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Fall 2022 (October)
A message from our Director, Maddie Chera:
It’s kind of spooky how quickly fall is rushing by, but we’re seizing the season, harvesting the bounty of hard work over the past many months and, indeed, years. Today brings National Farm to School Month to an end. We're looking back at the month’s exciting kickoff with Local Menu Takeovers across the region in four school districts (see the Featured Story in the full newsletter, linked below). And we worked with our partners in Cleveland to create an inter-regional report of local purchasing by schools through the Feed Our Future program (note that our schools purchase even more local food than reflected here, and we’re working on more comprehensive reporting for the future!).
Farm to School brings together so many of the issues that are central to our work, including resilient local and regional food systems, healthy communities, sustainability, and food access for all. Many of us have been engaged in policy surrounding these issues at various scales this season, whether through the Green Cincinnati Plan, learning about the 2023 Farm Bill from statewide partners like OH Ecological Food and Farming Association and Kentucky Food Action Network, or tuning in to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health (check out recordings and some news coverage if you missed it!).
Does all this fun and important stuff sound like something you’d like to get more involved in? Those of you with us for the Council meeting in September know that we will be circulating a Call for Nominations to the Council soon, so keep an eye out. And get ready to nominate yourself or others who would be great additions to the Council!
Two other important things you should know about:
We’re hosting a party! Join us for the final meeting of the year on Nov. 9 and then come celebrate the outcomes of our efforts in 2022 at the second annual Gather (Featured Event in the full newsletter, linked below). The Green Umbrella Annual Meeting on Dec. 13 will also be followed by a reception. All are welcome to both events, but please let us know you’re coming (the Events section in the full newsletter, linked below, has more details).
We were chosen to participate in a national Community of Practice for Regional Food Policy Councils over the next two years, sponsored by the USDA, OSU, and other partners. The kickoff is tomorrow.
Cheers! Maddie Chera, PhD Director, Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council
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