D. Discussion Items
1. Food Rescue Assessment - City of Madison & NRDC approached the Food Plan work
group asking if there was interest in doing an assessment similar to ones done in other
cities. Rooted is the grantee, serving as fiscal agent for WI Food Systems, Inc., to do
the work. Grant documents are signed and funds have been released. Chris Brockel,
Healthy Food for All and FEED Kitchens, will partner on the project. A document will be
used at convening to identify and show what the issues are. Date of the event to bring
people together is TBD. The project will be completed before year end. WI Food
Systems, Inc. has picked up the work of the terminal market project. The organization
was formed as a nonprofit last year. Board of Directors: Phil Kauth, Marcia Caton
Campbell, Rebecca Kemble, Lindsey Day Farnsworth, Michelle Miller, Dan Cornelius,
Yimmuaj Yang, John Kane, Michael Schoenleber.
2. Dane County Pandemic Food System Study - Study from SIFT Consulting is finalized.
Report will be presented March 22. There will be a vote to accept the report and will be
posted on Dane County Food Council website. Report will not be linked on the agenda,
but will be linked following because it needs to be officially adopted.
3. USDA grant opportunities; statewide communication & partnerships - WI Food
Systems, Inc, talked about resurrecting the WI Food Network, and decided it was too
complicated of an organization.
4. 2023 USDA Regional Food System Partnership (RFSP) grant -Proposal is due May
2nd, decision by September for funding after October 1. Phil will check with Abha
Thakkar to see whether her consulting firm still wants to play a role in the project. We will
want to incorporate information from the SIFT pandemic study into the background
narrative. We could look at a rural economic development study as part of the RFSP
grant (a former ED of Winrock). Need to bring the work into the community and engage
organizations to help co-create the food plan. Senator Baldwin said she would offer a
letter of support for the project. Should find out if Rep Pocan would do so as well.
5. WI Food Systems, Inc., federal appropriations request - has made a $5 million request
through Senator Baldwin and Rep. Pocan’s offices for funding under the HUD-EDI
account, to repurpose an existing building as ambient, cold and frozen storage, food
processing, and food distribution hub for small local producers, gleaning organizations,
and institutional buyers, with REAP, FEED Kitchens, and WI Food Systems, Inc.
co-located there. The need in this region for this facility has been discussed for over a
decade. The City of Madison invested over $100,000 in a study of the need and potential
for such a facility, which could create access to larger markets for producers.
The NRDC Food Rescue study will also support the need for this facility, since it will
document the need for food rescue organizations to be able to use a facility of this type.
E. Announcements
REAP’s Anna Landmark will upload the vegetable processing study that REAP did, after
updating economic data and other information. REAP will post it on their website and
distribute an announcement when the study is available.
