“You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know”

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“You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know”

• Lakeshore Local Food Network
• Food for Tomorrow Report – December
2010
• Sheboygan County Food System Analysis,
Building Capacity and Scaling Efforts –
Spring 2015
• Food for Tomorrow Report – August 2015

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Mission:
To educate, support and empower our community around local food.
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Vision:
We envision thriving local communities growing & distributing safe, nutritious, locally produced foods that foster healthy communities, environments and economies.

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City of Sheboygan River Basin Local Food
Hub Grant Application (2009 – 2011)
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Community Interest Meeting – Dec. 2011
“People who have a passion for something and interact to do better.”
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Share Information
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Build Knowledge
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Solve Problems

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Initial Meetings – Discussed three areas:
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Farm/Producer
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Table/Market
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Process/Distribution
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Consensus was, What are the NEEDS and issues in the local food system for the Lakeshore region? and create a survey.
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Conducted a survey Fall 2012
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158 surveys sent, 28 returned, 18% return rate
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Food organizations, farmers, grocery stores, government officials, schools, hospitals, child care, large employers

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To positively influence the interest in local foods in
Sheboygan County we should:
Create community events that promote locally grown food
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Not like to have a positive impact
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Likely to have a minimal impact
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Likely to have a moderate impact
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Likely to have a significant impact
# Responses
0 4 14 10

Sample Question Q5 Cont.
How would creating community events that promote locally grown foods improve our local foods movement?
Comments (Example):
In order to have a significant impact, we have to make the
“eat local” campaign as common a part of culture as possible. The more people hear about it in their lives, the more it will slowly become the “new” norm in our community.

What Learned
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Coordinator to organize meetings, set up the agenda, take notes/minutes and manage communication process – keeps the momentum going
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Facilitator to aid group interaction in meetings
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Members – we have allowed self selection with a core group, who regularly attend
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Recognize everyone has separate interests
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Use as a format to diminish silos & open communication
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Use as a tool to figure out how we can actually help one another
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Develop an meeting schedule for a calendar year
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Other Ideas

2012
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Developed neighborhood garden
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Individual organizations used survey information in developing programs
• Three focus areas:
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Farm/Producer
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Table/Market
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Process/Distribution
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How to get local foods to our communities
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Identify markets & distribution
2015
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Moving forward focusing on three areas:
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Food Access
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Food Economy
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Food Education

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Food Access
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People know where to go to meet food needs
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Services are easy to access
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System is integrated & coordinated
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Offers – healthy, fresh food that is affordable and know how to prepare
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Food Economy
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Interrelationship between production, distribution & consumption as well as planning & policies re: local or regional food system with a focus on farm & farm related industries e.g. farm to table, farm to school, etc.

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Food Education
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Educational strategies, accompanied by environmental supports, to facilitate voluntary adoption of food choices and food-nutrition related behaviors conducive to well-being
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May be provided to an individual, group or household e.g. how to make quick, easy & nutritious meals, how to garden, how to freeze or can fresh produce
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Food education may also provide information to the community about food insecurity, effects of poverty or homelessness, information on what to donate to pantries, etc.

United Way strives to build a stronger & healthier Sheboygan County through effectively facilitating community resources, convening broad dialogue & focusing on the areas of highest need.

(United Way of Sheboygan County)

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January 2009 – As One Unemployment Task Force organized to proactively begin to address needs of unemployed/underemployed
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Silver Lake College Report – Sheboygan County Food Bank
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Identified Needs
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Develop relationships with businesses
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Develop resources to enhance corporate and public knowledge
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Establish a volunteer network
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Coordinate the logistics of food delivery
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Create a contact list of businesses/organizations that could provide assistance
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Last Quarter 2009 – United Way convened a meeting of representatives from FDL,
Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties
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Consensus
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People are in need of food
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Food supplies from local resources are available
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The system can be improved to get food to people

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Secondary Data
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Survey of Pantries
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Onsite Visits to Pantries
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Compilation of Current & Potential Food Suppliers
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Meeting with Major Food Suppliers
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Meetings with Other Food Providers/Programs
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Learning from Others

• Summer Meal Program
• Nourish – Snack Attack
• Sheboygan County Food Bank
Staffing
• Pilot Backpack Program
• Farmer’s Market EBT
• Other

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Offered donors options
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Provided funding to support and develop programs
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Offered in-kind support
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Options and implementation could be tailored to individual counties
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Other

2015 Reports
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
United Way of Sheboygan County

(UW-Milwaukee Team of Graduate Students, Spring 2015)
‘Examine food security in Sheboygan County & explore ways to improve accessibility to healthy food for every resident’
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Components
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Demographic Profile
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Local Food Economy
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Food Policy Analysis
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Food System Balance Sheet
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Case Studies
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Food Resource Directory

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Community Meeting
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Report Secondary Data and Research
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Demographic Profile – age distribution, income distribution & households receiving SNAP, lacking access to a vehicle, living below poverty
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Case Studies – LaCrosse County, Waushara County, State of
Oregon & Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Policy Analysis – regulations, preservation plans, health codes, transportation networks, school system policies, etc.
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Food Economy – county agricultural resources and food processing & manufacturing resources

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Create a steering committee to lead and guide food system efforts (A vested formal body of stakeholders can establish a vision for itself to better align efforts
& activities.)
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Participate in the Wisconsin Hunger &
Homelessness Summit
• Develop a mobile food pantry or mobile farmer’s market

Recommendations Continued
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Institute a streamlined permitting process for food operations
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Enhance access to alternative transportation
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Promote local food procurement in city and county institutions
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Maintain existing food education & expand outreach strategies to strengthen consumer education for children & families

Food for Tomorrow - August 2015
(Sheboygan County Food Bank, Lakeshore Local Food Network, UW-
Extension Sheboygan and United Way)
Update to the December 2010 Food for Tomorrow report as the food landscape has changed, there is a growing interest in the local food system and how aspects of the food system can be improved in Sheboygan County.
An investment in addressing hunger/food security is humanitarian and a good business decision.

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Background information & definitions (e.g. food security, food bank, food pantry)
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Secondary data update and comparison of data
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Living Wage Information & A sset L imited, I ncome
C onstrained, E mployed ( ALICE )
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Survey of sample of pantry consumers (usage/reliance, income and sources of income, household composition, self-reported food security status, reasons people do not have enough to eat, foods you would like to see at the pantry, etc.)
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Food Pantry services, hours of operation, households served, etc.

Recommendations
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Establish a Sheboygan County Food System Steering
Committee & Identify and Fund a Backbone Organization
Staff Position (Collective Impact)
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Food Storage & Distribution Center ( dry, refrigeration & freezer storage)
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Capacity to participate in food recovery & gleaning
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Centrally located pantry in City of Sheboygan
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Mobile pantry
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Consider co-location of storage/distribution with pantry

Recommendations Continued
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Included in the recommendation for the centrally located pantry/storage & distribution center is:
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Consider offering a meal or community restaurant component
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Providing an opportunity for pantry consumers to volunteer
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Serve as a job training site
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Offer information/linkages to other community resources/assistance (FoodShare, health care, tax preparation, educational and nutritional classes, etc.)

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Lakeshore Local Food Network, UW-Milwaukee & United
Way hosted
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Report Information Shared with attendees
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Small Group Break Out Sessions ( Access, Economy &
Education)
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Prioritize at least 3 of the recommendations
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Brainstorm next steps
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Small Group Discussion Summary

• Access
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Food pantry access issues for elderly & those with disabilities
• Pantry volunteer workforce is aging
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Improve data collection
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Clearinghouse
• Central Pantry
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Empower vs. Enable
• Economy
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Expand local production of fruits & vegetables
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Co-locate farmer’s market & food pantry
• Distribution model to support local farmers

Small Group Feedback Cont.
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Education
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What are the existing food education programs/efforts?
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Community Kitchen
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Tie message to various audiences (repeat the message school, employers, stores, etc.)
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Determine outreach and measurement
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Work together more effectively

Lessons Learned
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Benefits of partnering with other organizations
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Use existing, available data
• ‘Do not reinvent the wheel’ – use existing survey instruments
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Be inclusive – providers, producers, people who use the program/service
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Ask – there are great programs in other counties, other states

Lessons Learned Continued
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Research what is available in your county/region
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Assessments (United Way, hospitals, public health, economic development, etc.)
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UW- Extension
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County 2020 Process
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Other

• Write down your idea
• Write down the first thing you need to do to start working on your idea
• Write down at least three other people/organizations you must contact to help you begin working on your idea
• Write down what you hope to achieve with your idea (e.g. outcome, what will look different)
• Write down what you believe will happen if you go home and do nothing
Step 5 If You Do
Nothing
Step 4
Outcome/What
Will Look
Different
Step 1 Your Idea
Step 2 What You
Need to Do
Step 3 Other
People Needed

• http://www.uwofsc.org/assets/Food-for-Tomorrow/Food-for-Tomorrow-Report-
August-2015.pdf
- Food for Tomorrow August 2015 Report
• http://www.uwofsc.org/assets/Food-for-Tomorrow/2010-Food-for-Tomorrow-
Report.pdf
- Food for Tomorrow December 2010 Report
• http://www.uwofsc.org/assets/Food-for-Tomorrow/Sheboygan-County-Food-System-
Analysis-Spring-2015.pdf
UW-Milwaukee Spring 2015 Report
• http://www.uwofsc.org/assets/Food-for-Tomorrow/Food-Resource-Directory.pdf
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Food Resource Directory
• http://www.uwofsc.org/assets/Food-for-Tomorrow/Pantry-Household-Survey.pdf
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Pantry Consumer Survey Form Completed by Consumer
• http://www.uwofsc.org/assets/Food-for-Tomorrow/Pantry-Survey-Volunteer-
Interview.pdf
- Pantry Consumer Survey Form Completed by Volunteer Interviewer

Jane Jensen, Family Living Educator/Co-Department Head
UW-Extension Sheboygan County
920.459.5900
jane.jensen@ces.uwex.edu
Ann M. Wondergem
Please call United Way of Sheboygan County
920.458.3425
Based on the information you are requesting, someone will be able to assist you.