HomeMy WebLinkAboutICC Food Resilience Community Group RecommendationLeslie Locke
From:
Annie Bartos <anniebartos@gmail.com>
Sent:
Friday, September 4, 2020 3:46 PM
To:
Leslie Locke; Philip Morley
Cc:
John Mauro
Subject:
Recommendations for CARES Act Funds
Attachments:
Cares funds proposal Sept 4 2020.pdf
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Dear Ms. Leslie Locke and Mr. Philip Morely,
Please accept the attached list of recommendations for CARES Act Funds from the ICG/ICC Food Resilience Community
Group.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best wishes,
Dr. Ann E. Bartos
sent on behalf of the ICG/ICC Food Resilience Community Group
1
MEMORANDUM
To: Jefferson County Board of Commissioners
From: Food System Resilience Community Group
Date: September 4, 2020
Re: Task Force recommendations for CARES Act Funding
Commissioners,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide funding recommendations related to the
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on regional food access and security.
The following recommendations are sent on behalf of the ICG/ICC Food Resilience
Community Group, composed of thirteen community members including farmers,
agricultural regional experts, academics and representatives from OlyCap, NODC, a
DEM volunteer and WSU Extension. This group has been focused on understanding
the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food system in Jefferson
County over the past three months. We have learned that the impacts of the pandemic
include a substantial increase in food insecurity among families who have lost income
due to the crisis, and disruption of food distribution systems making the availability of
local food resources more important.
Our recommendations, listed below in order of priority, are based on the group's
initial research and collective knowledge of gaps and/or obstacles in place for different
sectors of the local food system to provide food to those most vulnerable to food
insecurity in the community. The ICG/ICC Food Resilience Community Group
recommends that these issues be addressed through CARES Act funding:
1. Provide financial support to the NODC's Olympic Peninsula Farmers Fund to
contract with Jefferson County farmers to provide food to food banks, senior
meal programs and school meal or other meal programs serving families
economically impacted by Covid-19. The funds would be used for regional
farmers to raise more food specifically for vulnerable members of the
community.
a. Funds requested: $25,000
b. Sub -recipient: NODC
2. Provide additional funding for Jefferson Farmers Markets Association (JFMA)
SNAP match program, which doubles the amount that SNAP recipients have to
spend at the farmers market. SNAP funds enable low-income community
members to purchase healthy and locally grown food, while also increasing the
income for regional farmers whose profits from farm sales are down due to
COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, JFRM has used most of the funds they
were allocated for the SNAP program for a two year period. These funds would
ensure that the SNAP program will remain a viable solution for many low-
income families.
a. Funds requested: $25,000
b. Sub -recipient: Jefferson County Farmers Markets
3. Provide $10,000 to maintain and operate Chimacum School District's
Multipurpose Room kitchen and food access distribution hub. Prior to the
pandemic, the School District planned to close the Multipurpose Room and does
not have the money budgeted to keep the space open and accessible. Over the
2020 summer period, the YMCA has used the space for preparation of meals for
their summer programs for children. The funds would ensure that this space
could be used in the 2020/2021 school year to package and store meals as well
as dry goods. The requested funds would be used to cover the costs for utilities,
facility maintenance, janitorial services.
a. Funds requested: $10,000
b. Sub -recipient: Chimacum School District
4. Provide funding to create and distribute food boxes to families whose children
are receiving free and reduced meals through the School Districts. Different
School Districts have different approaches to delivering meals to youth during
the pandemic. The requested funds would be used for organizational and
distribution costs to provide additional food to families receiving aid for their
children.
a. Funds requested: $7,500
b. Sub-recipient:OlyCap