Food Choices Committee Meeting Minutes
14 July 2008
Neighborhood Center, 115 S. 49th Avenue

Mission of Food Choices Committee:
Encourage the production, preparation, and purchase
of local food through hands-on workshops, education,
and networking events.

Attendees: Alaina Hickman (Nebraska Vegetarian Society), Jody Baines (Flatwater Chapter USGBC), Vince Furlong (Omaha Main Streets), Mary Green (Sierra Club), Jay Leighter (Creighton University), Daniel Lawse (Neighborhood Center & GNC), Kathy Townsend (Permaculture student/teacher), Helen Deffenbacher (Green Neighborhood Council), Annette Artherton (Omaha Economic Development Center), Trilety Wade (GNC/NE Food Co-op)

Priority Items: Items on Agenda not numbered – prioritization of topics can be decided during the meeting – prevents one person from deciding importance/priority of items

Omaha Public Library:
• Based on Brian Smith’s idea, Wade will be meeting with Rivkah Sass (Director of Omaha Public Library) to discuss partnering with OPL on their Omaha Reads program, ie promote/suggest food-focused books like “Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “In Defense of Food,” and/or “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”

• Wade will update Committee after meeting w/ Sass/Smith

Monthly Green Living Workshop – Hosted by Food Choices Committee (Townsend Update)

• Summary of Workshop
o Green Your Eating Workshop - 26 July 2008 at Village Pointe Farmers’ Market
o Townsend and Green scoped out site - booth/workshop is in traffic pattern of market
o Workshop begins at 10 am w/ 45 minutes devoted to importance of buying, storing, preparing, and producing local food
o Local Food - complex and multi-faceted topic
o 10:45 Michael Braunstein (organizer/founder VPFM) speak to participants about the history of the market and specific stories of a couple of farmers
o Braunstein has 15 cloth bags to give away to participants – will be raffled off if more than 15 folks attend
o 11am – participants go to Metro Culinary Institute booth to view a public cooking demonstration by Brian O’Malley, et al

• Volunteer Needs
o Booth will need to be hosted from 8am to 10am and noon to 1pm (workshop runs from 10am to noon)
o Chairs, table, canopy will be collected at Wade’s
o If you have chairs for use contact Wade at trilety@hotmail.com
o Hickman – out of town but can help w/ preparation – ie handouts
o Baines to help volunteer from 8am to 9:30
o Leighter available to volunteer that morning
o Lawse – via Neighborhood Center – can print out handouts and staple – for reimbursement from GOC
o Need a Volunteer to direct participants to the booth – ie hold a “green your eating workshop” sign
o Decided raffle would be conducted after Braunstein and before cooking demo

• Group Education & Networking
o To keep Committee members “in the know” and provide networking opportunities - various organizations/groups with similar or complimentary missions will be invited to present/discuss their organizations at the beginning of monthly Food meetings
o Proposed – 3 groups invited to each monthly meeting to present for 10 minutes each – then GNC Food Group can present to visiting groups – remaining 30 to 60 minutes dedicated to Food Choices Committee business –
o Send contacts/names of potential organizations/groups to be invited to upcoming monthly food meetings – please send to trilety@hotmail.com

• October Workshop
o June meeting – it was decided October workshop would focus on preservation, canning, etc
o Feedback had been received that Aug/Sept is a better time for a preservation wkshp
o Green – preservation, ie apple butters, etc can easily be done in fall
o Townsend – workshop should be done early enough to allow participants time after to purchase materials, give it a couple tries, etc
o Lawse – thinks BIG Garden project also doing hands-on workshops – GNC could provide volunteer support and promotional support – Lawse to confirm w/ Mews about workshop
o In the case BIG is doing a preservation workshop – GNC can partner in that effort
o In the case BIG is not doing a preservation workshop – then GNC/Foods will host a preservation workshop – schedule for September
• Importance of and reasons for preserving – theory/concept
• How to make apple butter or salsa – or one activity – hands/on
• Possible locations – extension, Healing Arts Center, First Unitarian Church

• Workshop Topics & Forming a Committee
o Following workshop topics were offered at the June meeting, via email, and during today’s meeting:
• Local Food 101
• Annual Food Summit – bring together local groups, councils, representatives
• Starting & Saving Seeds
• Preservation, lactofermentation, canning
• How to start a community garden
• Permaculture
• Healthy vegetarian eating – Hickman can suggest speakers
• CSAs – how to join as a member & how to start a CSA
• Omaha land-use policy regarding local food, gardens, etc
• Food policy – Community Food Systems
• How to host a local Thanksgiving or Local Christmas
• Education in micro-enterprises and getting products in local convenience stores, business enterprise opportunities
• Producing/preparing products for sale/distribution
• Bring kids to the farm – see that food doesn’t come from stores

o All in attendance indicated interest in supporting efforts of workshops
o Artherton – most effective to end up with a workshop committee of only 2 or 3 people
o Email additional topics or priorities to trilety@hotmail.com

• Potential Partnerships for Workshops/Programs

o Club Possible – (collaborative effort among Visiting Nurses Association, Operation Frontline, Activate Omaha Kids) volunteer chefs teach low-income and at-risk youth how to prepare healthy meals – Food Choices could educate kids and chefs on importance of local food
• No action – Could be invited to one of the monthly meetings

o Activate Omaha Kids – Some of the projects AOK is promoting: 1) Conducting neighborhood audits it identify assets and barriers to physical activity and healthy eating, 2) Expand Club Possible, 3) Support policies to improve access to fruits and vegetables, and 4) Develop neighborhood projects to enhance physical activity and healthy foods –
• No action – Could be invited to one of the monthly meetings

• Next Meeting
o Next Monthly Meeting of the Food Choices Committee scheduled for Monday 18 August 2008 @ 11:30 am

o Location: TBD – May be held at Omaha Economic Development Center (24th & Lake) if OEDC wishes to be one of the invited guest presenters

o Location – if OEDC cannot present, meeting may be held at Neighborhood Center


Meeting Adjourned at 12:40 pm