Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:There were three target audiences for this project: (1) Low income consumers/consumers with limited resources. Fifty-four low income consumers participated in listening sessions;of those72% used food assistance in previous 12 months, 35% skipped or cutback on meals because there was no money for food,22% went hungry because there was no money for food. (2) Food system stakeholders. Fifty-one stakeholders representing local residents, businesses, non-profit agencies, farmers, government and social service agencies participated in working sessions. A total of 39 organizations/groups were represented at the forums. (3) Steering Committee. Eleven community members representing farmers,workers and families participated on a steering committee with 40% self-identified as low income/limited resourced. Changes/Problems:During the last quarter of the grant period the PI, RitaOrdóñez, resigned from her position. Diane Smith assumed the role of PI. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One of the objectives of this project was to provide leadership development opportunities for steering committee members that self-identified as low income. Regular meetings provided a framework for members to engage in planning, discussion and analysis of data, and public speaking. Each steering committee member had a significant role at the Stakeholder meetings and participated in debriefing sessions to identify strengths and weakness of the forums. Steering committee members hosted and/or attended listening sessions held in target communities and were responsible for extending invitations to community members, scheduling the meeting location and welcoming participants tothe listening sessions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Skagit Food for Skagit People utilized several methods to disseminate the project goals, objectives,activities and results: (1) A monthly newsletter was developed and distributed through Mail Chimp to steering committee members, stakeholders and participants of the listening session. A total of 76 subscribers received the newsletters. (2) Skagit Food for Skagit People Facebook page was established to share updates on activities and emerging food, farming and nutrition issues in the region. A total of 111 followers receive postings. (3) WSU Skagit County Extensionwebsite established a Skagit Food for Skagit People page with posts on meeting activities, upcoming events and hosts the Food Access Interactive Map developed as a result of this project. (4) An email listserve and distribution list was established toprovide updates to stakeholder, listening session attendees, steering committee members and community partners. A total of 53 subscribers are listed on the email distribution list. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
What was accomplished under these goals? The goal of the Skagit Food for Skagit People (SFSP) project was to promote a comprehensive response to local food access and farm and nutrition issues by building a common understanding and facilitating collaborative efforts toward a healthy and equitable food system for all residents in Skagit County.To achieve this goal we set out to document food access concerns of families with limited resources through local listening sessions convened in target communities. The listening sessions were announced through flyers and by partners in social service agencies. Meetings were scheduled both in the day and evening to accommodate attendee schedules and bus route to the meeting place was included on the announcements.Six listening sessions were held in communities with a total of 54 limited resourced residentsparticipantingin afocusedconversation on food accessled by a skilled facilitator.Listening sessions followed appreciative inquiry questions to better understand what currently works for families in accessing healthy food and to envision a future food system in which healthy food is accessible and preferred. Findings and observations provided from the listening sessions were coded and grouped according to similar themes. Seven themes emerged which becamevision action items for solicting stakeholder feedback and planning. A "Mind Map" was developed to illustrate the food access themes whichincludedinterdependency, move food to people, move people to food, access to gardens, accessible Food Banks, affordable food, and close the food waste loop.One unexpected effect of bringing participants together to discuss food access was that participants exchanged strategies and resources for improving their personal food access. A steering committee of 11 community representatives involved in food access work (farmers, parents, and service providers) came together to guide the year-long process. A job description was developed to provide clear expectation of the project goals and to ensure successful steering committee participation. The steering committee met 9 times during the planning year to provide guidance for listening sessions andstakeholder forums, review data and findings from the community needs assessment, anddeveloprecommendationsand plans for future action. A final meeting which included a Ripple Effect Mapping evaluation activity was held at the end of the project. Of the 11 steering committee members, 5 self-identified as low-income and received a small honorariumto enable their participation. This inclusive strategy fostered the development of leadership capacity through mentoring, training and engagement. A community food assessment was completed to provide current picture of food access in Skagit County.Data from the community food assessment plus comments and concerns identified by the low income individuals during the listening sessions weredocumented in a report shared with Stakeholders and posted on the WSU ExtensionSkagit Food for Skagit People website. Food system stakeholders met twice to use information from the listening sessions and the food assessment to create a comprehensive response to improving food access. A total of 51stakeholders attended at least one of the sessions - 29 attended session #1, 42 attended session #2; 20 attended both meetings. The first stakeholder meeting was a forum allowing for exchange of information and ideas among participants following a presentation offindings from listening sessions andcurrent data on food insecurity and health status.Stakeholders considered the information and identifiedlistening session themes they could incorporate into their work and identifiedcollaborative opportunities.The keynote speaker, Kathy McCabe, executive director of the Good Cheer Food Bank on South Whidbey Island, shared her inspiring story of developing a shopping model that shows dignity and respect to those accessing the food bank. At the second meeting, the Social Ecological model was used as a framework for participants to consider how spheres of influence impact individual food choices from the personal (skills,values) through policy levels (bus schedules, grocery store density). In small groups, based on geographic location, participants looked at the current work being done in their area and identified where more work is needed to take the community closer to realizing the vision of the listening session participants. Strategies, ideas and logistics for assuring next steps were identified.Luncheon keynote speakers, Jason Miller, Mayor of Concrete, and Marla Reed, Concrete School Food Service Director, shared information and stories of their collaborative efforts in Concrete (rural Skagit County) and gave examples of how collaborations and partnerships across agencies and businesses resulted in the Concrete Community Garden.A panel of speakers -Sarai Stevens of Chuckanut Transitions, Rosalinda Guillen of Community to Community, and Ellen Gray of Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network -shared strategies they used in sustaining collaborative efforts in their work. As a result of Skagit Food for Skagit People, an ad-hoc committee has been formed to investigate options for development of a coalition for implementing the recommendations that comprise the comprehensive response developed from this community planning process. The steering committeeprocess and the effectiveness in supporting leadership developmentof the low income participantswere documented through meeting feedback and evaluation forms. AnevaluationutilizingRipple Effect Mapping (REM) activitywas conducted at the end of theyear-long project to identify pathways of growth and leadership skills experienced by steering committee members. The REM activity identified new connections made and members described new collaborations thatwere established, leadership skills developed and partnerships formed. A final report titled "Skagit Food for Skagit People: Finding a Path to a Healthy, Accessible, and Equitable Food System" was created. This reportdescribsfood access concerns for limited-resourced consumers in Skagit County, Washington and recommendsstrategies to promote a comprehensive response through coordinated and collaborative efforts.The report is posted on the WSU Skagit Food for Skagit People website and Community Action webpage, will be shared with Skagit County Board of Commissioners, shared with Community Action Board of Directors and submitted to grant funders.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
"Mapping Listening Session Responses from Low Income Consumers on Food Access". Poster presentation at Washington State Public Health Association annual conference, Wenatchee, Washington; October 11-13, 2015
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