Washtenaw Food Policy Council
Food Access & Nutrition Policy Action Team
Policy Action Team:
Food Access & Nutrition
Date of Meeting:
June 16, 2014
Time of Meeting:
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Address of Meeting:
Learning Resources Center, 4135 Washtenaw, Ann Arbor, Room A
Washtenaw Food Policy Council
attendees:
Seema Jolly
Markell Miller
Kyle Metta
Kathy Fellabaum
Additional attendees (first and last
names):
Amanda Ng
Public comment (first and last
names):
None
Note taker:
Seema Jolly
Agenda:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Review minutes from May meeting
Updates/Announcements
a. Farmers’ Market Manager meeting
b. Other
Updates on maps
Review Workbooks (Action Plans) for policy agenda items
a. Updates on data gathering
b. Next steps
Begin shaping “vision/goal” statement for the PAT (if time)
Meeting Minutes:
1. Meeting began - 3:39PM
2. Review May minutes – no changes needed
3. Updates/Announcements
 Amanda: County Vending survey will be sent to all staff.
 Farmers’ Market Meeting was held at the end of May. There was discussion
about challenges farmers’ market managers face with implementing food access
programs; Growing Hope may apply for USDA funding to help other markets
implement food access programs. The market managers will meet regularly and
if there are opportunities for them to collaborate with our PAT on advocacy/policy
issues, they will let us know.



Markell: Summer Food Service Program starts next week. Food Gatherers
website has a list of all the different sites and whether they are open sites or
require enrollment, For any of the open sites, anyone under 18 can show up to
receive food. Ypsilanti Community Schools will also be sponsoring the Summer
Food Service Program as well.
Seema – WFPC: There are plans for the process for advocacy issues (when
WFPC can’t meet to vote). Will allow for letters to be sent on behalf of the WFPC
when a PAT has a pressing advocacy issue. The process will be discussed at the
July WFPC meeting.
Kathy Fellabaum is changing jobs so will not be working at Washtenaw County
Public Health any longer. She’ll still be working for the County and will try to
come to meetings if she can. We will miss her!
4. Updates on maps
 Kyle is currently working on our maps. What he needs:
 Food Gatherer’s network of all distribution sites (Markell could easily get:
physical address and pounds of food, pantry or meal program). Hours
would be harder. Will be added to the map of non-conventional food
access (farmers’ markets, food distribution sites, etc.)
 Health outcomes data:
1. Child obesity, Kyle was using census data. WCPH has county
level data from Health Improvement Plan. Kyle needs to know
how to show these type of data (e.g. are there relevant cut off
points/percentages). Suggestion to show variations in obesity
rates in the county/disparities and compare with a state/national
average.
2. If Kyle has more questions, he will ask about thresholds for the
different health outcomes.
 Schools: Markell suggested that if there is a way to show the utilization of
meals in schools that may be useful to map (e.g. funding the school is allotted
or using for meals but not being used). Other relevant data (enrollment in
free/reduced lunch/breakfast are already available by school)
5. Reviewed workbooks
 Kyle came up with draft workplans that map out next steps for our different policy
agenda items. Some information still needs to be filled in. With the group that is
present, we will divide up the different policy agenda items to work on the
workbooks. Will email the rest of the PAT and let them know what is being
worked on in case anyone else wants to help.
 Nutrition Guidelines: Seema/Nishi will work on writing a 1 page description.
Seema will review and update the excel sheet with more activities under this goal
 Food Access: Nishi
 Transportation: Amanda
 School utilization: Markell
6. Discussion of the PAT goal/vision statement. Seema/Nishi could start drafting a
goal/vision statement that could then get discussed at a future meeting when more
people are in attendance. Will hold off on this for now.
7. Meeting adjourned 5:00PM