying and inventorying local school, church, and commercial kitchens regarding their ability and willingness to rent and/or provide space to entrepreneurs on an event basis. This in turn will provide a networked community kitchen incubator through local partnerships and existing assets, rather than through new construction. It also aims to enhance and expand our monthly community networking events, developing innovative connections between individuals, businesses, and for-profit and non-profit partners. While university and community development professionals will provide the research, surveying, and program design at the non-profit level, local for-profit farmers, retailers, and entrepreneurs will be supported as the ultimate beneficiaries of the program, along with the consumers they serve. Multiple partnerships, a bridging of the public and private sectors, and the empowerment of local and low income entrepreneurs in meeting their own community foods needs are integral to this strategy.

Publications

• Anonymous. 2012. Eatery Stella, Bella and Lucys, a fine cafe, indeed. The News Leader. Staunton, VA. Via website of www.newsleader.com.
• Lund, M. 2011. YouTube Channel for Mike Lund Food on YouTube website at www.youtube.com.
• Lund, M. 2012. Mike Lund menu for Odd Thursdays event. Via website of www.mikelundfood.com.
• Borrowed and Blue: Destination Weddings. 2012. Mike Lund Food. Via website at www.borrowedandblue.com.
• Farm Use (Harvest Thyme Herb Farm). 2011. Mike Lunds Thanksgiving Feast. Via website at harvestthymeherbfarm.blogspot.com.
• The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and West Virginia. 2012. Mill Cooking class and dinner at Wades Mill in Raphine, Va. Via website at shenandoahvalley.com.
• McNair, D. 2011. Staunton Food Day fun! The Hook (Charlottesville, VA). Via website at www.readthehook.com.
• Hackney, J. 2012. Odd Thursdays Loves Local Food with Chef Mike Lund! Staunton Creative Community Fund. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Staunton Creative Community Fund. 2011. Our Clients: Black Bear Composting. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Staunton Creative Community Fund. 2012. Our Clients: Stella, Bella and Lucys. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Staunton Creative Community Fund. 2011. Our Clients: Mike Lund Food. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Yearbook Club. 2012. Black Bear Composting. Sutherland Blog. Via website of smssharks.blogspot.com.
• Herz, E. 2012. Composting Ease. Sustainability at Darden: How We Live and How We Learn. Via website of blogs.darden.virginia.edu.
• Walter, E. 2012. Challenges and Lessons in Building a Foods Scraps Composting Facility. Virginia Recycling Association 2012 Annual Conference. Roanoke, VA. Via website of www.varecycles.org.
• Hackney, J. 2012. Congratulations to Michael Reeps with Staunton Fresh Winner of the Ignite Staunton Grant Award! Staunton Creative Community Fund. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Slack, K. 2012. A Fresh Idea to Get Products from Farm to Table in Staunton. WVIR TV, Charlottesville. Via website of www.nbc29.com.
• Schaefer, N. 2012. Ignite Staunton video. Via Staunton Creative Community Fund Facebook page at www.facebook.com.
• Anonymous. 2012. Ignite Staunton Names a Winner. WHSV, Staunton. Via website of www.whsv.com.
• Anonymous. 2012. Special Delivery. Edible Blue Ridge. p. 9. Via website of onlinedigitaleditions.com.
• Hackney, J. 2012. Odd Thursday Loves Local Food with the Little Grill Collective! Staunton Creative Community Fund. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Hackney, J. 2012. Delicious Recipes for Greens from the Little Grill Collective. Staunton Creative Community Fund. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Hackney, J. 2012. Odd Thursdays was sooo delicious Here are Chef Lauries recipes! Staunton Creative Community Fund. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Hackney, J. 2012. Ignite Staunton Grant Award Announcement and Celebration Thursday Jan. 19 2012 at Darjeeling Cafe! Staunton Creative Community Fund. Via website of www.stauntonfund.com.
• Lawrence, K. 2011. Ignite Staunton Fires up the Local, Creative Economy. The Downtown Lowdown. Staunton Downtown Development Association. Via website of downtownlowdown.org.
• Mary Baldwin College. 2011. Student Innovation Takes Stage at Ignite Staunton. Via website of www.mbc.edu.
• Lawrence, K. 2011. Creativity, Hipsters and the Local State of Mind. Curiously Creative: Tips for the Creative Entrepreneur. Via website of klcreative.wordpress.com.
• Belo, B. 2012. Attracting, Developing and Retaining Main Street Entrepreneurs. Virginia Main Street. Via website of dhcdvms.wordpress.com.
• Anonymous. 2012. Staunton hosts sustainable Main Street training. Augusta Free Press. Waynesboro, VA. Via website of www.augstafreepress.com.