Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience: The audience for this project's efforts are Bridgeport residents. GVI's vision is that all Bridgeport residents have the knowledge and resources to access healthy, culturally relevant, affordable, locally grown foods; that our community can grow, sell, and purchase the food that they choose to catalyze economic development; and that our city provides a positive model for affecting community-level food systems change. Addressing the systemic inequities that cause poverty and hunger in our city is of primary importance to us. Our approach, rooted in community self-determination, will create lasting change by centering our Bridgeport community as leaders of urban agriculture and providing a foundation for well-being in our city. Bridgeport is one of the most diverse cities in the North East, with 64 languages spoken in our public school system. A vast majority of farmers market customers live within Bridgeport, and at Reservoir Community Farm Farmers Market, approximately 25% of farmers market customers speak Spanish. Attendees to our workshops and Food Justice Listening sessions are diverse and represent the general public of Bridgeport, including growers and farmers. Much of our outreach has been translated signage and outreach in Spanish, Portuguese, French Creole, and Swahili and GVI offers interpretation at events for program participants as much as possible. Bridgeport's Farmers Market Vendors consist of beginning farmers with ten years or less experience and individuals with more established businesses. Farmers Market vendors are owner-operated, family-owned farms in Connecticut. Urban farmers vending at GVI's Reservoir Community Farm's Farmers Market are all Bridgeport residents and identify as Black or LatinX. While Bridgeport is the most populous city in the state, home to 145,000 of our neighbors, it is also the poorest. Census.gov shows our poverty rate at 23.2%, which should be unimaginable in our developed country. The Bridgeport community experiences poverty that manifests in hunger, limited access to education and services, discrimination, and exclusion from policy and decision making that impacts the lived experiences of individuals and families. All Bridgeport public school students qualify for free or reduced lunch, due to the high poverty rates and food insecurity, and diet-related disease rates are significantly higher in Bridgeport than in surrounding communities. Still, financial hardship isn't limited to those at or below the federal poverty level in CT, where 29% earn above the poverty level, disqualified for assistance programs yet earning too little to afford the basic costs of housing, childcare, healthcare, food, and transportation. DataHaven's 2019 Fairfield County report indicated that 28% of our community reported food insecurity, compared with only 11% of County residents. While 63% of County residents reported being in "very good health" the same was reported by only 44% of Bridgeporters. The 2022 ALICE in Focus: Children Report reveals the disproportionate impact of financial hardship on the state's black and Hispanic children (72%, 67% respectively). Recognizing a lack of meaningful, engaging, leadership development programs for Bridgeport youth, we developed our Youth Leadership Program to foster key skills and a broader understanding of food justice and the political landscape that it is shaped by in Bridgeport. Our Youth Leadership Program engages Bridgeport Youth, primarily those who identify as Black and LatinX and have attended Bridgeport's public high schools. Our Youth Farm Crew work on our Reservoir Community Farm site throughout the 8 week summer period. Changes/Problems:Y5 challenges Diego Osses was on-boarded as Program Director, in December 2022. GVI's Assistant Farm Manager left the organization in January 2023, the Farm Manager hired in April transitioned out in June. GVI continued to invest time and energy maintaining relationships with key stakeholders in lease negotiations, to create a solid foundation for the next lease renewal that will need to take place in April, 2027. We had envisioned showcasing our Youth Fellows' Photovoice project at City Hall, but did not hear back from staff after having reached out multiple times. GVI is currently undergoing major transformation and pursuing a merger in 2023 with a larger nonprofit organization that share's GVI's goals and values. The board will be stewarding this transition and ensuring future sustainability and future of GVI's Food Justice Framework and the myriad of farmland access and farmer-centered projects will continue on in new iterations. We are in contact with UConn Extension about continuation of the Urban Farmer Training Course in Bridgeport. GVI's Program Director will continue on as a Transition Director and GVI's community partners are seeking to continue our work through supportive action during and after the merge period by helping GVI to maintain our farmland site, tool library, and food justice work. Board member Penny Cook will be a primary contact for grants (info@gogvi.org, penny2.cook@gmail.com, 203-228-2127). Y4 challenges In Y4, staff changes continued as GVI's Farm Manager exited and a temporary Farm Manager Consultant was brought on for the season remainder. Sofia Pendley and the SHU team hired a new Grad Assistant. We also experienced some challenges with our online Vendor Training, scheduled with Chef Raquel for February; there was no attendance due to marketing and outreach efforts that were not robust enough, and that timing of the event proved difficult for attendees. The rescheduled event had 5 attendees. The Urban Farmer Training Program, in collaboration with UConn Extension, did not run for 12 months, as originally planned, and instead began in May 2022. Our Youth Fellowship Program had challenges in Youth Retention, and in maintaining Youths' focus on the photovoice project. Y3 challenges In Y3, due to a change in leadership and organizational priorities informed by the COVID-19 pandemic, GVI's partnership with CTCORE terminated in March 2021 and SoulGrowth (Chastity Rodriguez) was contracted to fulfill the role of GVI's partner in development of the FJ Framework. Additionally, all programs were further adapted to meet our new realities. Farmers Markets implemented COVID-safety measures (e.g. hand washing stations, limiting numbers of individuals on site at once, and requiring face masks). Project meetings were virtual and we planned for an uncertain spring and summer, with program implementation adapted nearly weekly as knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic increased and vaccinations began to be rolled out. In early 2021, the Director of the Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative (BFMC), Lezli Albelo transitioned out of her position and Takina Pollack was hired in April. The timing of the transition caused challenges as did a gap in the role of farmers market SNAP Match coordinator in August 2021. Ellie Angerame's transition into GVI's E.D. role created a need for a Director of Operations position. Operations Assistant, Youth Program Manager, and Youth Program Assistants all transitioned out of GVI during this program year. We experienced a threat to the future of Reservoir Farm when a City Councilperson and a Democratic Committee District Leader pushed to build a library on the farm site. Our team put significant effort into knocking on doors and conducting surveys to glean feedback from 96 residents within a half mile of the farm. Of the 96 people who responded, 84% were familiar with Reservoir Community Farm and its programs, 56% used the Farm for at least 1 of its programs, 89% were never asked about or provided input on library development plans, and only 6 saw benefits to the site being exclusively a library. The entire GVI team conducted meetings with, and presented to, Bridgeport City Council members, our Neighborhood Revitalization Zone members, the Bridgeport Office of Planning and Economic Development, and other stakeholders about our survey results. While it was ultimately decided that the site would serve the community as both a library and an urban farm, the toll on our staff time, capacity, and emotional labor was unprecedented. Y2 challenges As was the case across the country, spring and summer called for pivoting as both the global pandemic and the uprising against race-based police brutality emerged. The bulk of our time was spent communicating with local and state officials, planning, adapting, setting expectations, redesigning programs, and creating and communicating guidelines and protocol for staff and program participants. CTCORE adapted their Food Justice training as a result of new organizational leadership, COVID-19's impacts on communities of color, and the uprising for racial justice. GVI and CTCORE participated in 2 urban agriculture working groups requesting clarity from local and state officials, and creating guidelines and expectations for our communities. A community garden and urban farm group worked together to acquire a written declaration from the state permitting usage of sites by the community and create guidelines and protocol for garden and farm sites. A group of organizations working with youth in urban agriculture created shared protocol, programming guidelines, and adaptations allowing for engagement of youth in outdoor work, and continued knowledge building and skill building through virtual workshops and meetings. GVI equipped all garden and farm sites with posted protocol, hands-free hand washing stations, and tool sanitization supplies and gardeners and visitors were provided with gloves and face coverings. The Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative (BFMC) worked and communicated with other farmers market networks, the City and the State to create and communicate guidelines and protocol for safe operation of farmers markets during COVID-19. Workshops, cooking demonstrations were mostly canceled while some were moved to virtual settings. Additionally, CTCORE-Organize Now! (CTCORE), UConn Extension, and Green Village Initiative all underwent significant staffing transitions. CTCORE embarked on a significant rebuilding and rebranding of the organization following the exit of a Co-Founder and Co-Director and the hiring of new staff. While GVI had been partnering with UConn Extension to implement our Urban Farmer Training program, a pause in our partnership occurred as a result of UConn Extension's project lead, German Cutz, vacating his position. To continue, GVI offered previous program graduates and those interested use of the Urban Farmer Training outdoor site. GVI's Executive Director, Cristina Sandolo, transitioned out of the E.D. position in August 2020, and the organization promoted the Director of Programs, Eleanor Angerame into the position. COVID-19 impacted our work in multiple ways. Additionally, BFMC continued to face significant challenges in procuring SNAP EBT terminals for some markets, eliminating the use of SNAP at some sites altogether, and at some locations, causing significant delays in access among customers using SNAP. Y1 challenges In Y1, we experienced challenges with SNAP transactions at Bridgeport Farmers Markets, including one farmer (who vended at 2 markets that year) challenged by an inactive FNS number. At two different markets, market managers at Bridgeport Hospital Farmers Market and the East End Farmers Market were unable to obtain FNS #'s from the USDA in time for the farmers market season, so SNAP was not accepted at those markets. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Organizational (Org) Training: The FJF development was complemented by Org Training in FJ and antiracism. CTCORE led a FJ training session with 9 BFMC members and market managers on June 29th, 2020, for GVI staff on Aug 6, 2020 (exploring tools for GVI to inject intersectional FJ practice in program design), on Sept. 3rd, 2020 (12 staff, topics of Mutual Aid and Emergent Strategy) and on Oct. 15, 2020 (covering "The Four I's of Oppression."). GVI responded to People's First's and HomeFront Farmers' request for FJ training with one-on-one connections with HomeFront Farmers leadership and partnering People's First with youth programming. With a need for more in depth training in Antiracism as a stronger FJ foundation, GVI contracted Via Arts in 2021 and underwent exercises in identity, incorporating justice during a pandemic, and Addressing Conflict, in January 2022. In Y4, the focus of organizational training in FJ shifted from GVI as the core recipient to BFMC Market Managers (3 trainings in FJ led by SoulGrowth in Y4). BFMC bylaws were updated in 2022, informed by the FJ trainings. In Dec 2022, BFMC had 2 strategic planning meetings, informed by the FJ Framework and Chas Rodriguez of SoulGrowth LLC met 3 times with GVI staff to support annual program report development using "5 Shifts for Racial Equity." These meetings provided a foundation in FJ and Antiracism for GVI's goals for 2023 for Community Gardens, the Youth Leadership Program, and RCF, resulting in a one page report per program in January, noting successes, stressors, and focus areas for year ahead related to the 5 Shifts for Racial Equity. In Feb. 2023, GVI staff were trained in the Addressing Conflict Guide by SoulGrowth. FM Vendor Training: Materials and Trainings for better market management were developed and improved on year-to-year, starting in 2019. In 2019, BFMC drafted a market manager/vendor guide to provide information on FM the rules and regulations and in 2021, BFMC Created a SNAP-How-To Guide as a resource for Market Managers to understand SNAP implementation at FMs. A Vendor Training session was held in July 2020, with 7 attendees learning about steps to join farmers markets, expectations, and tips for a successful FM booth. In Y4, BFMC developed a new FM Manager role rubric and vendor checklist. A Vendor Training by GVI, BFMC, and A Pinch of Salt (APOS), in 2022 had 5 attendees. It was posted on YouTube (37 views as of Nov. 2022). 3 new vendors joined the FMs for the 2022 season. Urban Farmer Training: 47 growers participated in the Urban Farmer Training Program (4 annual cohorts). Each cohort farmed together at the training site at 122 Arctic Street and GVI led the FJ and Food Safety (Good Agricultural Practices) workshops. The Program launched in Jan 2019 with 11 participants; 7 requested scholarships, 7 graduated and 4 sold at RCF FM in 2019. 1 new business, Blissful Awakenings Urban Regenerative Farm, was launched as a result and became one of 2 small and emerging Bpt-based urban farm vendors selling at FMs. Due to UConn Extension's professor exiting his position in Dec. 2019, the Program did not run in 2020 or 2021, but over 11 participants reached out with interest. We met with Jacqueline Kowalski, the new lead for the program at UCONN, in 2022 and the course re-launched that year. In July 2022, the students began to vend at RCF. 8 individuals, all identifying as BIPOC, completed the course, and the graduation took place in October at NEST Arts Gallery with food and keynote speeches provided by previous course graduates Mario Peña and Khadijah Muhammed of Blissful Awakenings! Participants were presented with certificates of completion and goodie bags of products from local food businesses and farmers. Recruitment for the 2023 began with new course flyers created and disseminated by the March Info Session GVI began outreach and interviews for Urban Farmer Training Course Liaison role. The role was filled and the Liaison replaced mid-way through the course, which GVI and UCONN worked to ensure impacted the course minimally. The 2023 program enrolled 8 people, and had their graduation on 10/10/23, with 4 people graduating and with Park City Harvest, Blissful Awakenings, and GVI farmers speaking at the event and offering upcoming opportunities to graduate to connect and grow their emerging farm businesses. Urban Ag Workshops: GVI hosted 98 urban agriculture workshops open to the public throughout this project. In 2020, in the midst of crisis and a gap in our formal training, GVI filmed 6 instructional videos for the online library of agricultural resources; distributed 1,164 Seed packets and 814+ seedlings to community gardeners, established Hands-free hand washing stations and provided PPE and signage to each garden; and partnered with Black Rock Compost Company to build composting bays and teach 4 workshops to 6 volunteers about composting. In Feb. 2022, GVI created the first Instagram reel about urban ag, which was extremely popular and was reshared by 3 partners. Youth Farm Crew: 44 youth participated in the Youth Farm Crew and 10 youth participated in the Youth Fellows Program. GVI's 8-week summer Youth Farm Crew continued to grow and deepen, further rooting in food justice, throughout the project. In 2019, 9 youth graduated from summer Youth Farm Crew having increased skills and knowledge in: community engagement, Social Emotional Learning, and food justice knowledge. The following field trips and workshops were implemented: Soul Fire Farm; Conflict Resolution; Managing Money. 4 youth opened their own bank accounts. In 2020, 8 youth were hired and 100% received Food Leadership Certificates and a former youth program graduate, Patrick, was on-boarded as Coordinator and moved to Youth Program Manager. GVI forged a partnership with Housatonic Community College that led to college-credits for 7 summer Youth Farm Crew and at least one youth reported having learned that they and their crew members "have a lot of power." 80% felt that they built skills in community engagement and outreach; facilitation; storytelling; advocacy. Through a partnership with Two Coyotes, 8 youth went on their first hike and engaged with nature. Using "straight talk" allowed for better individual feedback and gave youth the ability to provide each other with feedback and assessment. The 2021 Summer Youth Farm Crew had 12 youth participating, and at the end of the summer, 4 were onboarded as Youth Fellows. In 2022, 12 Bridgeport HIgh School youth participated in the Youth Farm Crew program. Youth Fellows: Our Youth Fellows Program was abundant with training opportunities. GVI's 2020 Spring-KickOff incorporated food justice listening session that Youth Fellows participated in and took notes or alongside supervisors and SHU, gaining a deeper understanding of listening session facilitation. In 2022, SHU led a PhotoVoice Training with youth Fellows and guided Fellows through a project to improve school lunches and corner store options. Their goals were to: Increase the general health of school lunches; integrate religious based foods acceptable for people of all walks of life; and reduce food waste. They planned a 2023 Gallery Walk to show 150 photos and held a listening session with 10 public school students in Aug. 2022 to understand perspectives on School Lunches. Fellows underwent a training on Listening Session Facilitation, discussing: roles needed; keeping students engaged; questions to be asked; purpose; and desired outcomes (identified as: start a cycle of change; bring research to people in power to make changes; increase the choice agency in the students for lunches through different cultural relevance; building connections; and collect data that will add to Photovoice Project/Gallery Walk). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We developed a Public Facing Report that discusses our grant project, the community partners involved, the work that went into this project, and the results in a way that is engaging and digestible for readers. This document will be featured on the GVI website and will be sent to the Bridgeport community through GVI's electronic newsletter, reaching 3,642 subscribers. ? The Food Justice Framework (FJF) has been, and will continue to be shared widely, through direct interactions with the public and through partner organizations. The FJF exists on its own webpage monitored by GVI, as an open-source platform for area organizations to use within their work so that they may center racial equity and food justice in new and intentional ways: https://www.gogvi.org/the-food-justice-framework. The Framework will embolden teams to build from GVI's years of learning and work together to operationalize change in their organizations. It was printed for GVI's Harvest Fest 2023 (beyond this grant period, in Oct. 2023) where about 20 attendees were guided through the FJF by GVI's Executive Director. (And, the increase in attendance to Harvest Fest to over 255 attendees demonstrates the lasting impact of this work.) The Framework has gone out in newsletters to the general public, Bridgeport community members, contributors and supporting editors and organizations. It has been introduced and promoted to other organizations and communities throughout CT. For example, GVI's Executive Director spoke about the Framework with partners such as the Working Lands Alliance, with Bridgeport community members, and with the CT Farmland Trust at a racial equity roundtable of board, staff, and funders. The FJF was one of the tools that informed the New CT Farmers Alliance's "Foundation of Racial Justice" platform, which can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SR0Di2cd0MbhFYi0d8dtyp15bl7hzsRst3vwbzE7znA/edit. (This "Foundation of Racial Justice" platform has been shared and was launched at an event at RCF with 35 farmers, policy makers, and elected officials). As a result of this project, GVI launched a new webpage featuring FJ resources for the public in 2021, which has been kept updated: https://www.gogvi.org/food-justice. Bridgeport's Farmers Markets will continue to be active on social media and with local outreach, including through partners like the local Healthy Improvement Alliance and Bridgeport Food Policy Council, and will continually work to improve marketing, outreach, and customer engagement in alignment with the themes of racial equity and food justice learned throughout this project. The Bridgeport Farmers Market website (https://www.bridgeportfarmersmarkets.org) now exists in 4 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole and with new advertising video created by Bridgeport-based The Recinos Company highlighting inclusiveness, and showcasing Bridgeport vendors. We are proud that an "Intersections of Food Sovereignty and Social Justice" workshop at Housatonic Comm. College, honored Bpt's Black FJ Advocates with Certificates of Recognition on 2/15/23 attended by 43 people. ? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
G1) SHU collected 43 FM User Questionnaires at 7 FMs (2019) showing satisfaction and FMs being welcoming and safe.Most were aware that SNAP was accepted but did not use it and heard about FMs through word of mouth. Recommended: more vendors, products and community orgs. Bridgeport (Bpt) Farmers Markets (FMs) bolstered inclusivity and Food Justice (FJ). 12 people attended 2 FJ-based Vendor and Market Manager Trainings. BFMC improved marketing, demonstrating inclusivity: new logos and fliers, more intentional social media (SM), bilingual materials. In 2019 and early 2020, BFMC SM focused on food and cooking demos. In 2021-2022, posts mentioned injustice in the food system. In 2022-2023, posts highlighted accessibility, affordability, SNAP matching, WIC, senior voucher, and Bport bucks. In June - Aug 2021 BFMC gained 97 IG followers, and 48 FB likes. In July, BFMC saw 1,323 IG likes and 1,367 video views and 91 FB likes, reaching 2,340. March 2022 saw 1,730 IG accounts reached, 157 engaged, 1,355 total followers, 31 shares and 1 reel with 1,240 views. FB saw a steady increase in reach (726 in 2020 to 2656 in 2023) and visits (141 in 2020 to 909 in 2023). The content most liked and commented on were posts about FM schedules, highlighting SNAP matching. June and July 2019 FMs had 5,747 visitors, 77 with SNAP. Y2 had 10,360 visitors: $8,370 in SNAP / doubling, $2,349 in WIC FMNP, $12,597 in Senior FMNP, and $4,835 in Bpt Bucks. 522% increase in SNAP from 2019 ($2,401) to 2021 ($14,929). A tenfold increase from Oct. 2021 368 visitors to July 2022 (over 3,600) and an increase in customers agreeing with "This FM is a welcoming space for everyone" (76.4% in 2019 and 80.5% in 2020) occurred. In Y3, Sept to Dec. 2020: $4,048 in SNAP, $7,788 in Senior FMNP and $585 Bpt Bucks were spent by 206 customers. June to Aug. 2021 had about 1,000 customers, 265 with SNAP and $4,207 in FMNP and $2,370 Bpt Bucks. 7 FMs were active. The 2021 season was so successful that one FM extended through Nov. BFMC hosted 60+ cooking demos. A new FM opened at Bpt Hospital in 2019. GVI transitioned RCF to multi-vendor with 100% Black or LatinX Bpt vendors. 2 Bpt-based urban farm businesses, Park City Harvest and Blissful Awakening established. In 2021, 3 new vendors joined, the BFMC website was updated with videos showcasing Bpt vendors. May 2021, a BFMC created a SNAP-How-To Guide for Market Managers. June 2023 reflected lasting impacts: 9 FMs and BFMC had 1500 IG followers and 1183 FB followers. G2) FM SNAP usage increased overall; 522% from 2020 to 2021. O1) GVI Board and staff members participated in trainings by facilitators on racial equity and FJ and conducted 5 listening sessions with Bpt community members. A listening session on 9/14/19 at RCF (16 attendees) led to a Liberated Food System definition. A virtual session was held during 2020's Spring Kick Off. This process (org training, listening sessions, discussions) was completed by BFMC demonstrating replicability. Through trainings and with the input of 87+ youth and adults living and working in Bpt (e.g. "FJ Booth'' at Harvest Fest 2021 with attendees visions of FJ) GVI developed a first ever Food Justice Framework (FJF) designed by Bridgeporters, finalized with resources from 70 content experts in April 2023. The FJF can be used by other orgs to align their work with justice and equity. It is a "living" tool allowing updates and revisions as orgs continue to learn. This work led to a deepened interconnectedness with neighbors and partners. GVI adopted FJ commitments to meet community needs during COVID and engaged 1,035 people at 11 public community events rooted in FJ: ? Spring Kick Off (community gardener registration, music, urban agriculture demos, seeds, seedling sale, tool sharing). 3/20/20: virtual,12 participants. 4/24/21: 45 attendees. 4/23/22: 115 attendees. 4/22/23: 146 attendees. Harvest Fest (agriculture and cooking demos, music, local vendors, food). 2020: 5 virtual events (FJ panel, music, a bilingual COVID-safe gardening workshop). 19/23/21: 350+ attendees, speeches by Fridgeport and Paugussett Tribe. 10/22/22: 180+ attendees, 6 Bpt vendors. Tree Lighting: Non-denominational celebration with crafts, cocoa, music. 2020: 37 online views and 15 attendees. 2021: 30 attendees and over 15 online streams. 2022: FJ-informed invitations, a Coat/Book Drive with Fridgeport and People First, 30 attendees incl. 4 city council and the Mayor, and Live stream participants. New CT Farm Alliance introduced "Foundation of Racial Justice" platform, informed by our FJF, to 35 farmers and policy makers. The SHU class "Catholics and Community" visited in 2022 to discuss environmental racism and FJ. In 2020, testimonials were collected from farm visitors and painted onto a mural. In 2022 CT Dept. Ag chose RCF for Farm to Chef Week launch with 90 attendees, incl. State Rep. Gresko. ? A threat to RCF emerged from an abuse of power by City Council Members and a Town Committee District Leader who planned to block the March 2022 renewal of the farm lease. GVI surveyed 96 neighbors (within a mile of RCF) for input and hosted 14 Zoom "Community Rooting Sessions." Over 150 people participated in Zoom calls, letter writing, public meetings and a petition garnered 1,200 signatures in support. The lease was renewed in 2022. O2) The Youth Fellows program launched Spring 2019 and engaged 10 Fellows total. In 2020 for Action Projects, Fellows surveyed 30 corner store shoppers to identify popular products, attended Neighborhood Revitalization Zone meetings, interviewed funders, opened curbside pick up food service, and worked with unhoused populations. Fellow "A" had interest in creating a catering company and in Jan - Feb 2021 completed 50 hours of preparing food as a pilot. Fellow "M" distributed food to those in need, explored opportunities to secure micro-grants, volunteered 18 hours at a food pantry, and worked at RCF in April 2021. Fellows participated in Make the Road's meetings to advance HealthCare for All and RCF lease meetings. In Y4 Fellows self-described as "here to raise awareness about Bpt's food system," hosted movie nights discussing Black cuisine. In 2022, Fellows interviewed Community Garden Captains and hosted a listening session with Summer Youth Crew. With cameras and training, Fellows led a PhotoVoice project to improve school lunches and corner store options, to: Increase general health of school lunches and reduce food waste. Fellows promoted via hashtags: #bptfoodsystem #studentheath. They held a listening session with 10 public school students to understand perspectives and printed photographs onto yard signs for 2 PhotoVoice Galleries in 2023, one for community gardeners and one for general public at Harvest Fest, where Fellows led farm tours (250+ attendees). O3) BFMC developed print/electronic promotional materials in four languages most often used by Bridgeporters (English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Creole). Promotional materials highlighted FM days, hours of operation, SNAP matching, WIC, senior programs, vendor trainings, and urban farmer trainings. BFMC increased the proportion of Facebook posts related to accessing affordable produce through the SNAP matching program; this occurred simultaneous to the observed increase in Bridgeport resident usage of SNAP matching. O4) GVI and UConn Extension Urban Farmer Trainings: 29 of 69 total participants graduated from 4 cohorts; 2 started black-owned urban farms. RCF held Urban Ag workshops continually. UCONN held an urban farming symposium in Bpt Spring 2022 with GVI youth facilitating 'Ask a Farmer' Panel for 6 farmers. With UCONN, Keney Park Sustainability, and Park City Harvest, GVI built a shared Tool Library for RCF for Bpt in summer 2023. In 2019, the SHU evaluation team obtained an estimate of land available for Bpt farming from Bpt Dept. of Planning & Econ. Dev. and met with them to advance the Urban Ag Master Plan in 2022.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:When we drive, bike, and walk around our City we see reminders of how incredible Bridgeport is - from front yards boasting three-foot long Trinidadian beans to music playing from cars in multiple languages. Yet while we are the most populous city in the state we are also the poorest. Bridgeport experiences poverty that manifests in hunger, limited access to education and services, discrimination, and exclusion in decision-making. We at GVI live and work in this city with 145,000 neighbors and are alarmed at our rates of hunger and poverty. DataHaven's 2019 Fairfield County report indicated that 28% of our community reported food insecurity, compared with only 11% of County residents. While 63% of County residents reported being in "very good health" the same was reported by only 44% of Bridgeporters. The 2022 ALICE in Focus: Children Report reveals the disproportionate impact of financial hardship on the state's black and Hispanic children (72%, 67% respectively). Growing up in financial hardship isn't limited to those at or below the federal poverty level. In CT 29% earn above the poverty level and do not qualify for assistance programs yet earn too little to afford the basic costs of housing, childcare, healthcare, food, and transportation. For our Youth Leadership Program, we work primarily with Bridgeport Youth, (up to age 19 in for this project year). Bridgeport is a young city with a dearth of teen programming. Teens we serve are primarily Black and LatinX and attend public high schools in Bridgeport. The two branches of our youth programming served by this grant are our Youth Farm Crew who work summers on our Reservoir Community Farm site, and Youth Fellows who work throughout the year in non-place based, more project centered work. For the Summer 2022 Youth Farm Crew 12 youth participated in the Youth Farm Crew program in total. Our 12 Farm Crew were all Bridgeport High School youth. During this project year, 4 Youth were engaged as Fellows; 3 were recruited from the 2021 Youth Farm Crew and 1 youth was hired for our Youth Farm Crew only. Our Youth Fellows Program as of August 2022 consisted of 2 youth aged 16; 1 aged 17; and 1 aged 19. The general audience for our services are Bridgeport residents. A vast majority of farmers market customers live within Bridgeport. At Reservoir Community Farm Farmers Market, approximately 25% of farmers market customers speak Spanish. Farmers Market Vendors selling at Bridgeport Farmers Markets are a mix of those in their first decade of their small business and others who represent more established businesses. Farmers Market vendors are owner-operated, family-owned farms in Connecticut. Our Urban Farmers who are vending at farmers markets and participating in our Urban Farmer Training program are a mix of small business owners and farmers in their first decade of farming. Urban farmers vending at GVI's Reservoir Community Farm's Farmers Market are all Bridgeport residents and identify as Black or LatinX. Attendees to our workshops and Food Justice Listening sessions are diverse and represent the general public of Bridgeport, including growers and farmers. Spanish translation is available as much as possible and if requested Changes/Problems:Changes we encountered include: Staff and personnel changes continue to provide challenges for the organizations involved. GVI's Farm Manager exited the organization in Spring 2022; GVI brought on a temporary Farm Manager Consultant for the remainder of the season to support staff, programming and event coordination. GVI will be hiring for a year-round employee this winter. In June 2022, BFMC rehired two Program Coordinators with a $5 raise (to $20/hour) and interviews were conducted for a third Program Coordinator position, which was hired later in the season. Sofia Pendley and the SHU team hired a new Graduate Assistant. We also experienced some challenges in engagement of our online Vendor Training. The vendor training session was scheduled with Chef Raquel for February. Marketing materials began to circulate, but there was no attendance. We believe that our marketing and outreach efforts were not robust enough, and that perhaps the timing of the event proved difficult for attendees. The rescheduled event, in April, had a better turnout, with 5 attendees. In 2023 training may be held in-person and include incentives for attendance. It was also been extremely difficult to solidify our plans for our Urban Farmer Training Program, given UConn Extension's lead staff member exited after the 2019 program was completed. We are extremely excited that UConn Extension has rehired for the position, and we have built out that program again, in collaboration with UConn Extension. The course did not run for 12 months, as originally planned, and instead began in May 2022 with graduation planned for October 2022. Even with a professor joining who was new to both UCONN and Connecticut, the program has received enthusiastic response from enrolled students in 2022. Our Youth Fellowship Program has had challenges in Youth Retention, and in maintaining Youths' focus on their projects, specifically the photovoice project. We continue to meet with our Fellows and to provide flexibility within the program so that they can be engaged in areas that interest them most. We have also continued robust recruitment strategies and we have 4 Youth Fellows engaged for the Fall 2022 academic year, 2 of which are returners. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and professional development is at the core of our project. Multiple types of training and professional development opportunities were provided during this project period, engaging multiple audiences (staff, youth, farmers market managers, farmers market customers, and the general public) in a variety of topics from meeting facilitation, to agriculture, to food justice. Our Vendor Training provided new and returning vendors with new knowledge needed for customer engagement and sales, and an in depth overview on applying to become a Bridgeport Farmers Market vendor. This helps ensure consistency in values, approach, and processes across markets, and helps us ensure that customers have positive experiences at market sites. 20 cooking demonstrations were held at farmers markets during this project year, at 7 farmers market sites, engaging farmers market shoppers in creative ways of using specific produce available at the market on that particular day. In October 2021, Reservoir Community Farm held an ADA Bed Building demonstration with Women Who Build, engaging a new audience in our work, and providing a group of women builders with new knowledge about developing garden beds. Food Justice Listening Sessions with the public, and Workshops with organizational staff and market managers were held throughout this project year. This creates a unified understanding of what Food Justice means in Bridgeport, and deeper knowledge of what organizations and community groups can do to promote food justice throughout their work. On Monday March 21st a Food Justice Forum was held for the general public, by GVI and SoulGrowth over zoom. Kristianna Smith of Via Arts also contracted to work with BFMC for 3 Food Justice Listening Sessions with Farmers Markets in Bridgeport over this project period and gleaned input from customers and vendors through open forum questions and one-on-one survey deployment. Food Justice training has occurred through a contract with SoulGrowth. Inc GVI's Youth Leadership Program cultivates young food leaders in Bridgeport by developing skills in agricultural knowledge, food justice, career readiness, and leadership. These skills are achieved through participation in the Summer Youth Crew, Food Leader Advisory Group, and Youth Fellowship. By the summer of 2022, 4 Youth were engaged as Youth Food Justice Fellows. 12 youth participated in our summer Youth Farm Crew. Training and professional development opportunities during this project year included: meeting facilitation skills, goal setting for projects, conducting interviews with program participants, attending City Council meetings, hosting community events, such a movie night. Youth determine their role in the food system by forging meaningful connections with their neighbors, land, community, and city. This is a development opportunity in which youth accomplish personal and professional goals by practicing leadership through farming. We train participants on site to accomplish tasks and feel confident in their work, but they have to embody a ready to learn attitude. At the end of our Youth Farm Crew program, 25% of the 8 youth surveyed post program felt they were engaged through their learning styles with 100% of those youth also noting satisfaction with the overall program. This shows that there may not have been an intentional implementation of different learning preferences during the program, but the youth were still satisfied with the learning they were able to engage in. In the future, this information suggests that there can be more intentional planning to engage different learning styles. Training and Professional Development opportunities in urban agriculture are a key element to this project. In Fall 2021, GVI began planning for the Free WInter Workshop series, which included workshops on the following topics: Ask a Farmer Panel, featuring Bridgeport farmers; Ask a Farmer Panel featuring a panel of 3 Bridgeport-based urban farmers; Ask a Farmer featuring Veteran urban farmers in CT; Seed Starting; Community and Justice Panel in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. at the University of Bridgeport. we hosted on-farm Yoga for Safe Gardening, two cooking demonstrations to use grown produce, blood pressure screening to encourage healthy equity, herbal remedies and an herb walk with a local herbalist, as well as an Urban Agriculture Roundtable which encouraged farmers, gardeners, neighbors, and City Officials to revisit goals outlines in the Urban Agriculture Master Plan. These 6 workshops garnered an average of 12-15 attendees. In the summer we hosted around 10 workshops that ranged from seed starting workshops, to cooking demonstrations, co hosting all-day events with the I Got Next Farmer Coalition, free community honeybee workshops with the Hunneebee Project. In April 2022 GVI trained 4 staff in starting seedlings from seed and proceeded to open up "seed starting" and "seedling care" days to volunteers from April until June when all seedlings were transported to Reservoir Community Farm for the annual Seedling Giveaway and Seedling Sale dates. During Spring 2021, GVI partnered with a number of other organizations, including BuildOn, Caroline House, and Full Circle Youth Empowerment to host off-site seed-starting demonstrations. All GVI staff who hosted these events connected with supervisors ahead of events to practice public speaking and facilitation as a part of their professional development. In July 2022 GVI paid an experienced contractor to support Park City Harvest for a full day in pouring concrete and erecting the bows of their first hoop house, which will go on to support season extension for their business. In August of 2022 GVI partnered with UCONN Extension and Park CIty Harvest to host I GOT NEXT Urban Farmer Coalition from Hartford who led two trainings: Composing and Container Gardening, Natural Mulch, Natural Fertilizers, and Home-Made Pesticides; and Mental Health while Farming in the City, Finding Resources for Farming, Looking for Land, and Seed Saving. 10 individuals attended training #1 and 10 attended training #2. Both afternoons were catered by local chefs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We share the results of our farmers market surveys and grocery shopper questionnaires to Farmers Market Managers in Bridgeport. At the end of the project, a report with analyzed data will be shared with the general public, to disseminate information about customer perception, foot traffic, and SNAP and WIC sales at the farmers markets. A key component of this project is the development of a Food Justice Framework, which has been developed collaboratively by project partners. This Framework will be shared widely across organizations in Bridgeport and throughout the state of CT, and will be posted on our website for public access and utilization. By August of 2022 the Framework has been nearly completed and is ready for peer review from contributing authors. We are planning on sharing the results of the Youth Food Justice Fellows' PhotoVoice project with the general public through at least one Gallery Walk viewing opportunity at Bridgeport City Hall or at Reservoir Community Farm. City officials, City Council members, and the general public will be invited to participate in the Gallery Walk event. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?G1) Harvest Fest 2022 encouraged 10 new vendors to partake in GVI and BFMC programming, many were encouraged to attend vendor trainings held by BFMC for the 2023 seasons nd BFMC is working to provide materials and training resources to accommodate these vendors more regularly in other markets. The BFMC is looking to engage SoulGrowth for potential Vendor Trainings to create more inclusive atmospheres among participating vendors. ?In the next Reporting Period we will be working to finalize and disseminate the Food Justice Framework, partnering with other organizations to enact its use after receiving approval from all contributors G2) As of the writing of this report, BFMC members are already working creatively to ally with members of Department of Health and Human Services in Bridgeport to be in closer alignment for incentive use at local farmers markets in the 2023 season. GVI is collecting information from gardeners to understand if outreach efforts in 2022 resultsed in more gardeners using the markets as a source for local, fresh produce. We are planning on sharing the results of the Youth Food Justice Fellows' PhotoVoice project with the general public through at least one Gallery Walk viewing opportunity at Bridgeport City Hall or at Reservoir Community Farm. City officials, City Council members, and the general public will be invited to participate in the Gallery Walk event. G3) The next Reporting Period will see the beginning of the 2023 Urban Farmer Training Course year. Conversations began in October 2022 to increase outreach, recruitment, and lower barriers for differently-abled community members to join the course. It will be expanded to be held early April - October
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
User Questionnaires were implemented at: St Vincent's Hospital, Stratfield, Downtown, and Bridgeport Hospital markets. We identified progress / areas for improvement for markets to be more inclusive. Vendor recruitment and Training ensured vendors benefit from markets and customers have a positive experience. We developed a new Farmers Market Manager role rubric and vendor checklist. Training was hosted by Green Village Initiative (GVI), the Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative (BFMC) and A Pinch of Salt (APOS), with 5 attendees. It was posted on YouTube (37 views as of Nov. 2022). 3 new vendors joined markets for 2022 season: Powers; Nourish Hydroponic; Hungry Reaper. Black Rock Market returned, bringing us to 9 markets in 2022.BFMC streamlined programming to improve vendor and customer experiences, via communications and an updated marketing strategy. BFMC bylaws were updated, informed by Food Justice trainings. 20 cooking demonstrations were held at markets: Stratfield, 8/21/21, 9/11/21, 10/9/21, 6/26/22 St. Vincent's, 8/24/21, 9/14/21, 10/12/21, 11/2/21, 11/30/21, 06/14/22 Reservoir Farm 8/28/21, 9/11/21, 10/23/21, 6/18/22 Downtown, 9/30/21, 10/7/21 East End, 9/5/21, 10/10/21 Black Rock, 6/18/22 Alliance, 6/24/22 We contracted SoulGrowth for Food Justice training and 3 workshops were held for BFMC Market Managers. GVI was trained in-depth, to continue dismantling white supremacy within programming and to finalize our Food Justice Framework, to train other organizations. BFMC adopted the Equity Points and Discussion Guide that SoulGrowth and GVI created. In March, we held a public Food Justice Forum on Zoom. GVI held vendor meetings to discuss reducing competition, sharing crop plans, and marketing to FMNP customers. We researched produce pricing and hosted two Farm to Chef Week events. Harvest Fest (Oct. 2021) was attended by 350 people. We held an ADA Bed Building demonstration with Women Who Build, Mayor's Conservation Corps helped winterize and plant garlic, and a Latte Art competition featured local roasters and artists. 30 people attended the Reservoir Farm Tree Lighting, with Instagram Livestream for accessibility.A Neighbors Night in Feb. 2022 provided community building and collected coats and books for families in need. In Jan. 2022, BFMC boosted social media. Instagram increased by March, with 1,730 accounts reached, 157 accounts engaged, 1,355 total followers, 31 shares and 1 reel with 1,240 views. The website was updated in June, and Instagram Followers increased to 1,438. BFMC showcased markets on Farmers Market Coalition's social media and local outreach increased via the local Healthy Improvement Alliance and Food Policy Council. Over 3,600 people visited markets in July 2022 (a tenfold increase from 368 in Oct 2021). We saw a 522% increase in SNAP from 2019 ($2,401) to 2021 ($14,929). (2021 season was so successful that the St. Vincent's extended dates through Nov.). GVI's Youth Food Justice Fellows, self-described as "here to raise awareness about Bridgeport's food system," hosted a movie night, "High on the Hog", discussing the role of African American cuisine. By the summer 2022, 4 Youth were engaged as Fellows. In April, 2 Fellows participated in Make the Road CT's City Council Meeting to advance HealthCare for All. Fellows attended meetings about the Reservoir Farm lease. They led a Photo Voice project with the goal of improving school lunches and corner store options. SHU led a PhotoVoice Training and secured FujiInstamax Cameras. By May 2021, photos had been taken at public schools, Big Arctic Community Garden, GVI's Spring Kick Off, and were planned for Fridgeport, additional community gardens, Wilbur Cross Elementary School, and corner stores. Fellows identified goals as: Increase the general health of school lunches; integrate religious based foods acceptable for people of all walks of life; and reduce food waste. They planned a Gallery Walk to showcase 150 photos in 2023 and held a listening session with public school students in Aug. 2022 to understand students' perspectives on School Lunches. They prepared by discussing various roles needed during the listening session and discussed: keeping students engaged; questions to be asked; purpose; and desired outcomes (identified as: start a cycle of change; bring research to people in power to make changes; increase the choice agency in the students for lunches through different cultural relevance; building connections; and collect data that will add to Photovoice Project/Gallery Walk). 10 students participated, discussing opinions on school food, whether it is healthy and nutritious, what aspects of they do or don't like, whether schools care about the food they eat, where food comes from, and possible improvements. Fellows are excited to highlight the project via hashtags: #bptfoodsystem #food #schoollunch #schoolsystem #school #freelunch #foodsystem #foodhealth #studentheath #health #lunch #bridgeport. Fellows also conducted interviews with Community Garden Captains and a returning Fellow hosted a listening session with Summer Youth Crew in July 2022. GVI's Free Winter Workshop series included: Ask a Farmer Panel; Ask a Farmer Panel featuring 3 Bridgeport-based urban farmers; Ask a Farmer featuring Veteran urban farmers in CT; Seed Starting; Herbalism; and a Community and Justice Panel in honor of MLK Jr. at UB. GVI has partnered with UCONN for the Urban Agriculture Training Program and conducted a feasibility study, polling 35 interested people. We created a course outline and marketing and registration material for 2022 and worked with I GOT NEXT (a group of Hartford farmers participating in UCONN Solid Ground Trainings) on two one-time trainings in October of 2021: Composing, Container Gardening, Natural Mulch, Fertilizers, and Pesticides; and Mental Health while Farming in the City, Finding Resources, Looking for Land, and Seed Saving.10 individuals attended each training. 15 Students registered for the in-depth urban farmer training program, launched May, 2022. In July 2022, the students began to vend at Reservoir Community Farm's market. 8 graduated and all identify as BIPOC. Graduation featured keynotes from 2019 program graduates K. Muhammed and M/ Peña of Blissful Awakenings! The 2022 course included: Intro plant science Site selection & vegetable production Soils Entomology Plant Pathology Harvesting, Bundling, Pricing Food safety Tools & Tool Safety Seed Starting for Fall Crops Summer In the field: IPM, composting, soil building, perennial vegetable crops, seed saving Debrief from field/summer Business Planning Resource Night Graduation To further promote urban ag., we met with the City's OPED about advancing the Urban Ag Master Plan. We planned a community Tool Library and an urban ag. Instagram reel. This was extremely popular and was reshared by multiple partners. A key component of Reservoir Community Farm being a site that demonstrates Food Justice is an ability to forge partnerships. This includes working with the City and the Bridgeport Library for an on-site library; we held community Rooting Sessions in September through April. These were open forum Zoom calls to update the Bridgeport community on the Reservoir Community Farm Lease (over 150 people participated in Zoom calls, letter writing, community forum attendance and public meeting attendance, a separate petition hosted by an activist group garnered 1,200 signatures in support of the farm). A new lease was negotiated and signed in Spring of 2022. We procured local organic soil and local worm castings and hosted seed-starting workshops with Youth Fellows and BuildOn. We partnered with the Hunneebee Project in New Haven to get bees to Reservoir Community Farm that would be tended by young people through Hunneebee Project Programming and made plans for free workshops to be hosted by the organization through the 2022 summer.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Struggled with Graduate student count in last table - count is 19.2 for Graduate Student Bridgeport's population is 144,000. We live and work in the most populous city in the state and are alarmed at our rates of hunger and poor nutrition. DataHaven's 2019 Fairfield County report indicated that 40% of our population suffers from obesity compared to 27% in the County. Our infant mortality rate is 3.3 times higher than the County; preterm and low birthweight are top culprits, both caused by poor nutrition. 28% of our community reported food insecurity, compared with only 11% of County residents. The CT Post, on April 12th, 2020, illustrated inequitable access to health in our region, stating that Southwest Health Centers' COVID-19 patients were 90% people of color. While 63% of County residents reported being in "very good health" the same was reported by only 44% of Bridgeporters. For our Youth Leadership Program, we work primarily with teenage Bridgeport Youth through engagement in our Youth Leadership Program. Bridgeport is a young city with a dearth of teen programming. Teens we serve are primarily Black and LatinX and attend public high schools in Bridgeport. For the Summer Youth Farm Crew 12 youth participated in the program in total. 4 youth were onboarded as Youth Fellows when that program completed; 7 youth were hired for our Youth Farm Crew only. (One youth was not hired, but was part of the Youth Farm Crew through the summer as volunteer hours.) Age: 1 aged 15; 1 aged 16; 3 aged 17; 3 aged 18 Gender: 7 identify as female; 4 identify as male; one as nonbinary Race: 2 identify as Black; 7 identify as Latinx; 3 identify as multi-ethnic or mixed race. Our Youth Fellows Program as of August served 6 youth for an overlapping session, with 3 male, 3 female, 2 identifying as black, 3 as LatinX and one as mixed race. Farmers Market Customer information is not collected at regular intervals in an effort to build trust and limit survey exhaustion in our community. The general audience for our services do tend to be parents or caregivers who are shopping for multiple household members. A vast majority of our customers live within Bridgeport, specifically the North End are of the city and drive or walk to the farm to purchase their produce for the week. GVI hires a Spanish speaking Farm Stand Crew member and labels our produce in both English and Spanish each summer as approximately 25% of our customers speak Spanish. Our Urban Farmers are all small business owners, farmers in their first decade of farm experience, Bridgeport residents, and identify as Black or LatinX. They work cooperatively to establish pricing that suits non-competition at Reservoir Community Farm and also serve as vendors at other farmers markets in the City when their schedules allow. Farmers Market Vendors span across the city and sell at all 7 of the city's markets. These vendors are a mix of those in their first decade of their small business and others who represent more established businesses. A majority are owner-operated or family-owned. All vendors for the Bridgeport Farmers Markets are located in Connecticut. Food Justice Listening Sessions are designed to specifically accommodate diverse populations. We make invitations available across our network with no limits for age and have attempted to make trainings as accessible as possible by holding them virtually during evenings, at times our community gardeners had stated it was the best time and most opportune days. Spanish translation is made possible as frequently as we are able to secure interpretative services. Food Justice Trainings touched new partnerships with People's First, an emerging mobile emergency food nonprofit in Bridgeport, and an emerging partnership with HomeFront Farmers, a for-profit home gardening business that reached out to GVI requesting food justice training and opportunities to train white staff in particular about urban food justice work given that they work with wealthier clientele. Changes/Problems:Like everyone, we were faced with challenges of living in a global pandemic throughout this project year. Our programs were adapted to meet our new realities. At the beginning of this Project Year (Sept. - Oct 2020), our Farmers Market managers continued to implement their covid-safety measures at their farmers markets sites (e.g. hand washing stations, limiting numbers of individuals on site at once, and requiring face masks). As we entered the winter and planned for the 2021 growing season in spring and summer, project meetings remained virtual, over zoom, and we planned with uncertainty about what spring and summer would be like for our organizations and our community. Our plans and program implementation adapted nearly weekly as knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic increased and vaccinations began to be rolled out. In early 2021, the Director of the Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative (BFMC), Lezli Albelo gave her notice and began a transition out of the organization due to personal reasons. BFMC began a search for her replacement and Takina Pollack was hired in April. The timing of the transition caused some challenges, since the new Director started in the midst of the busiest planning and prep time for Farmers Markets (April to May). Onboarding Takina brought communications and design skills into BFMC; this shifted some of Takina's time towards a focus on developing marketing materials. Marketing materials were translated into Spanish by a local organization, CT Institute for Refugees and Immigrants. Furthermore, there was a gap in the role of farmers market SNAP Match coordinator in August 2021 when one person transitioned out of the role, and prior to the next person transitioning in as a replacement. At the beginning of this project year, GVI's leadership changed as Eleanor Angerame stepped into the Executive Director role (from a Program Director role). Ellie's transition into the role and out of her previous role created a need and opportunity to create a Director of Operations position, which was filled by Briana Wahl who became full time in August 2020 and dedicated some time to this project. Alex Morales, Operations Assistant, also dedicated some time to this project and transitioned out of the organization in winter 2021 to pursue other opportunities. Some staff transitions within the leadership of our Reservoir Community Farm Program and our Youth Leadership Program also occurred during this project year. Catherine Linsday, Reservoir COmmunity Farm Program Manager, became full time in November, 2020. Our Youth Program Manager, Ofonime Udo-Okon and Youth Program Assistant, Patrick Okon both transitioned out of the organization in winter of this program year. Rob Peck (a GVI VISTA Service Member focusing on Youth Leadership Program development) joined as Program Manager in spring. Elisha Brockenberry joined as Youth Leadership Program Coordinator in spring. The change in Youth Leadership Program staff was challenging due to timing, as spring is a significant time for planning and preparation for our summer Youth Farm Crew. We experienced a threat to the future sustainability of Reservoir Farm. Together, a City Councilperson and a Democratic Committee District Leader pushed forward plans to build a library on the farm site. Our team conducted an in depth, grassroots campaign to glean feedback from the community in response to these plans. With Sacred Heart's support in survey development, our team and volunteers conducted a survey of the neighborhood to understand if our community had asked for this development. We knocked on doors within a half mile of Reservoir Community Farm and found that 84% of respondents were familiar with Reservoir Community Farm and its programs; 56% of respondents use the Farm for at least 1 of its programs; 89% of respondents were never asked about or provided input on library development plans; and only 6 of the 96 respondents answered that the site would be served exclusively as a library. The GVI team conducted meetings with, and presented to, Bridgeport City Council members, our Neighborhood Revitalization Zone members, the Bridgeport Office of Planning and Economic Development, and other stakeholders about our survey results. Ultimately, it was decided that the site would serve the community as both a library and an urban farm. While this changes the scope of farming that can take place on site, we believe that our future partnership with the library will facilitate community-building through our continued urban agriculture and food justice-based demonstrations, workshops, trainings, events and farmers market on that site. We are in the process of seeking additional locations for expanding urban farming, to continue to supply our farmers market with Bridgeport-grown produce. We are working with the City to update our lease, in partnership with the library, in spring 2022. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our project has training and professional development at its core, as we strive to deepen our staff's, partner organizations', community's understanding and practice of food justice. This project resulted in trainings in Food Justice and Antiracism for GVI staff. Food Justice Training and workshops offered to growers in Bridgeport included: urban farming and food safety. Professional development and training offered to our Youth Farm Crew and Youth Food Justice Fellows included: urban farming, food safety, resume building, public speaking, basic hydroponics, black entrepreneurship, hunger relief, clothing design for business marketing, art as resistance, mindfulness, outdoor yoga, and herbalism. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of surveys from Farmers Market shoppers shared to FM Managers Sacred Heart University (Brianna Collins and Sofia Pendley) developed a report and presentation that summarizes the 201 and 2020 farmers market user surveys and key learnings and takeaways. Results were shared with leadership prior to being presented to the BFMC market managers at the May 27, 2021 meeting. Our crop plan for the 2021 season was created with input from customers in past years, via customer feedback gleaned through the survey created by Sacred Heart University and anecdotal data collection from our farm stand team. The Farm Team worked beside youth to increase our okra production, in 2021 the swiss chard sales increased markedly thanks to cooking demos including them frequently, and the farm sold a new variety of kale called "Black Magic" that was very popular to reflect increased requests for kale the year before. The 2022 crop plan will reflect an increased desire for collards! Our Youth Leadership Program is continually updated year-to-year based on youth feedback; their input is directly incorporated into program design. Improvements to this year's summer Youth Farm Crew program included TOPICS / THEMES that were mentioned by 2020 summer Youth Farm Crew participants. The Project Team drafted a one-page update about key metrics that will be disseminated to key stakeholders Plans are in place to disseminate survey information on social media and to City Council in the winter What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will: continue to provide technical assistance and workshops to urban farmers and growers interested in growing food for market; continue to improve on farmers market accessibility and inclusivity through improved multilingual marketing and outreach; guide Youth Fellows in their role as Food Justice Ambassadors in Bridgeport, including through food justice trainings and programming, and engagement in our Food Justice Photo Voice project; guide our core organizations through developing organization-specific Food Justice Frameworks, with metrics and measurement and assessment tools; and engage more organizations and partners in making commitments to Food Justice.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Our project = 3 main streams of work: FOOD JUSTICE TRAININGS and ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENTS Raven Blake (CTCORE) led the GVI team through workshops for Food Justice Training: August 6, 2020: Food Justice basics covered - review notes from 2 community-based Food Justice Listening Sessions (Fall 2019 / April 2020); exploring tools for GVI to inject intersectional food justice practice in program design. September 2021: videos for Mutual Aid and Emergent Strategy. GVI engaged in conversation with Bridgeport Mutual Aid to plan coat drive at Farm and support their community refrigerator initiative, Fridgeport. October 15, 2020: Food Justice Training covering the four I's of oppression. November 13, 2020: The Project Leadership Team (GVI, SHU, and CTCORE) met to develop systems to measure progress towards advancing food justice and ending oppression within programs by making goals reflect food justice. Team training later included understanding of how oppression / implicit bias work together to recreate harmful systems. December 2020:GVI held Tree Lighting event, to continue food justice focused community building at the Farm. Was also virtual due to extreme weather. 137 views took place online via streaming with 15 attending in person. January 2021: Via Arts training - Identity exercises, incorporating justice in work throughout a pandemic, and reflection on a past toolkit created for GVI by Via Arts, "GVI Addressing Conflict Working Plan" took place. February: CTCORE removed themselves from this project, due to capacity challenges. Partnership ended March 2021. GVI identified an independent consultant, Chastity Rodriguez. Conversations/planning took place for remainder of the project period; she will begin role (unified Food Justice Framework, measurement tools, co-developing Youth Food Justice Ambassadors program) fall 2021. June 2021: Planning GVI's Harvest Fest, began. Sessions were regularly attended by community members Fridgeport and local artist Theebs as co-designers. Clan Member Shoran Piper of the Paugussett tribe spoke at the event. April 2021, August 2021: HomeFront Farmers, a for-profit home gardening business and People First, emerging emergency food nonprofit in Bridgeport,requested food justice training from GVI. August/September 2021: GVI, Sacred Heart University (SHU) met with Fridgeport to discuss PhotoVoice Project for community-wide assessment of food justice. Youth Ambassadors would lead charge. SHU worked on a PhotoVoice Training for the Youth and secured FujiInstamax Cameras distributed on October 28th. YOUTH AMBASSADORS One Youth Fellow (Ashzane) and a Youth Farm Crew (Amerie) hired by Park City Harvest to work farmers market table at Reservoir Community Farm during the 2020 season for experience with for-profit, start-up urban farming business. In October 2020, Youth Fellows participated in GVI's virtual Harvest Fest event, due to COVID-19 restrictions. December 2020. Youth Panel was planned. Youth Fellows collected stories, pictures, quotes about work that they have been doing, to share experiences with and knowledge of food justice with the broader public. Winter 2020 Youth Ambassadors met regularly with GVI leadership for individual Community Impact Projects: Youth Fellow Aszhane : October 2020 was interested in creating her own food company, focused on catering! January - February 2021 completed 50 hours of cooking for her impact project, Aszhane prepared food and piloted her own catering business by utilizing Instagram to attract buyers. March 2021, Aszhane completed 32 hours of cooking and 8 hours making / preparing food for GVI's annual Spring Kick Off event. Youth Fellow Myangela identified her Community Impact Project as providing food to individuals experiencing homelessness. Mayangela purchased/distributed food to people in need and explored opportunities to secure micro-grants, though one was not secured in period. January - March 2021, she completed 18 hours of community service volunteering at food pantry in Stamford and worked on Reservoir Community Farm in April 2021, with GVI's Youth Manager and Farm Manager. 2021, the GVI Youth Program Manager (Rob Peck) began to plan for the summer Youth Farm Crew. Program launched in June with a Family Night where Youth Fellow Mayangela presented her experience as Youth Farm Crew in prior years (Youth Farm Crew 2018 and 2019) with a fellow alum, Duke, and answered questions new Youth Farm Crew families. August 2021: Youth Farm Crew Graduation. Robin Avant of Housatonic Community College, GVI, and one youth spoke, reflecting and sharing her experience. Improvements for 2022 summer programming include themes: Commitment: Creating space to explore identity, ownership, self-reliance with food justice and agriculture Intentionality: creating tools to hold youth accountable for designing their role and to showcase their work Centering Healing: healing during the transformational programming that they are participating in A Step Up: work closely with Housatonic Community College to provide college credit for participation CREATING INCLUSIVE FARMERS MARKETS: In February, FMNP registration opened and market managers ensured farmers' participation for the 2021 season. From Sept 1 - Dec 31, 2020: 206 customers paying with SNAP spent $4,048 at the farmers markets; $7,788 in Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks was spent at the farmers markets; $585 Bridgeport Bucks were redeemed at the farmers markets. In June- August 2021: the farmers markets saw about 1,000 customers (estimated); 265 customers with SNAP purchased food; $4,207 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Checks redeemed; and $2,370 Bridgeport Bucks redeemed. Senior vouchers began distribution in July 2021. At the end of the 2020 season, Oct 2020 SNAP Matching totals were higher than in the 2019 season. St. Vincent's Farm Stand extended their season until Nov 2020. Information was shared on how to become a vendor to Bpt Markets for 2021 season. Farm Businesses: Park City Harvest, Blissful Awakening sold Bridgeport-grown produce at farmers markets in network. September 2020, Shawn, co-owner of Park City Harvest, spoke to New CT Farmers Alliance about experience as black-owned urban farm. No new vendors have joined the farmers markets during this reporting period, we are enthusiastic tPCH and BA continue vending at BFMC markets. Marketing and Outreach: Adjustments made for 2021 season maximized customer base to increase SNAP and FMNP usage. Developed improved marketing strategy - centered intentional social media and printing, redesigned BFMC Market Schedule on banners in Spanish, printing by June for faster audience access. Partner feedback informed BFMC's strategies. Fridgeport and Danbury Farmers Market joined BFMC monthly meetings for best practices. June-August 2021, BFMC gained 97 new followers on Instagram, 48 new likes on FaceBook. Instagram saw 1,323 likes and 1,367 video views (of 10 videos); and FaceBook had 91 likes, with reach up to 2,340 in July. Personnel: Early 2021, Lezli Albelo transitioned out of BFMC. On April 1st, BFMC onboarded Takina Pollock Shafer. Takina began revamping BFMC's marketing strategy. May 2021, BFMC began hiring process for a new SNAP Match Coordinator. June, Takina hired and onboarded ElyAnna, a previous GVI Youth Food Leader. Takina developed SNAP-How-To Guide to train Dilapo, another SNAP Coordinator. EVALUATION Survey: 2019 to 2020, 19% increase in customers agreeing with statement, "This farmers market is a welcoming space for everyone." 2019 season, 76.4% respondents agreed; 2020 season 80.5% agreed. New survey targets non-participants, asking shoppers at grocery stores about awareness and usage of Bridgeport Farmers Markets. SHU (Brianna Collins) drafted the survey, reviewed by BFMC members at their monthly meeting in May 2021. SHU hired a new GA, Noelle Labozzo, May 2021. Sofia Pendley is in process of hiring Graduate Assistant
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Bridgeport Youth: 11 high school aged youth in Bridgeport have been engaged by our program. 3 Youth Food Justice Fellows attended the Food Justice workshop during Spring Kick Off, as notetakers. 8 youth were hired for Youth Farm Crew positions for the 8 week program; of these, all 8 youth completed the 8-week summer Youth Farm Crew program and received Food Leadership Certificates. 3 youth began the academic year as Youth Food Justice Ambassador positions, called Youth Fellows. Of these, 2 youth continue to participate as Youth Fellows In 2020, GVI forged a partnership with Housatonic Community College that led to college-credits for all participating summer Youth Farm Crew. 7 of Youth Farm Crew members acquired college credits through the partnership. Farmers Market Customers General Audience: Between Sept 1 2019 and Aug 31, 2020, a total of 10,360 individuals attended Bridgeport's Farmers Markets. $8,370 in purchases were made with SNAP and SNAP doubling tokens. $2,349 in purchases were made with WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks $12,597 in purchases were made with Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks $4,835 in purchases were made with "Bridgeport Bucks" promotional coupons. 7 individuals attended the Vendor Training that was held. Urban Farmers and Farmers Market Vendors: The Urban Farmer Training Program that began in January 2019 held its graduation in December 2019. 13 students began the intensive, weekly program, with 7 graduating, a 54% graduation rate. 1 new business was launched as a result of the program. We are excited that in addition to GVI's Reservoir Community Farm, there are 2 other Bridgeport-based urban farm produce vendors participating at farmers markets: Park City Harvest, who joined in 2019, and Blissful Awakening, which is a new urban farm in Bridgeport launched by graduates of the Urban Farmer Training Program that was implemented by GVI and UConn Extension in 2019. A Vendor Training session was held in July, 2020. 7 individuals attended, learning about expectations for the season, steps to join farmers markets, and tips on having a successful farmers market booth. Food Justice Listening Sessions: General Audience CTCORE-Organize Now! (CTCORE) led a Food Justice Listening session with the general community on September 14th at Reservoir Community Farm, with 16 attendees. This led to a description of a Liberated Food System. GVI hosted a second Food Justice discussion with the general public on May 23rd 2020, virtually due to COVID-19, as part of GVI's Spring Kick Off event. 12 participants attended. Food Justice Trainings: Organizations' Members and Leadership CTCORE led a Food Justice training session with Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative members and market managers on June 29th, 2020. 9 participants attended the training CTCORE led a Food Justice training session with GVI staff on September 3rd, 2020. 12 Participants attended the training Changes/Problems:Please know that "Actual FTE's for this reporting period" was left blank (nothing to report was selected) but that the section can be filled in once we have finalized the financial report for this reporting period. As was the case across the country, spring and summer called for reflection, planning and pivoting as both the global pandemic and the uprising against racial discrimination emerged. Additionally, we faced impacts, challenges, and inspiration, from the national uprising for racial justice in response to police brutality. This program year has been full of programming, transitions, and adaptation. While adapting to national-level changes, two key organizations within this project underwent significant leadership transitions: Green Village Initiative and CTCORE-Organize Now! (CTCORE). Additional challenges in programming were also faced by partners, such as acquiring SNAP EBT terminals. In the fall of 2019, CTCORE began to embark on a leadership transition, and a rebuilding of their organization following the exit of a Co-Founder and Co-Director. New staff was hired, onboarded and trained, rebranding began, and a rebuild of the board was launched. The bulk of this work occurred from October 2019 through December 2019. In addition to structural changes, much planning work was implemented, including determining key focus areas and strategies for the organization to ensure greater collective impact, undergoing staff trainings, exploring new partnerships, and considering an update to their mission statement. The bulk of that transition and immense work that went into it took place prior to the global pandemic, and in many ways, made the organization better prepared to act in response to the crisis. The organization remains focused on their key pillars of work which include food justice, their food justice guide, and their platform for impact. Their particular implementation strategies were greatly shaped by the circumstances of the communities within which CTCORE works. In January, 2020, Raven Blake was hired as Deputy Director to focus on CTCORE's food justice work, and to engage youth in Food Justice through the GVI partnership. GVI's Executive Director, Cristina Sandolo, began a transition out of the E.D. position and the organization conducted a search for her replacement in early 2020. Cristina and the board crafted a transition plan to ensure a smooth hand-off of the position, which was tailored and adapted due to COVID-19. After a thorough search, review of applications, and interview process, GVI's Director of Programs, Eleanor Angerame, was offered the position; she stepped into the role in July of 2020. Cristina fully transitioned out as FTE and into a consultant position on August 31st, once a Director of Operations had been hired to fill the vacancy from Ellie's promotion. Furthermore, a key component of this project was significantly impacted by a break in partnership due to personnel changes. GVI had been partnering with UConn Extension to implement an intensive, year-long Urban Farmer Training program. The 2019 program consisted of 13 students and 7 graduates. The 2020 program was scheduled to begin in January; 12 individuals had signed up for the program by the end of 2019. Unfortunately, the UConn Extension's project lead, Sustainable Families and Communities Educator German Cutz, vacated his position prior to the start of the program and UConn Extension has not yet fulfilled the vacancy. To continue to foster advanced growing practices in Bridgeport, GVI provided usage of the Urban Farmer Training outdoor site to previous program graduates and those interested. However, we were unable to recreate the full programming. We are establishing our program plan for 2021 and hope to at minimum offer a series of urban farming workshops with local partners. COVID-19 impacted our work in multiple ways. All project partners spent much time this spring understanding and clarifying the impacts of the pandemic on programming and operations. The bulk of our time was spent communicating with local and state officials, planning, adapting, setting expectations, and creating and communicating guidelines and protocol for our programs. Our programs were redesigned, new communications materials were created, translated and posted, and all operations were converted to work-from-home settings. Throughout the summer, as knowledge of COVID-19 increased and State guidelines changed, our programs were continually adapted and modified. GVI and CTCORE were part of two working groups of urban agriculture organizations collaborating on achieving clarity from local and state officials, and creating guidelines and expectations for our communities. A community garden and urban farm group worked together to acquire a written declaration from the state permitting usage of our sites by the community and to create guidelines and protocol for garden and farm sites. A group of organizations working with youth in urban agriculture created shared protocol, programming guidelines, and adaptations allowing for engagement of youth in our outdoor work, and continued knowledge building and skill building, through virtual workshops and meetings. Separately, GVI engaged in a third working group focused on plans, expectations and guidelines for School Gardens during the pandemic. GVI equipped all of our garden and farm sites with posted protocol, hands-free hand washing stations, and tool sanitization supplies. All staff, volunteers, gardeners and visitors were provided with gloves and face coverings. The Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative (BFMC) worked and communicated with other farmers market networks, the City and the State to create and communicate guidelines and protocol for safe operation of farmers markets during COVID-19. Workshops, cooking demonstrations, art and music performances, and kids activities were eliminated from scheduling; some were moved to virtual settings, including the Vendor Training and the Cooking Demonstration series. Additionally, BFMC faced significant challenges in procuring SNAP EBT terminals for some markets, eliminating the use of SNAP at some sites altogether, and at some locations, causing significant delays in access among customers using SNAP. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Key takeaways from partners have been the interconnected cultural shifts that have begun through the Community Food Project 's investment in multiple Bridgeport partners through shared training and professional development. "There is a distinct feeling that we are working in unison toward a shared goal that I believe our community can feel as GVI and our partners embark on this learning and unlearning together. The shift within one organization impacts the others in a web, similar to our food system," wrote GVI executive director, Ellie Angerame in response to a recent CFP partner meeting. This project has provided a tremendous opportunity for training and professional development across core stakeholder groups and target audiences. Professional Development occurred during the Food Justice Trainings led by CTCORE on September 3rd, with 12 staff and Service Members of GVI, and on June 29th, with 9 Members and Market Managers of the Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative. The opportunity for organizational leadership, staff and Farmers Market Managers to discuss how food justice and injustice show up within our work and within our markets was revolutionary. CT CORE's trainings were deeply valuable, shifting the communication from logistics to strategy. The training with BFMC focused on how resources are allocated for language translation and SNAP marketing. Additionally, the group discussed how bias and discrimination could emerge when the accessibility of all Bridgeporters is not accounted for, especially given the new COVID restrictions. Training and professional development within the GVI team has filtered throughout the organization vertically and horizontally, between youth, service members, and GVI staff. Some discussions reflected on community-control of food ways and food sovereignty. Feedback from listening sessions have inspired youth-designed Action Projects and prompted staff to collect more feedback from community members throughout the busy market season. These trainings and listening sessions have centered community feedback and prompted organization staff and leadership to have deeper conversations that analyze equity in programming. To continue this work, GVI has also engaged an AntiRacist Facilitator, Kristianna Smith of Via Arts, to continue training and consultation with the GVI staff and board. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Official program results have not been disseminated wildely, as programming and evaluation are still underway. However, community feedback, particularly around defining food justice for Bridgeport and holding organizations accountable to their practice of food justice, is continually brought into community discussions, listening sessions, program strategies, and trainings and workshops. This creates a continuous feedback loop and an evolving, growing understanding of and vision for food justice in Bridgeport. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During Year 3, our project will continue to build off of the work that has been accomplished, bringing us closer to reaching our goals. Youth Ambassadors will continue to learn about, promote, and advocate for food justice in their city, led by GVI and CTCORE. CTCORE and Sacred Heart University will hold a listening session for customers of Bridgeport Farmers Markets, to ascertain program alignment with food justice, misalignment, and areas for improvement. CTCORE will develop and implement a Food Justice training program for staff or members of a 3rd food-systems organization in Bridgeport, to be determined by partners. Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative will continue to work to increase inclusivity and accessibility of farmers markets, and boost markets' alignment with their community's definition of food justice. Vendor recruitment and vendor training will continue, increasing the number of Bridgeport-based businesses selling food at farmers markets. GVI will seek to create programming that can begin to fill the gap created by the closure of the intensive Urban Farmer Training Program, due to lack of personnel at UConn Extension.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Our project consists of 3 main streams of work: Food Justice Trainings; Youth Ambassadors; and Creating Inclusive Farmers Markets. FOOD JUSTICE TRAININGS CTCORE-Organize Now! (CTCORE) trained food organizations in Food Justice. CTCORE reviewed their Food Justice Guide and adapted their training to their new leadership and to the realities facing communities of color that were unveiled by COVID-19 and the national uprising for racial justice, which are directly linked to food justice. Green Village Initiative (GVI) was the first organization trained (in Year 1), with a follow up training on Sept 3rd, 2020 in which 12 staff and Service Members participated. 9 Members and Market Managers of the Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative (BFMC) were trained on June 29th. CTCORE launched a series of Food Justice Listening sessions with the general public. The first took place on September 14th at Reservoir Community Farm, with 16 attendees and led to a description of a Liberated Food System; a follow-up, virtual session was held with 12 participants. Food Justice was described by participants on May 23rd as: "the beautiful farmers we have on the call and the work they do in their community gardens." "as a school teacher - food justice is my students to have food growing in their backyard. During this pandemic, my kids are stuck in houses, but there's possibilities and options. Food justice would be getting these options into their hands" "access and access comes in having fresh food available, but also in terms of how to use it." And food injustice as: "the number of bodegas in my neighborhood, but the bodegas don't have fresh produce." "the city is taking away from the residents. They are taking away green spaces to build businesses. Businesses that do not promote healthy eating." "tied to non-communicable diseases that arise in our community. Food is medicine and without the proper foods, diseases come up that are linked to unhealthy food access." "That the people don't know how to appropriately recycle food scraps from our households." "the lack of education provided about what healthy eating means, what it does for our body." "Lack of access is institutionally developed in a lot of our cities. " "it's more expensive when you try to find organic foods." YOUTH AMBASSADORS CTCORE and GVI engage Youth as ambassadors of Food Justice (called Fellows). Fellows explored what other organizations and individuals were doing within food justice and were led through a process of identifying how they would develop individual "impact projects." Fellows also learned about group facilitation, and responded to journal prompts, including reactions to learning about other food justice organizations and farmers of "...I do a lot of stuff for the community. I went to the tree lighting for the community and I gave away food and hot chocolate to the little kids and adults. I do a lot of storytelling too." "Food is a social justice issue in my community because we don't have a lot of access to healthy food. We don't have a lot of grocery stores that sell food that is all organic and healthy... We have to go all the way to Fairfield or somewhere if we want healthy food. Also healthy food can be expensive. So sometimes we get things that are not good for our body then spending all that money for 1 thing that is good for our body." "Food affects education because if we don't eat then we can't learn. That's why the teachers and parents always say make sure you eat breakfast. When you don't eat your brain can't function." (In response to learning about Soul Fire Farm, a food justice organization led by Leah Penniman): "Leah is similar to me because she is black. Also she is a farmer and gives back to the community and that is what I do at the green village initiative. She also grows healthy food just like me. This project shaped my mind cause this is exactly what I'm doing for my project. My project is to grow healthy foods and give back to the community." Fellows joined CTCORE's Food Justice discussion on May 23rd, 2020, to assist with note taking, listening and facilitating. At a debrief meeting, they identified areas of the conversation that diverged or aligned with their own definitions of food justice and next steps in creating a definition of food justice for Bridgeport. Fellows agreed with most of the content from the discussion, noting the importance of food grown without chemicals. Fellows stated that we have a "good understanding of what food justice is" and should "focus on our projects", get the community to "eat more food from the farm, and get "more awareness of the farm." Fellows said that there "may be ways to help people to learn about what we're trying to do in Bridgeport and to educate people." Our evaluation through Hello Insight showed that 2 of 3 of our Youth Fellows have advanced capacities in Positive Identity, Self Management and Social Skills. In the summer, our 2 Food Justice Fellows joined GVI's Youth Farm Crew, an 8-week farming, food justice and leadership development program. 8 youth were hired as Youth Farm Crew. At least one youth reported that by the end of the program they had learned that they and their crew members "have a lot of power too." 80% felt that they built skills in Community engagement and outreach; facilitation; Storytelling; advocacy. When discussing the need for food justice in Bridgeport, youth observed: A lack of grocery stores; lots of bodegas that don't sell a lot of produce; a counterculture of urban farmers farming and gardeners gardening in community gardens and in their yards; and a diverse array food, with a collection of different cultures reflected in the food available. When asked how youth wanted to grow as a leader, responses included: building more knowledge about farming, being more vocal and outspoken, managing a team, helping others, instructing others, and being seen as a leader by the farm crew. CREATING INCLUSIVE FARMERS MARKETS: 8 farmers markets were active in 2020. 10,360 individuals attended BFMC Markets during this reporting period, with $8,370 in purchases made with SNAP and SNAP doubling tokens. New marketing materials were developed and translated into Spanish and French and virtual promotion and programming was conducted. The 2019 Urban Farmer Training Program enrolled 13 students, with 7 graduating. 1 new business, Blissful Awakening, was launched as a result of the program, and became one of 2 small and emerging Bridgeport-based urban farm produce vendors selling produce at farmers markets. A Vendor Training session was held in July; 7 individuals attended, learning about steps to join farmers markets, expectations, and tips on having a successful farmers market booth. To evaluate inclusiveness, satisfaction, and marketing, questionnaires were distributed by Sacred Heart University at 7 Farmers Markets, in English and in Spanish. 43 Questionnaires were collected between Aug. 20 and Sept. 18, 2019. Key Findings included: Very positive responses regarding how welcoming and safe the markets are, and high customer satisfaction. Respondents remarked that the markets had better or the same quality as the grocery stores. Most respondents were aware that assistance programs could be used at the market, but most did not use any assistance program (this could be due to SNAP terminal challenges; see "challenges"). Most respondents had heard about the farmer's market through word of mouth. Recommendations from respondents focused mainly on wanting to see more vendors/options at the markets. People also mentioned that they enjoy the prepared foods that are offered. One respondent mentioned that they would like to see tabling from community organizations.
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The project reached specific target audiences during the year, including: Bridgeport Youth: Twelve youth were hired for Youth Farm Crew positions for the 8 week program; of these, Ten (10) youth completed the 8-week summer Youth Farm Crew program and received certificates in either Food Leadership or Food Justice. Urban Farmers Program: 11 individuals signed up to take the Urban Farmer Training program. 7 people requested program scholarships. General Audience: Between 6/22/19 and 7/31/19, a total of 5,747 individuals were counted at Bridgeport's Farmers Markets and interacted with vendors and/or project partner representatives. Of these, 77 used SNAP vouchers for purchases; however, this number is underreported due to technical difficulties vendors were having with the SNAP terminals. 689 senior vouchers were also used during this time period, indicating market use by elderly Bridgeport residents. Changes/Problems:For the month of August, SNAP transactions have been significantly lower than in the previous month. One of our farmers who participates in 2 of our markets - one of which has a high volume of SNAP users- has been having issues with getting their SNAP terminal up and running do to an inactive FNS number. The farmer has been trying to reactivate the FNS number with USDA, but has been unsuccessful in doing so to date. The farm owner has been working diligently to reactivate this number but has not received confirmation from USDA. As of this report. SNAP is not being processed in those of those markets. Two other markets, Bridgeport Hospital Farmers Market and the East End Farmers Market, have not been able to obtain FNS #'s from the USDA, so SNAP has not been processed at those markets. BFMC has reached out to the USDA but have not received a response. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The SHU evaluation team met with each of the grant partners to develop the data collection protocols and forms according to the evaluation plan outlined in the grant application. We worked with each grant partner to ensure that the data collection procedures gather all relevant information and are feasible for partners to implement. The procedures we developed include a Summary Report Template and Supplemental Forms for each partner, to be reported on bi-monthly basis. Each partner's Summary Report includes a list of all Supplemental Forms they need to submit, organized by the short and long-term outcomes to which they are linked. The supplemental forms are then specific to the various grant activities (e.g., sign-in sheets for listening sessions). In addition to individual meetings with grant partners, we attended all grant meetings run by Green Village Initiative to ensure that our evaluation procedures are in line with program planning as the details, roles, and responsibilities for all grant activities continue to be specified. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
?Short Term (ST) Outcome 1: Increased community engagement in food justice discussions A listening session was scheduled at the GVI farm in July but had to be rescheduled twice due to inclement weather. They will instead be held at the start of Year 2. Sacred Heart University (SHU)developed the Listening Session Observation Notes Form with CTCORE. SHU identified a Masters in Public Health graduate research assistant who will be taking notes & observing the listening sessions. In August, CT CORE staff & one of the Food Justice Youth Fellows held a two hour conversation with the members of GVI's Youth Leadership Program, the 2019 Youth Farm Crew; 7 youth were in attendance. STOutcome 2: At least 75% of fresh food outlets that participate in food justice workshops &/or equity trainings demonstrate commitment to being inclusive & non-exploitive within 3 months of workshop completion. GVI contracted w/ Via Arts for Anti-Racism facilitation for the GVI team of staff & Americorps Service Members. The partnership was launched in March 2019. Outcomes from this exercise include an acknowledgement that organizational change at GVI needs to occur to facilitate inclusivity. In June, CTCORE led the GVI team (9 employees & Americorps service members) through a 2-hour orientation in the CTCORE Food Justice Guide. The orientation covered CTCORE's Guiding Principles of a Community-Run Food System (Liberation, Self-Determination, & Economic Justice), their Values Statement, Organizing Frames, & their process in Building a Movement Toward a Liberated Food System. ST Outcome 3: At least 75% of low-income Bridgeport residents perceive farmers markets & other fresh food outlets to be safe & inclusive; & ST Outcome 4: Increase awareness of Bridgeport farmers markets among low-income residents The Farmers Market Awareness Questionnaire was developed as a way to survey shoppers at non-Farmers Market food outlets to assess awareness & utilization of Bridgeport Farmers Markets. The form was piloted by GVI the week of 8/19 & continues throughout the market season. A plan for monitoring social media was developed by SHU with the BFMC. The Social Media Check form was developed & social media checks have been conducted every Monday since the farmers markets began. ST Outcome 5: 100% of youth fellows who complete the leadership program will demonstrate skills in at least three of the following areas as they relate to food justice: community engagement & outreach, facilitation, storytelling, advocacy The curriculum & recruitment materials for the youth fellow leadership program were drafted by GVI & CTCORE. Recruitment began in Spring 2019- two youth fellows were on-boarded. The Youth Summer Farm Crew Program ran from mid- June to mid-August. Twelve youth were hired for Youth Farm Crew positions for the 8 week program - ten completed program & received certificates in either Food Leadership or Food Justice. ST Outcome 6: Increase capacity for growing & selling food (from pre-treating to post-training) among low-income residents who complete the farmer training program The Farmer Training Program launched in Jan 2019 with 11 program participants. 7 of the 11 participants requested and income-qualified for scholarships. BFMC hired a Director & has begun outreach to recruit a SNAP Program Coordinator. These positions will ensure streamlined SNAP-doubling at farmers markets, bolstered marketing & outreach, & coordination with University of Connecticut's (UCONN) 's Urban Farmer Training Cohort. ST Outcome 7: 100% increase in land available for Bridgeport farming over the course of the project period The SHU evaluation team obtained an estimate of land available for Bridgeport farming from the Bridgeport Department of Planning & Economic Development. This will serve as the baseline for the study. The following Long Term (LT) Outcomes are closely related to one another & will be reported on collectively: LT Outcome 1: Increase in farmers market & fresh food outlet use over the course of the project period; LT Outcome 2: Increase in proportion of low-income users of farmers markets & other fresh food outlets over the course of the project period; & LT Outcome 7: Increase in vendors selling Bridgeport-grown produce or related value-added products at farmers markets over the course of the project period. SHU developed a uniform Farmers Market Weekly form to capture relevant data for this outcome across all Farmers Markets. BFMC drafted a market manager/vendor guide to provide information regarding the rules & regulations of the farmers markets to both market managers & market vendors. The marketing coordinator of the BFMC created new logos for the collaborative, as well as for each market. SHU completed all measurement & tracking forms. A schedule for data collection at the farmers markets was developed. IN June & July, the Farmers Market Weekly Forms were launched & data was recorded by program staff & volunteers at Bridgeport markets. Between 6/22/19-7/31/2019, 5,747 individuals visited all farmers markets combined. SNAP users, senior voucher users & the value of senior vouchers & Bridgeport Bucks were recorded, as well as the number of new vendors (1) selling Bridgeport-grown products. Every farmers market held to date has been tracked with this form, & SHU will continue to collect this data as the markets continue their season. A new, one-vendor opened at market Bridgeport Hospital this season. The Stratfield Saturday Market will have a new wave of vendors for this market season. The East End market will be opening this season at a new location. LT Outcome 3: Market customers are satisfied with their farmers market experience Please refer to the update provided for ST Outcomes 1 & 2 LT Outcome 5: Market vendors are satisfied with their farmers market experience SHU completed the development of the Market Vendor Focus Group discussion guide & satisfaction questionnaire with input from the project partners & will be pilot tested in early Year 2. LT Outcome 6: Increase in produce grown by Bridgeport urban farmers over the course of the project period Year 2 of the Urban Farmer Training Program was launched in January 2019. Eleven (11) people registered for the Year 2 cohort, which met weekly on Thursdays from January through December & began to farm together at the urban farmer training site at 122 Arctic Street in Bridgeport in the Spring. Urban Farmer Training Program began selling at Farmers Markets in Bridgeport at the start of the market season. Urban Farmer Training program participants have reached out to GVI about accessing land in Bridgeport. GVI is working with the City of Bridgeport & the Bridgeport Food Policy Council to create a system in which interested farmers can identify available lots in Bridgeport. Park City Harvest, a beginning farm venture, began selling their produce at Reservoir Community Farm. ?LT Outcome 8: At least 1 new business opportunity (e.g., startup, farmer-business connection) will emerge annually during Years 2-4 of the project period, for a total of 5 over a course of the project period. BFMC worked with a new marketing company (Magnacon 7 Enterprises) to expand reach to new vendors.GVI created a vendor application & policy to transition their Reservoir Community Farm from a single-vendor farm stand to a multi-vendor farmers market. Vendor recruitment focused on Bridgeport vendors, creating opportunities for emerging farm & food businesses to test out their products & incubate their enterprises.Park City Harvest & the UConn Urban Farmer Training cohort began selling produce at RCF in August 2019. CTCORE recruited 2 Youth Food Justice Fellows for a 2-year cohort. Each fellow will initiate a food justice project in Year Two.
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