Regional Food Summit 2018 Features the Palouse Tables Project
A slide created by the VISTA in the Palouse Tables Project.
On January 27, 2018, the Palouse Tables Project was invited to talk to the community about food insecurity on the Palouse. The team built a case for why the food insecurity assessment was necessary and how interested people could help in that effort. One hundred and thirty community members were present and included people from two food coalitions, pantry managers, farmers, volunteers, non-profit organizations, the media, and more. They were asked to share the values they brought to the table which then would inform the project and, ultimately, a regional food plan based on community input.
This word cloud was generated with the values shared by community members of the Palouse.
The Annual Food Summit is being hosted this year at Gladish Community and Cultural Center (the View Room at 115 NW State St.) in Pullman, Washington on January 27th from 10AM-3PM.
The event is being hosted by the Palouse-Clearwater Food Coalition and the Whitman County Food Coalition.
The Summit will begin with an artistic Photo Voice presentation with the Whitman County Council on Aging and a keynote presentation on “Farming Across the Generations” by Dulce Kersting-Lark from the Latah County Historical Society. Following the keynote will be a series of rapid-fire presentations featuring nine successful food access projects. These Ignite! presentations include: the Pullman Community Gardens at Koppel Farm, Vets on the Farm, Northwest Harvest, a Washington nonprofit food bank distributor, the Pullman Community Action Center’s Community Food Programs, Halal Meats from Pullman, Moscow’s Safe Routes to Healthy Food summer pilot project, the Pullman School District’s Snack Pantry and Backpack Program, the Albion Food Pantry and Summer Lunch Program, and Runner Bean Ranch from Palouse presenting on “Growing for the Foodbank.”
The lunch keynote speaker, Lucinda George-Simpson, will kick off our afternoon with a presentation about the “Traditional Food Ways of the Nez Perce People.”
Following the lunch keynote, our Community Action Center based “Palouse Tables Project” will lead an afternoon session using Appreciative Inquiry to identify what is working well with our many, already existing community projects. We hope to identify key characteristics of these successful endeavors in the hopes of including these elements in any and all coordinated future plans.
The Food Summit will conclude with a children’s artistic presentation, a raffle, and an award ceremony to recognize an Outstanding Local Food Leader for the Palouse-Clearwater region. Community members are encouraged to nominate an Outstanding Local Food Leader when they register for the Summit.
Registration is on a sliding scale and includes a catered lunch. Children and youth may register for a reduced rate. A children’s room will be available onsite. A limited number of need-based scholarships are also available. Please contact pcfoodcoalition@gmail.com to request a scholarship form or visit www.pcfoodcoaltion.org to download a form.
Pre-registration is required by January 20. Register early! The past three Food Summits have filled to capacity. Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m. and the program will start at 10:00 a.m. To register for the event, see https://foodsummit2018.eventbrite.com
