Tuesday,May 12th, 2015

Food Committee Meeting Minutes

Location: St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Approval of last month’s minutes

Welcome and Introductions

Updates

Master Provisions Shared Cold Storage

  • Shared cold storage is available( freezer, fridge, and flex space), in addition to 8 refrigerated semis
  • Added 2 more trucks to fleet that are city friendly (open June 1st)
  • There is a lot of capacity people are not taking advantage of
  • If you need cold storage space, please email Beth () or John () to discuss the options
  • Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting to unveil new cold storage was on March 13th

Hosea House Garden

  • First year is going very well
  • Harvesting onions this week
  • Several groups working in the garden
  • Discussed Food agency’s Catering companies (Last meeting*)
  • Brandy Medaugh will create list featuring all the SNA Food Agency’s catering companies and put on web portal
  • Discusses having social enterprise catering company’s (Center Table, DCCH, FSFB) present at SNA Meeting and do a tasting

Old Business

  • Giving Fields
  • Frist asparagus ever harvested (took 3 years)
  • No longer under water
  • Transplants this week (Go Cincinnati doing planting)
  • First harvest around 2nd week of July
  • Pavilion for garden classes is still under construction
  • Adding butterfly and bee garden
  • Added more raised beds
  • Adding some more barriers
  • Volunteer group scheduling
  • 250 people on July 11th at Giving Fields that are involved with MLB AllStar; if partners want to come, they can
  • New Initiative- Vegetable Kits (seed, soil, pots) that we can hand out to families
  • Nutrition Education Work Group
  • Current members: Melissa Pilcher, Andy Brunsman, Karen Yates, Penny Clark, Lauren Copeland, and Zach Price)
  • Andy is offering Nutrition Edu. At Be Concerned and offering to other agencies
  • Programs restrictions and regulations were loosened up so people can make up classes if they need to
  • More people are needed to participate in nutrition education program
  • Cooking Matters
  • First time program has been in NKY; 3rd week at St. Paul’s; 13 enrolled. Next- enrolled youth
  • Up to 15 individuals at a time; 2 hour/ 6 weeks of classes, Cincinnati St. providing volunteer chefs and dieticians
  • Learn how to safely handle food, healthy options on a budget; 5th class- at the grocery store
  • Take home enough food to recreate the meals
  • They can miss 1 class
  • Creative way to cook based on tools they have. It is hands-on and transformative with a graduation at the end to celebrate
  • Goal: connect raised bed garden and healthy options
  • Hunger Walk- Memorial Day-5/25
  • Please consider participating in the 12th annual Hunger Walk 5k; $15 for registration
  • Over the past 12 years, the race has raised over $1 million to help feed our neighbors in need through our network of partner agencies.
  • Think of groups you have connections with that could participate- high schools, sports teams. Etc.
  • Contact Sarah Celenza at to register; for more information please visit the 5k webpage-
  • Standardize a way to calculate the number of meals we provide as a Food Committee
  • Discussed the need to address goal #2 -devise a standard way to calculate meals, pounds, $
  • Postal Carriers Drive
  • Went fairly well; thank you for the poundage
  • Will try to even out poundage and make it as even across the board
  • Thank you to Gary Smith (Union Rep.) and the post office

New Business

  • Kroger Community Rewards
  • Offering it to customers as a chance to give back- great way for folks to give back
  • 4% rebate on all purchases to contribute
  • Reach out to Andy if you have questions or are interested
  • Renew every April
  • Safe Food Handling
  • Everyone gets recertified this year
  • Moving to 3 year cycle and good to revisit, as a good refresher
  • Updated regulations- Sarah will send it out
  • Sarah will send out dates (Wednesday June 24th, 10:00am-1230pm at Center for Great Neighborhoods)- NKY
  • Online ones cost $12- $10.50 with coupon and on-site ones are free

Next meeting: TBD

Attendance

  1. Crystal Cottrill- Northern Kentucky Foodbank
  2. Jennifer Wiley- Brighton Center
  3. Paul Gottbrath- Be Concerned
  4. Melinda Wordeman- United Ministries
  5. Molly Jordan- Giving Fields
  6. Sarah Celenza-Freestore Foodbank
  7. John Eldridge- Master Provisions
  8. Mary Kaiser-St. Bernard’s Food Pantry
  1. Brandy Medaugh- Parish Kitchen & Pantry of Hope
  2. Andrew Brunsman- Be Concerned
  3. Jim Leinart- St. Paul’s Food Pantry
  4. Dennis Daniel- St. Bernard Food Pantry
  5. Wanda Quinn- St. Johns Outreach
  6. Cordelia Koplow- St. Paul’s Food Pantry
  7. Becky Ewing- United Ministries
  8. Lauren Copeland- Brighton Center

Food Committee Goals and Objectives

  1. Assess our technology needs
  2. Standardize a way to calculate the number of meals we provide as a Food Committee
  3. Coordination of nutrition education, production, and food distribution (specifically, underserved areas)