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Sacramento Hunger Commission: May 2002 Minutes

  1. The meeting was called to order by Rebecca Fuller, Chair, at 11:40. Judie Wilson provided lunch for the Commission to thank them for their efforts on the public campaign, including Leaders Serving Lunch .
  2. The April 16, 2002 meeting minutes were approved unanimously (Eghigian/Schroeder).
  3. Commissioner Reports and Announcements- Richard Schroeder reported on the Mather Community Campus garden. Ernie Brown reported the Senior Gleaners had a groundbreaking for their new facility. The annual open house is June 9th from 10am to 2pm and everyone is welcome. Cindy Nelson reported on new gardens started at two more of El Hogar's residences: one for men, and one for older women. The men's garden was initiated by the clients because they felt that they wanted healthier food to supplement their diet. At the older women's site they are growing herbs and veggies. Bill Maynard reported on the proposed organic farmer's market in North Sacramento. The rezoning process for the Uptown Community Development Corporation's preferred site, which is on church property and currently zoned residential, would take 6-8 months and cost up to $25,000 . Gary Little reported that the City's recommendation is that the market be moved to another site in an area already zoned for commercial use and said that other possibilities had been identified. The Commission discussed moving the market to a new site to more rapidly facilitate increased food access in the North area.
  4. Presentation, update and dialogue on the activities of the Junior Garden Gleaners- Kyle and Dainen Mc Daniel, Zachary Marks - presented their program. The Junior Garden Gleaners targets homes with fresh produce going to waste, harvests the produce and donates it to organizations that feed the needy. They focus on Placer County, Orangevale, Rocklin, Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights and Folsom. As of October 2001, they had gleaned and donated over 5000 lbs of produce. They are currently shifting into a 4-H based program and restructuring now that Zach Marks is going to college in the fall. Their vision is to expand the program nationwide. As a first step, they'd like to see a group started in Sacramento, but at this point they do not yet have any involvement with Sac County 4-H. The Gleaners asked for the Hunger Commission's advice on getting funding for supplies and equipment, marketing the program and accessing more of the fresh produce going to waste. They are having trouble getting people to call them this year. Currently, they have posters, business cards, a website and articles published in USA Today and the Sacramento Bee. There were numerous questions and suggestions from the Commission. Commissioner Barb Finnestead offered to help promote the program. Commissioner Kevin Bond suggested connecting with churches. Commissioner Sharon Eghigian recommended using InfoLine to reach more people. Commissioner Richard Schroeder suggested having a booth at the State Fair and tying in the Garden Gleaner's effort with the Pots and Pans Drive. For more information on the Junior Garden Gleaners program contact Kyle and Dainen Mc Daniel at 916-663-1753. Zach Marks can be reached at 916-987-6116. Their website is http://jrgardengleaners.tripod.com
  5. Special Update on Summer Food, visits to City Councilmembers, and public "people raising" campaign- Judie Wilson and Kim Wade discussed the goals of the Summer Lunch Campaign:
    • education on hunger as a year-round issue;
    • asking people to volunteer;
    • getting more food to kids by expanding summer lunch sites and facilitating connections to start new sites. The City of Sacramento is sponsoring sites all over Sacramento County. Commissioner Dave Mitchell stated that there were 115 sites in the Sacramento region as of a couple days ago. Sacramento City Unified School District is also operating sites. There has been good media coverage of the campaign. Peggy Roark updated the Commission on the visits to City Council members/staffs – so far staff and Commissioners Maynard and Bond have met with staff from Districts 3 and
    • Ms Wilson and Shana McDavis-Conway requested the Commissioners' help in getting the word out about Summer Food and what a user-friendly program it is for participants. Ms. Wilson asked if any commissioners could attend the next Leaders Serving Lunch event at a program for teen moms, Sierra Nuevo High School Thursday, May 23 at 3pm. Commissioners were also urged to log on the website, http://www.summerlunch.org. The new campaign Summer Lunch posters and postcards are now in, and will be distributed as widely as possible.
  6. Legislative update and report on Hunger Action Day -Sharon Eghigian and others- Ms. Eghigian reported that Hunger Action Day last Tuesday was very successful, with over 250 participants from all over California. Many Commissioners attended including Kevin, Judie, Rebecca, Ernie, Dave, Russell and Sharon as well as all the Commission staff. For the first time in several years, there were not only legislative visits and advocacy training but also a big noon rally. Rebecca stated that the event had a definite impact at the state level. It was reported that all the legislators visited had been supportive of the CHAC agenda with the exception of Dave Cox who was very anti-entitlement programs. Ms Eghigian discussed Governor Davis's May revised budget that was released on Hunger Action Day. The revision included a deficit larger than expected but also funds to change to a quarterly reporting system and eliminate monthly reporting for food stamps. The funds were taken from the money set aside for the food stamp program vehicle exemption funding, so it is unlikely that the exemption will go through this year. At the federal level, the Farm Bill has finally been passed and signed. It included changes in food stamps for immigrants and the elderly. In an important aside, it was noted that under the House's TANF reauthorization bill, approved this month, up to five states could enter a block grant program using a super waiver and funnel food stamp money into other programs. Ms Eghigian summarized Hunger Action Day by stating that we can look forward to a change in reporting, but we're not sure how may other issues on the CHAC agenda will pass this year. A motion was made to write a letter against the super waiver (Wilson/ Bond) Judie reported that California received a D on CHAC Hunger report card. Ms Eghigian asked commissioners to please consider participating in Hunger Action Day legislative visits next year.
  7. Follow-up brainstorming re Hunger Commission role and issues raised at last three meetings- children, seniors and community gardens --tabled for next meeting.
  8. Meeting adjourned at 1pm, after a brief evaluation – with positive comments about lunch and the energy and commitment of the Jr. Gleaners.

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