North Coast Opportunities, the Mendocino Food Policy Council, and the City of Ukiah are hosting a two-day community workshop on the topic of local food and its potential for strengthening our local economy, supporting healthier people and neighborhoods, and revitalizing our downtown. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Transportation (DOT), US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and Delta Regional Authority (DRA) have selected Ukiah for the Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance program, which will result in an action plan for strengthening our local food economy.
A team of these agency partners and their consultants will join local stakeholders to conduct a workshop in Ukiah on June 28 and 29. Your participation and knowledge of the local area is needed to help make this event a success. The workshop will bring together many key stakeholders from throughout our region to develop an action plan primarily around, but not limited to, these goal areas:
- Assess the need for a community/shared use kitchen and possible co-pack type facility with the capacity to convert local farm remainders into value added products.
- Increase participation in and capacity of local food initiatives and organizations.
- Develop a common online communication platform for local food-related information and opportunities.
- Create and/or adopt place-specific land use management tools to help preserve agricultural land and encourage food production.
The workshop will include presentations on community livability and the roles that local foods play in supporting it, plus small group working sessions and discussions on specific actions that the community can take to reach these goals. The workshop will lay out an action plan for moving forward.
Who: Stakeholders and community leaders such as local residents and elected officials, along with representatives of EPA, USDA, DRA and contractors from Renaissance Planning.
What: Discussions on local foods and community livability, group work sessions, and networking that will result in a Next Steps Action Plan.
Day 1 Evening Session: Wednesday, June 28 from 5:30 to 8:00 PM at the Alex Rorabaugh Center Conference Room, 1640 South State St, Ukiah. Light refreshment provided.
Day 2 Action Planning Work Sessions: Thursday, June 29 from 9:00 AM to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Community Foundation, 204 South Oak St, Ukiah. Lunch provided.
For more information or to RSVP for the workshop, please contact: Eva King, Mcfpc.coordinator@gmail.com, 860-670-7089.
Your expertise, experience, and enthusiasm for the community and region will help make the workshop a success. We look forward to seeing you there.
Ukiah Local Foods, Local Places Steering Committee:
- Scott Cratty: Owner, Westside Renaissance Market; Farmers Market Organizer and Manager
- Patty Bruder: Executive Director, North Coast Opportunities
- Ruthie King: Director, School for Adaptive Agriculture
- Caroline Radice: Manager, Mendo Lake Food Hub
- Fontaine McFadden: Creative Director, Bridge 2 West
- Neil Davis: Director, Walk and Bike Mendocino
- Tiffany Gibson: Director of Wellness, Ukiah Medical Center
- Terry McCartney: EPA Director, Hopland Band of Pomo Indians
- Eva King: Coordinator, Food Policy Council
- April Cunningham: Food Systems Project Coordinator, North Coast Opportunities
- Nicholas Petti: Program Director and Culinary Instructor, Mendocino Community College
[This archive item was originally published on Wednesday, June 7, 2017]
