Dane County  
Minutes - Final Unless Amended by  
Committee  
Food Council  
Consider:  
Who benefits? Who is burdened?  
Who does not have a voice at the table?  
How can policymakers mitigate unintended consequences?  
Wednesday, September 29, 2021  
5:30 PM  
Virtual Zoom Meeting: See top of agenda for  
instructions on how to join the webinar or call in by  
phone.  
A. Call To Order  
7 -  
Present  
DONALE RICHARDS, Supervisor MICHELE RITT, SHEENA TESCH, BILL  
WARNER, DANIEL CORNELIUS, SHIRLEY NENNIG, and ABHA THAKKAR  
1 - MARCIA CATON CAMPBELL  
Excused  
MFPC Chair Anderson called to order at 5:36pm.  
Madison Food Policy Council members: Chair Erica Anderson, Vice Chair Lindsey Day  
Farnsworth, Chris Brockel, Jamie Bugel, Alder Yanette Figueroa Cole, Alma Horlock,  
Rebecca Kemble, Sarah Larson, Nicholas Leete, Kirsten Moore, Laura Scandurra,  
Devika Suri, Alder Regina Vidaver  
OTHERS PRESENT: Jess Guffey Calkins, George Reistad, Nick Heckman, Nan Fey,  
Michelle Orge, Blake Harley  
B. Consideration of Minutes  
MINUTES 08.18.2021  
2021  
MIN-301  
Attachments: 2021 MIN-301  
A motion was made by NENNIG, seconded by RITT, that the Minutes be approved.  
The motion carried by a voice vote 7-0.  
C. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda  
D. Announcements  
E. Presentation  
SHFB FOOD COUNCIL PRESENTATION FINAL  
2021  
PRES-165  
Attachments: 2021 PRES-165  
Michelle Orge, President & CEO, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin -  
DANE CARES Program: A Review in How Connecting Nutritious Food to the Community  
can also Benefit the Local Economy  
The presentation was followed by a question and answer period.  
2021  
PRES-164  
REINVIGORATING THE ROLE OF THE MFPC AND DCFC IN  
ANALYZING 092921  
Attachments: 2021 PRES-164  
Reinvigorating the Role of the MFPC and DCFC in Analyzing, Revising, and  
Recommending Ordinances and Other Legislation - Rebecca Kemble/Nan Fey  
A discussion was held. The Food Plan work group and Regional Agriculture & Food  
Sovereignty work groups will have further discussions at their next meetings.  
F. Reports to Committee  
Work Group Reports  
- Food Access, Relief & Economic Support – Nick Heckman  
The group is working to identify recommendations to the grantmaking group leads.  
- Food Plan – Bill Warner  
The group is waiting on funding updates.  
- Regional Agriculture & Food Sovereignty – Nan Fey  
The group is focused on the ag lease memo work.  
Staff Reports  
- City of Madison – George Reistad  
Madison Public Market  
•
Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant has been submitted; still waiting  
for a decision as it winds its way through their construction, environmental, and legal  
teams for review  
•
Beginning the sign design process and working with purchasing to put together a  
request for quote/proposal  
HRAP Eval Project  
•
•
Continuing to meet as a core team weekly  
Did first round of store owner interviews; UW-Madison Extension staff are now  
analyzing the data and preparing for round 2 interviews  
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income  
•
City Staff Core Team continues to meet weekly  
o
Project is progressing and is on the cusp of hiring a program manager and local  
research fellow through UW-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP).  
•
Task Force Core team also meets weekly  
o
Advisory Task Force continues to meet monthly and provide input on research  
domains, hiring preferences/requirements, and program implementation strategies  
2022 Operating Budget  
•
•
The Mayor’s operating budget will be released next Tuesday 10/5  
Double Dollars Program, Garden Network, SEED grants are all likely safe/level  
funding  
o
o
One thing for this group to be aware of is the status of the MFPC operating budget  
Because of Reistad’s move to Economic Development Division (EDD), this budget  
may be reduced or eliminated in the 2022 budget  
- Public Health Madison & Dane County – Nick Heckman  
Heckman delivered updates on the prevailing COVID-19 situation for Dane County.  
“Third dose” boosters have now been authorized for some groups who have been fully  
vaccinated for six months. This would include food and agriculture workers as well as  
grocery workers. From Department of Human Services (DHS): For additional information  
about booster doses, additional doses, and help accessing your COVID-19 vaccine  
record to determine when you may be recommended for a booster, visit the DHS  
Additional Doses and Booster Doses webpage.  
Dane Food Access Network met on 9/23 with Linette Rhodes from Madison Community  
Development Division. Linette shared insight into the City’s initiatives to support  
unsheltered community members and individuals at the Reindahl Park encampment.  
- Dane County – Jess Guffey Calkins  
The 2021 Edible Startup Summit event is cancelled. Extension is looking to connect with  
and share information about other upcoming food entrepreneurship education and  
networking events. Please contact Jess if you would like to connect about supporting  
food entrepreneurship in Dane County.  
Regular Business Reports  
- Community Gardens  
Community garden organizers along with Rooted staff are working on preparing gardens  
for fall and winter, including winterizing water systems and cleaning up, planting vacant  
plots to cover crops so that they are ready for new gardeners in the spring. Rooted staff  
continue to work on finding alternate land for displaced community farmers in McFarland,  
and are exploring the possibility of a pilot community composting program at a garden to  
be determined, in the city of Madison.  
- Madison Metropolitan School District  
The MMSD school year started on 9/2. Last spring, the USDA extended the waiver that all  
students enrolled in school have access to free breakfast and lunch every day for the  
entire school year.  
MMSD is also providing meal pickup for the students enrolled in virtual learning for the  
school year. We currently offer a 5-day meal box and milk pickup at the following  
locations, every Monday from 2:00pm-4:00pm: LaFollette High – loading dock behind  
school (take the driveway for Sennett Middle School and go through the parking lots  
behind both schools), Memorial High – Door #6.  
Additionally, we have experienced along with the rest of the food industry, manufacturing  
shortages. Our primary distributor, Gordon Food Service (GFS), first reported observing  
inventory and supply chain issues caused by material shortages, increased demand for  
select products, and workforce challenges in late August. Deliveries are received for GFS  
three days per week at our Production Center and shortages totaling hundreds of cases  
of product are observed with each delivery. We are continuing to partner with numerous  
vendors to try to always have our bases covered and solidified backup plans, to ensure  
that we will feed any students looking for breakfast and/or lunch each school day.  
- Double Dollars Program – Alma Horlock  
Will wrap up distributing Double Dollars at markets Oct 31 (some markets will close  
before then). Will soon start distributing at Willy Street Co-op.  
G. Future Meeting Items and Dates  
H. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law  
I. Adjourn / Recess & Reconvene  
A motion was made by WARNER, seconded by THAKKAR, that the meeting be  
adjourned. The motion carried unanimously 7-0.  
Minutes respectfully submitted by Jess Guffey Calkins, pending council approval.