D. Reports to Committee
Regular Business Reports
- Dane County Food Action Plan - Noah Bloedorn via WARNER, Guffey Calkins
We are currently deep into the Community Engagement phase of the Food Action Plan, where
gathering your direct input is absolutely critical to shaping a plan that truly reflects our
community's needs and visions.
Upcoming Town Hall Events: Your Voice Matters!
We have a key public town hall coming up very soon:
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When: Wednesday, June 25, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: UW South Madison Partnership building (2238 S Park St, Madison, WI 53713)
What: We'll start with a presentation on the "State of the Food System" in Dane County,
followed by an open discussion facilitated by Abha Thakkar. This is your chance to share
thoughts, discuss critical food system issues, and contribute directly to the plan's
development.
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Why Attend? This is a fantastic opportunity to have your voice heard and connect with
what's happening in our community's food landscape. We've been actively promoting
this event, especially in South Madison, to ensure broad participation.
And mark your calendars for another opportunity to engage: July 22, 5:30-7 PM, at Brix Cider in
Mt. Horeb (119 S 2nd St, Mt Horeb, WI 53572).
Highlights From Our Community Engagement Efforts So Far:
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Surveys are Active! Both our Consumer Survey
(https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q27L2CL) and dedicated Farmer Survey
geographic diversity in responses, reaching folks well beyond central Madison. These
surveys will remain open through September to gather as much input as possible.
Meet Our Navigators! Our amazing team of Food Action Plan Navigators, led by Mya
Whitson, are out in the community attending multiple events across the county every
week. They're making direct connections and ensuring diverse voices are brought to the
table and informing the food plan.
Community-Led Sessions: We're thrilled by the positive response from community
groups hosting their own engagement sessions, from community-centric engagement
led by Project Home in the Allied and Darbo neighborhoods, to stakeholder-centric
engagement like Jamie Bugel facilitating focus groups to get farmers’ market manager
input. We have used up about half of our funding for this community-led engagement
and are looking for a second of applicants to continue this work. You can apply for
funding here:
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https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdRNOrQXdTUBY-p1qoPuBdCRaSpUThBM
NLYJLI8ddxFtXVegw/viewform.
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Staying Connected: Our new bi-weekly newsletter is helping us keep everyone informed
on the plan's progress and upcoming opportunities. Subscribe to the newsletter here:
n/facplan-newsletters/
Consumer survey can be taken and shared: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q27L2CL.
- Wisconsin Food Systems, Inc - CORNELIUS
This update was provided later in the meeting than listed.
Foodshed Partnership Project is progressing; warehouse is up and running. An additional USDA
grant application is in the works.
- Regional Agriculture & Food Sovereignty; Community Gardens - Nicholas Leete via Guffey
Calkins
Regional Ag & Food Sovereignty (RAFS) meetings are on first Wednesdays at 3 PM.
The RAFS group is continuing working on updates to City of Madison agricultural leases,
