Nourishing Conversation: A Dialogue About Food Justice

The Hunger Action Conference is an annual event that brings community organizations, advocates, volunteers, and elected officials together to learn from each other, share ideas, stories, and have discussions around the issues of hunger, food justice, anti-poverty initiatives, food systems and so much more.

This year’s conference theme is “Nourishing Conversation, A dialogue About Food Justice” Join the Foodbank for engaging workshops and many great discussions.

Agenda at a Glance

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Tech Assistance

9:30 am – 10:00 am: Welcome Session

10:15 am – 11:45 am: Session One Workshops

11:45 am – 12:30pm: Lunch Break & Networking

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm: Session Two Workshops

2:00 pm – 2:15 pm: Break

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm: Session Three Workshops

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm: Closing Remarks

Session One Workshops 10:15 am – 11:45 am

Understanding Ableism in Food Justice

Due to the health and cultural systems that are in place, Vermonters with disabilities often face additional challenges that can make equal opportunities for success and health difficult. As a result, this population is more likely to rely on food programs and other support services. With 24 percent of adults in Vermont reporting that they have some type of disability, creating food programs that are inclusive and accessible is critical to better serving the needs of all community members. In this workshop, participants will learn from panelists about some of the barriers that individuals with disabilities face when accessing support services – from physical accessibility of a space, to perceptions and attitudes of program staff. Participants will also learn key tips and strategies to begin to break down those barriers so all can participate in available food programs.

Presenter: Sarah Launderville, Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL)

Co-presenter: Cara Sachs, Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL)

Bridging the Gap: CACFP and Summer Meals Program in Hunger Relief

Presenters will give an overview of the Summer Food Service Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Participants will leave this session with more knowledge of federal nutrition programs and how they can be used to relieve hunger in Vermont.

Presenter: Anastasia Tsekeris, Vermont Agency of Education

Co-presenter: Jamie Curley, Vermont Agency of Education

Vermont Foodbank Grant Writing Workshop

What are grants? How can they benefit my organization? How do I write a grant proposal? In this workshop, the Vermont Foodbank’s Senior Grants and Contracts Manager answers all of these questions and more in a guided tour through the intriguing, magical, and often mysterious world of grants. A summation of how grants benefit the Vermont Foodbank and its partner organizations, grant writing best practices, and tips on common grant application mistakes, will be made available. A Q&A session to follow.

Presenter: Jonathan Williams, Vermont Foodbank

Session Two Workshops 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Overcoming Barriers to Food Justice through Access and Engagement

Feeding Chittenden is partnering with Head Start to provide a supply of groceries delivered to 150 food insecure households in the Burlington area. These grocery deliveries prioritize healthy, culturally appropriate foods. We will be pairing this initiative with a series of over 10 workshops that focus on gardening, food systems, nutrition, and empowerment. This workshop will discuss how this partnership came to be, how we are managing this project, and host a visioning conversation around our food justice workshop series.

Presenter: Hannah Harrington, Feeding Chittenden

Rocking the Kitchen to Engage Happy Healthy Participants in Person and Virtually

In this session you will be introduced to Eat Smart Spend Smart program, Rock the Crockpot program, and Kids Cooking program to name a few ideas. Not only will you be able to bring cooking ideas back to your participants, you will be able to help them save food waste, money and show them how to use the nutritional labels to benefit their families’ dietary needs. We will also chat about ways to meet the community outside of normal business hours.

Presenter: Becky Arbella, Shires Housing/SASH

What’s Old & New with 3SquaresVT

Much has happened in the world of 3SVT (our state’s version of SNAP). 3SVT subject matter experts will share updates on all that is new within the program and why it’s important. We’ll also share tools and supports available to assist you and those you serve in accessing and understanding 3SVT.

Presenter: Faye Longo, Vermont Foodbank

Co-presenter: Ivy Enoch, Hunger Free Vermont

Session Three Workshops 2:15 pm – 3:45 pm

From Hunger Relief to Food Justice: Approaches To Improving Food Access in Vermont

During this hands-on workshop, we will use the Food Access Toolkit created by the Farm to Plate Network Food Justice Task Force as a tool to conduct a self-assessment of our work, engage in small group discussion about addressing food insecurity in new ways, and explore potential cross-organizational collaborations to expand the scope of our services. If you are curious about the many approaches to food access and want to understand how to implement food justice approaches in your work, this workshop is for you. Participants will leave with the toolkit that they can use as a discussion starter with staff and colleagues.

Presenter: Lisa Mase, Harmonized Cookery

Co-presenter: Joseph Kiefer, Food Justice Consultant

Understanding Ableism in Food Justice

Due to the health and cultural systems that are in place, Vermonters with disabilities often face additional challenges that can make equal opportunities for success and health difficult. As a result, this population is more likely to rely on food programs and other support services. With 24 percent of adults in Vermont reporting that they have some type of disability, creating food programs that are inclusive and accessible is critical to better serving the needs of all community members. In this workshop, participants will learn from panelists about some of the barriers that individuals with disabilities face when accessing support services – from physical accessibility of a space, to perceptions and attitudes of program staff. Participants will also learn key tips and strategies to begin to break down those barriers so all can participate in available food programs.

Presenter: Sarah Launderville, Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL)

Co-presenter: Cara Sachs, Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL)

Vermont Foodbank Grant Writing Workshop

What are grants? How can they benefit my organization? How do I write a grant proposal? In this workshop, the Vermont Foodbank’s Senior Grants and Contracts Manager answers all of these questions and more in a guided tour through the intriguing, magical, and often mysterious world of grants. A summation of how grants benefit the Vermont Foodbank and its partner organizations, grant writing best practices, and tips on common grant application mistakes, will be made available. A Q&A session to follow.

Presenter: Jonathan Williams, Vermont Foodbank.