General Meeting Notes | 21 September 2017 | Body & Soul Healing Arts Center
Welcome & Meeting Overview. Stephanie Calloway
- Call to order 5 pm.
Gratitude to host Body & Soul, and to Paulette Flynn and hospitality team. - Potluck Dinner
- Introductions & sign in sheets
Milwaukee Elevates Discussion.
Attendees broke into three groups for discussion and report out. Group notes follow.
Group 1
Collective impact surveys from MFC highlighted: Accessibility (esp relating to geographic distribution), Affordability, Desirability
175 Goal (1.2): Mapping partners is important. Which implementation partners missing?
- 16th Street Community Health Centers
- Groundwork Milwaukee
- Hunger Task Force – farm and distribution systems.
- Trickle Bee Café – culinary skills
- MATC, UWM, Mount Mary Nutrition & cooking classes
- Heart Love Place – Dietary technology
- Refesh MKE ? Policy and plan or action? There is support of what is behind this initiative.
- Pathfinders—tiny house grows food
- Kompost Kids – Make links between composting and the food system
- Salsa Lady – teach the upscaling, growing process?
Policy
- Foster economic development to create safe and affordable housing
- Chicken and Bees ordinance: Are there fewer used permits? Is there awareness of policies?
- Do people know they can start a farmers market w/o permit?
- Educate: awareness of possibilities
- Increase farmers market? Increase permits for bees & chicken
- Empowerment
- Cooperatively several homeowners together
- Dismantle grocery store inequity?? Strong
Getting Kids involved
- School based initiatives- captive audience- VGI ed outreach?
- Learn Earn Grow Milwaukee (LEG MKE)
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee
- Boys and Girls Scouts
Accessibility
- Small scale /large volume farms – there is a need, but the commerce part is a challenge. Kiva and support local, sell to Outpost or Juice Kitchen
- Reinforce benefits to buying local
- RSA; Farm Link bigger farms CSA; Food Hubs for small producers
- MKE Farmer’s Union
- Gleaning and value added
- divert waste
- Expand Trickle Bee model
Water
- Improve access to Basic human needs? Especially water.
- Every part of the food system, all processes depend on water
- Water as Public good – belongs to all not a human right – established history of selling rights
- Milwaukee county parks; land stewardship, more food growing
MFC Group 2
Ideas/suggestions per area:
1.1
Host film screenings (e.g. Supersize Me) to educate/motivate
Need to focus on distribution infrastructure to get the good food to people
-connect with faith based communities, maybe offer mobile market after services/gatherings
Increase the presence, concerns and voice of both youth and elders in issues of food justice
Reduce hyper-marketing of snack foods, chips, soda and junk in general
1.2.
Make sure to include composting here – look at supporting Composting businesses as part of the food system
Dismantle grocery store inequity in Milwaukee, creating a “new” model of grocery store – smaller, locally owned, cooperatives
Mobile Market format could work – maybe pop-up fresh markets outside of corners stores, so store owners don’t need to invest in the infrastructure of coolers, etc.
Increase funding for health fast food restaurants (maybe via KivaZip funding?)
1.3
Focus on neighborhood-based events, trainings or land access, resource fairs to support a broader community understanding of their “right” to grow food
Engage more young people in farming food – youth as teachers
Increase total acreage of food grown in the city for sale, barter or personal use
Offer clear guides to help navigate regulation, licensing, food safety laws, etc
Focus on a decentralized food system – more food districts within communities/neighborhoods
1.4
Focus on housing as another important basic need
MFC Group 3
General Topical Discussion
- Meeting close at 7pm
