1 of 32

Connecting Across the Food System for

COVID-19 Emergency Food Response

​

March 23, 2020

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Julia Van Soelen Kim & Mimi Enright, UC Cooperative Extension

Suzi Grady, Petaluma Bounty

Phina Borgeson & Dan Bleakney, Sonoma County Food System Alliance

2 of 32

Overview

Goal: Bring together emergency food providers and food system leaders to build capacity, identify efficiencies, and develop innovative strategies.

Objective: Document resources and generate new ideas to strengthen existing efforts and support emerging models:

  • Identify improved efficiencies of resources across organizations
  • Identify barriers and update assumptions to effective operations
  • Create new models of distribution to support self-sufficiency and reduce impact on emergency food providers

3 of 32

Agenda

9:00 Section # 1: Sonoma County

9:30 Section # 2: Emergency Food Access

10:00 Section # 3: Local Food System

10:40 Section #4: Discussion

11:30 Next Steps, Resources, & Evaluation

12:00 Adjourn

4 of 32

Audience Poll

What best describes your role in the local food system?

  • Other = 11 (29%)
  • Emergency food providers = 8 (21%)
  • Local government = 8 (21%)
  • Local food systems advocate = 7 (18%)
  • Local food supply chain (e.g. distributor, restaurateur, grocer) = 4 (11%)

�n = 38

​

5 of 32

Our food system is changing rapidly...

6 of 32

7 of 32

Section 1: �County-wide context

Presenters:

  • County of Sonoma Emergency Operations Center (EOC) - John Kessel
  • Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) - Holly Harris
  • Update from Christine Sosko, County Environmental Health Services

8 of 32

Christine Sosko, County Environmental Health Services

9 of 32

Talking Points for Presenters (3-5 minutes)

  • Name
  • Organization/Business
  • Audience served
  • Geography
  • Core services provided
  • New or potential services in response to COVID-19
  • (If you are a direct service provider or supplier) Where are you getting food from and where are you bringing food to?

​

10 of 32

Section 2: Emergency Food Access

Presenters:

  • Catholic Charities - Juan Torres
  • Sonoma Family Meals - Heather Irwin
  • CERES - Cathryn Couch
  • Petaluma People Services Center - Elece Hempel

​

11 of 32

Dr. Laura Purvis from the Local Nexus Network, 2016. www.localnexus.org

​

12 of 32

Consumer Demographics as defined by EOC

  1. Those that maintain self-sufficient throughout the crisis

​

  • Older adults
    • Self-isolating but otherwise independent (can afford groceries, able to cook, need curbside service, special hours, take out)
    • Need economic assistance for groceries
    • Need meals delivered

​

  • Access & Functional Needs
    • Over 60
    • Under 60 do not qualify for MOW

​

​

  1. School-Aged Children
    • 18 and younger served with Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
  2. Infants
  3. Low-income
    • Receiving services already in safety net
    • Self-sufficient with low reserves
  4. Unhoused
  5. Medically-challenged/sick
    • Those already experiencing health challenges prior to COVID19
    • Those temporarily sickened/ incapacitated due to illness

13 of 32

Consumer Interface with the Food System

  1. Grocery stores
    • Large corporate owned
    • Locally owned
    • Corner stores

​

  • Prepared food
    • Restaurants
    • Deli’s
    • Cafeterias
    • Catering
    • Food trucks
  1. Farmer Direct
    • CSA’s
    • Farmers’ Markets
    • Farm stands

​

  • Emergency Food Providers
    • Free or discounted groceries
    • Prepared meals

​

  • Home Grown

​

​

14 of 32

Consumer Interface with the Emergency Food System

  • Grocery stores
    • CalFresh/EBT
    • WIC
  • Prepared food
  • Farmer Direct
    • CalFresh/EBT
    • WIC
    • Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Vouchers
    • Nutrition Incentives
  • Emergency Food Providers
    • REFB + partner pantries for groceries
    • Free and Reduced Meals/ Summer Meals Program
    • Senior Congregate Dining Sites
    • Meals on Wheels- COA + PPSC
    • Discounted groceries at REFB Value Market, Petaluma Bounty sliding scale farmstand and CSA

​

​

15 of 32

Sonoma Family Meal

  • Serving Sonoma County
  • Up to 200 meals per day from chef partners: Single Thread, Mateos Cocina Latina, Gerard’s Paella and more coming online. Nourishing meals, nothing too fancy, delicious food made under healthcode guidelines in commercial kitchens by professionals. Produce boxes: FEED Sonoma.
  • Usual model is to staff a large commercial kitchen with chefs/volunteers for mass feeding. Social distancing means we’re working with professional restaurants using skeleton crews; additional safety measures of cooling or freezing food. Microwave safe-packaging. Restaurants tapping patrons for $$ to offset costs and keep critical staff members employed. Win-win.
  • Currently working with COA, Corazon, Graton Day Labor Center, Community Action Partnership, Petaluma Bounty. Have bandwidth for more. Non-profit delivery to clients ideal, but not required.
  • NEED GRANTS or additional funding to continue to pay for services, launched fundraising page Sunday.

​

​

Heather Irwin, Executive Director

Providing Chef-Made Meals To In-Need populations while supporting local restaurants and farms. We are a 100% disaster-focused non-profit

​

CONTACT: Heather Irwin heather@sonomafamilymeal.org sonomafamilymeal.org, 7074830611 (personal cell, text or email best)

​

16 of 32

Ceres Community Project

Cathryn Couch, CEO

Who we Serve: Patients with acute health challenges who lack family support to prepare meals

Where: All of Marin and Sonoma counties

What we provide: 7 – 21 medically tailored meals/week for everyone in the family

Changes in service:

–Slightly changing eligibility to serve medically fragile with chronic illness and without family support

–For food insecure patients increasing food support with either additional meals or meals + groceries hopefully by 3/30

–Working with IHSS to support most medically fragile patients (21/week)

–Working with PEP Housing to support patients who are diagnosed with

COVID or may have been exposed (21/week)

–Scaling up services for IHSS and other medically fragile populations

​

17 of 32

Petaluma People Services Center

Elece Hempel, Executive Director

  • Meals on Wheels: This program is still open & adding additional routes to deliver meals to seniors throughout South County. PPSC is working to get the MOW clients enrolled in the You’re Not Alone program for additional support to seniors during the COVID-19 crisis.

​

  • Congregate Dining: The Senior Cafe is closed for sit down dining, but Petaluma seniors can still come by to pick up a meal Mon - Fri between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. We are still signing up new participants for congregate meals. Call (707) 765-8488 to RSVP for meals.

petalumapeople.org | (707) 765-8488 | admin@petalumapeople.org

18 of 32

State of the Emergency Food Access System

  • Adjustment in service delivery models to ensure social distancing protocols (PPSC, Ceres).
  • Some reduction in services due to decrease in volunteers, change in client needs (delivery instead of dine-in), or inability to ensure a safe environment.
  • Some agencies are focusing their models to respond to specific consumer demographics (Ceres).
  • Focus on preventing hospitalization, preventing people from needing more services longer term.

19 of 32

Changing Needs of Emergency Food Providers

  • To be noted during presentations
  • Need to expand/scale up services in anticipation of increase in demand of services.
  • Smaller but skilled staff to manage safety and risk. Increases cost.

20 of 32

Section 3: Local Food System

Presenters:

  • Farm Bureau - Tawny Tesconi
  • FEED Sonoma - Tim Page
  • Farmers Market LIFE & Petaluma Bounty - Suzi Grady
  • Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) - Evan Wiig
  • Farm Trails - Carmen Snyder
  • Farm to Pantry - Connie Newhall

21 of 32

Petaluma Bounty/ Farmers’ Market LIFE

Suzi Grady

Who we serve- Farmers’ Markets & farms, low-income consumers, service providers

Where- Southern Sonoma County, Farmers’ Markets in Sonoma & Marin

What we provide- Nutrition incentives (Market Match & CalFresh) & technical expertise, aggregate and disseminate information (Food Resource Guide), farm-based community food security and emergency food response, food recovery (Bounty Hunters Gleaning), coordination and facilitation of multi-stakeholder conversations, advocacy for all the above.

Changes in service- We’re not waiting until after the disaster to identify

how a systems lens will help identify gaps, resources, and outdated

assumptions that may cause unnecessary suffering, inefficiencies, or loss.

​

22 of 32

State of the Local Food System

  • Farmers’ Markets will remain open for the foreseeable future.
  • Regional sales to restaurants have plummeted, affecting distributors and mid-size farms.
  • Direct to consumer outlets have increased significantly (independent grocers, CSA’s, farmers’ markets).
  • As local restaurants shift business models or close, workers are being laid off.
  • Production is still fairly low for some farms until May or June (assuming sufficient workforce).
  • Employers are paying more for increased food safety and employee protection plans.

23 of 32

Changing Needs of the Local Food System

  • Outlets for displaced product from restaurant closures and funds to pay for product. This will keep workers employed and farms on track for the season.
  • Mechanisms to provide curbside pickup, sales, and possibly delivery for people needing to minimize public contact. How can we help local farms and farmers markets offer this to keep more consumers from needing emergency food services? How do we ensure access for people with limited income, ability, transportation, while not adding more cost for small businesses?
  • There are higher volumes of product than can be immediately shifted to direct-to-consumer outlets.
  • Small scale farms need to be included in federal support for small businesses.

24 of 32

Discussion

Thinking of the Demographics of Consumers (Self-sufficient, Seniors, Disabled, School-Aged Children, Infants, Low-income, Unhoused, Medically Challenged):

  • What assumptions, descriptions, and variables need to be updated?
  • What historical and new barriers to service need to be considered?
  • How can we help more people stay self-sufficient within each demographic?
  • How can we rely upon and aid retail outlets to support each demographic?
  • Are there additional considerations or compensations to be made for front-line food systems workers?
  • Which geographic areas need special considerations?

​

​

​

25 of 32

Discussion

  • Thinking about the Emergency Food Providers, what destabilizing factors do you see in your agency or industry and what can we do now to support each other?
  • How can we strengthen our local food system to keep more people employed and our farms on track for an abundant growing season?
  • What sort of new models can support more stakeholders of our food system?
  • What are your needs (resources, policy, funding, volunteers) in order to offer the above?
  • Any collaboration ideas or hopes not yet shared or developed?

26 of 32

Next Steps

  • Federal advocacy is needed NOW. See CAFF Action Alert.
  • Next COAD General Member Meeting: Thursday March 26th, 10:00-12:00 via Zoom
  • Future offerings on Fed to local policy and funding opportunities and needs?

​

​

27 of 32

Resources

~ For Service Providers ~

​

28 of 32

Resources

~ For Clients ~

​

29 of 32

Resources

~ For Retail Food Consumers ~

​

30 of 32

Resources

~ For Farms & Food System Workers ~

  • CAFF Action Alert
  • Fund for restaurant workers: (looks like applications are on hold right now…) https://rocunited.org/relief/
  • American Farmland Trust
  • Sonoma County Farm Trails
  • UndocuFund- https://undocufund.org/

31 of 32

Evaluation Poll

If a subsequent meeting on this topic was offered, would you participate? (n = 32)

  • Yes = 30 (94%)
  • Maybe = 2 (6%)
  • No = 0 (0%)

​

How effective was the use of Zoom? n = 30

  • Effective = 28 (93%)
  • Neither effective nor ineffective = 2 (7%)
  • Not effective = 0 (0%)

​

Did you gain new knowledge or connections in today's webinar that will help you in your work? n = 30

  • Yes = 30 (100%)
  • No = 0 (0%)

​

Please rate the quality of the facilitation? n = 30

  • High quality = 28 (93%)
  • Average quality = 2 (7%)
  • Poor quality = 0 (0%)

​

How relevant was this webinar to your work in the community? n = 30

  • Very relevant = 18 (60%)
  • Relevant = 12 (40%)

​

32 of 32

Thank you!