The Oregon Community Foundation

Environmental & Economy Forum: Ingredients for a Healthy Food System

April 21, 2011

  • Panelists: Claire Carpenter-Seguin, Executive Director, NEDCO (Neighborhood EconomicDevelopment Corporation)
  • Lynne Fessenden, Executive Director, Willamette Farm and Food Coalition
  • Laurie Trieger, Executive Director, LCHAY (Lane Coalition for Healthy Active Youth)

Each panelist had a chance to talk about their organization’s mission and how their programs intersect in the region. The panelists spoke about their collaboration in developing a Regional Community Food Hub in Springfield. (There are also many more organizations involved in this process.)

The Community Food Hub program being developed through NEDCO will tap into the local food industry which will affect Lane County’s economy, strengthen markets for local farmers and vendors, and tear down barriers to entry for food entrepreneurs. The Hub will have a certified kitchen, year round farmers’ market, and business development incubator which includes access to capital for start-ups and growth companies. According to a 2010 University of Oregon Community Service Center study, Lane County residents annually spend $1.17 billion on food; less than 5% of that is produced locally. Every percentage point of the food market that can be produced locally could bring $11.7 million into our local economy.

Laurie Trieger,with Lane Coalition for Healthy Active Youth, talked about a partnership they are working on called “Corner Stores”. LCHAY is working with Willamette Farm and Food Coalition and Dairy Mart stores to put carts of locally grown food in the parking lots of Dairy Mart stores, especially in residential areas that don’t have a grocery store within two miles of their homes. Dairy Mart is also considering carrying fresh produce inside the stores, but they are still working on the logistics.

Laurie also shared a recent study which indicates that out of 10,000 children in grades K-8 in Lane County,37%are overweight or obese. LCHAY’s missionis to improve accessibility to fresh food and promote greater activity to help prevent childhood diabetes and improve their life.

Willamette Farm and Food Coalition is involved in all of these programs, connecting farms to outlets, including a program working with schools. Willamette Farm and Food provides lessons to students on where food comes from, there are farm field trips, and fresh meals in the classroom—harvested by the kids! They offer school garden sessions, nutrition lessons on fruits and vegetables, and tasting tables with farm fresh produce in the cafeteria.

Lynne and her colleagues have been working to bring locally grown products to school cafeterias in Bethel, Springfield, and all Eugene 4J schools. All of these districts are purchasing produce from Lane County farms.

We also heard from Lara Christensen, OCF Donor Relations Officer working with the Gray Family Funds. She talked about how the Gray Family Funds provide support to Environmental Education programs which give students in grades 5-8 an opportunity to attend outdoor school and learn about their environment. Lara has also been involved with the No Oregon Child Left Inside Coalition, for the development of an Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) for K-12 students and teachers. Oregon is only the second state in the nation to complete an ELP, which will allow this program to move forward in Oregon.

One final note: Shane Tracey, owner and chef of Nib, provided the delicious locally grown lunch.