Community Based Food Project in St. Paul
This project, Planning for Food Security in Two St. Paul Communities brings together four community and non-profit organizations to assess and address the food security needs of four neighborhoods in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Through surveys, focus groups, and community meetings this spring and summer of 2010, we will conduct a food system assessment with these communities, and then design a nuanced and multi-pronged response through our organizational and community resources. The primary goals of the project are:
- To understand the food assets and barriers in these communities, and the particular food needs of the area
- To design a nuanced plan, based on community research and participation, for improving the long-term food security in the communities
The communities identified in this project are each made up of contiguous St. Paul city districts:
- Districts 4 & 5 (Dayton’s Bluff and Payne-Phalen neighborhoods)
- Districts 7 & 8 (Thomas-Dale “Frogtown” and Summit-University neighborhoods)
An advisory team of more than 30 community members is currently guiding the development of this project. As a part of this project, we are planning a series of surveys and focus groups in the community to assess the current food assets and barriers to be held February-May 2010.
The Minnesota Project is working in collaboration with four key partners in this project:
Community Design Center of Minnesota:
The Community Design Center of Minnesota’s mission is to revitalize low-to-moderate income communities through programs and training promoting physical, economic, social, ecological, and spiritual well being. Our youth programs on the East Side of St. Paul engage young people in civic engagement and promote life-skill learning.
Contact: Tamara Downs-Schwei
info@comdesignctrmn.org
www.cdcmn.org 651-228-7073
Minnesota Food Association:
The Minnesota Food Association works towards a more sustainable food system through farmer education and training. We strive for an education program that will sustain and empower farmers. We focus mainly on immigrant and historically underserved communities in the Twin Cities Metro and St. Croix River Valley.
Contact: Glen Hill
glenhill@mnfoodassociation.org
www.mnfoodassociation.org 651-433-3676, ext 11
Afro Eco:
The mission of Afro Eco is to connect Pan African people to the land, to sustainable food production practices, to healthy living, to cultural knowledge and processes that improve our capacity to practice effective social, economic, cultural and ecologically sound cooperation with each other and others.
Contact: Collie Graddick
collie.graddick@state.mn.us 651-201-6234
Saint Paul – Ramsey County Department of Public Health/SHIP:
We strive to help residents of Ramsey County lead longer, healthier lives by preventing the chronic disease risk factors of poor nutrition and physical inactivity. SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Program) seeks to create sustainable, systemic changes in schools, worksites, communities and health care organizations that make it easier for people to incorporate healthy behaviors into their daily lives.
Contact: Julie Seiber 651-266-2515
http://www.feelbetterminnesota.org
These organizations bring deep connections within these neighborhoods, diverse cultural competencies, and many years of experience in food systems, coalition-building, and social research.
For more information please contact Annalisa Hultberg at The Minnesota Project (ahultberg@mnproject.org), or any of the partner organizations.
This project is funded through a USDA Community Food Project Grant.
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