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Sacramento Hunger Commission: July 2002 Minutes

1. The meeting was called to order by Rebecca Fuller, Chair. Since there was not a quorum at that point, the minutes of the June 18 meeting could not be approved.
2. Reports and announcements–
   
   Food Opportunities: Peggy Roark reported that California Emergency Foodlink has initiated the Food Opportunities (Food-Op) program to replace California SHARE. It is structured in much the same way, as a large-scale food-buying coop with no restrictions on income; former SHARE sites in Sacramento have been invited to participate. In Northern California the number to call for information is 800-283-9000.
   
   Department of Human Assistance: Juan Valdez provided an overview and distributed handouts on DHA, focusing primarily on its Food Stamp program. He noted that there are 41 DHA sites, including 32 nontraditional locations (schools, One-Stop Career Centers, Boys and Girls Club etc). There are also 6 Food Stamp outlets. Approximately 36,000 households currently receive Food Stamps. A new computer system will come on line next April, and monthly reporting for recipients is expected to be replaced by quarterly reporting in the near future. All food stamp offices are now using the simplified Food Stamp application.
   
   Summer Food Media Day July 2: David Mitchell reported that Media Day was a great success, with four TV channels sending crews to the Florin Meadows Apartment site. City of Sacramento staff also taped a radio program on Summer Food, and two local print media ran stories (Folsom and Elk Grove).
   
   Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition (SACGC): Bill Maynard reminded Commissioners that the group's first big meeting was that night. The Hunger Commission will share a table with SACGC at the Harvest Festival at the Fair Oaks Community Garden on August 3.
   
   Farmers' Market in North Sacramento/Del Paso Heights: Terry Schanz reported that a promising site has been located across from Hagginwood Community Center on Marysville Blvd. There will be no problems with zoning; once the Uptown Community Development Corporation has the owner's formal permission they will be able to move ahead with an application for a special use permit for a once-a-week market.
   
   Other announcements: Kevin Bond announced that the Salvation Army is seeking a new location for its Family Services central warehouse and asked for suggestions. They would be able to pay rent, and could work out of a fairly small space if necessary.
3. Policy Update- A handout was distributed on the current status of state bills supported by the California Hunger Action Coalition in 2002. Rebecca Fuller then briefly described the Farm Bill training for western states that she attended in June. It was clear that the Food and Nutrition Service of USDA has few answers at this point for states' concerns about Food Stamp Reauthorization; they will probably be “winging it” for the next few years. One of the main changes will be the gradual restoration of Food Stamp eligibility for legal immigrants, starting in 2003. There are also a number of options for states that provide an opportunity for advocacy: including offering transitional Food Stamps for up to 5 months and requiring only semiannual reports from recipients (rather than monthly or quarterly reports).
4. CROP WALK 2002– Eunice Stewart announced that the annual CROP WALK will be on Sunday, Oct. 13, with registration at 12:30 and the walk starting at 1:00 from the West Capitol steps. Last year CROP WALK raised almost $40,000 in Sacramento, with 25% going to local food closets and 75% to international anti-hunger programs. This year for the first time sponsors may designate their gift for a specific international agency from an approved list. Anyone interested in more information or in obtaining a Sponsor Record Form to collect pledges may contact Eunice at 332-8732.
5. Community Food Security and Agriculture- Linking farmers and urban consumers – Thomas Nelson first described his two hats: he works at Full Belly Farm in Yolo County and is also an organizer with the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC). Full Belly Farm is a 200-acre organic farm that grows a great variety of crops for consumers in both the Bay Area and Sacramento. Thomas emphasized that it is actually the consumers who determine what crops are grown on the farm. He sees agriculture as the cornerstone of community food security, a multi-faceted movement that emphasizes the links between production, distribution, marketing, and consumers. He urged the Commission to reach out to agriculture-related organizations such as the Community Alliance of Family Farmers (CAFF), Farm Bureaus, and the Western Growers.
   
   The counties in the Sacramento “foodshed” produce a large number of valuable crops. Some go directly to consumers through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, where people sign up with a farm to receive a box of fresh produce on a regular basis. Eighty farms are currently doing CSA (subscription) farming in California. Full Belly Farm donates five boxes of fresh produce each week to the Alameda Food Bank and another five boxes to a clinic serving low-income women with breast cancer. In the latter case the cost is essentially subsidized by other CSA customers. Other CSA farms have similar subsidized programs for a portion of their boxes. Another option for farms is to sell produce in bulk wholesale, for a much lower price but without the expense of packaging it. In any case (except where consumers come directly to the farm) transportation can be a major issue and expense. One option for getting produce to low-income consumers is to work through churches, who could receive bulk fresh food and have volunteers assemble it in boxes to distribute to their congregation or others. Coop buying clubs are another option. Thomas said $200 is a minimum order needed for Full Belly Farm to deliver to a buying club, but if a group like Loaves and Fishes could organize a buying group and had trucks to pick up the produce they could get really good deals.
   
   Thomas also talked briefly about the Farm to School model, where California is leading the way in getting fresh locally-produced foods into schools. In Northern California, Davis is planning to expand their “Crunch Lunch” (salad bar) program throughout Yolo County. There are also many opportunities in Farm to School programs to integrate nutrition into the curriculum. Principal challenges are funding (and the need to increase USDA reimbursement for school meals) and distribution issues. The Department of Defense has a new pilot project in California, “DOD Fresh” to identify local farms that can provide certain fresh foods to schools. Thomas said it would be very easy for Sacramento schools to participate. Not enough time for discussion and brainstorming, but there are definitely some exciting new possibilities.
   
   Several useful websites: http://www.fullbellyfarm.com , http://www.caff.org , http://www.foodsecurity.org
6. The meeting was adjourned at 1:00pm.

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