The second annual Hunger Leaders’ Summit was held on March 24, 2015 with over 30 Washington Food Coalition board members and hunger leaders from around the state. The Hunger Leaders’ Summit was held last year as a result of strategic planning and visioning that took place in 2011-2012, and is continuing annually because of its value in unifying the voice of the Washington emergency food system. This event exists as a space for leaders from across the state to convene in one place to share best practices, form new ideas, and build partnerships to take action.

The approach taken to facilitate this process is called the Nourishing Networks model. This model creates an environment where all participants are empowered to be creative and voice their ideas. There are no hierarchical rules for participation. Instead, relationships are formed to support the common cause of ending hunger in Washington State.

WaFoodCoalition.org

V i ew fr om s un cad ia R e s o rt

2 0 15 Hung er L ead er s summ i t

Goals of the summ it The summit opened with each attendee outlining their goals for the summit. Many of the participants had been part of the 2014 Hunger Leaders’ Summit, where a lot of visioning and idea forming took place, so their goals were primarily focused on creating actions and next steps for the group to accomplish its vision. Many attendees were excited to learn from fellow hunger leaders, and take ideas back to their communities to implement. Everyone agreed on the importance of leaving the summit with actions to move forward.

Fo cus Ar eas :

E x t e r n a l P a r t n e r s h i p s

I n t e r n a l C o o r d i n a t i o n

F r e s h F o o d

This document outlines the final projects selected from these

focus areas.

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Ext ernal Partn ersh i p s and I nt ernal Coord inat i o n

Reducing Food Waste Partnering with local government agencies creates rewarding relationships with the public, and contributes to hunger awareness. Local campaigns to reduce food waste for environmental reasons, and to reduce hunger, engage the community and provide opportunities for cross-departmental coordination in the food system. Thurston County Food Bank will be a champion in providing their best practices for external community coordination around food rescue. Other stories of partnership from across the state will also be compiled to create a comprehensive “how to” guide for how to utilize local municipalities to fight hunger.

SWAT: Statewide Action Team Concern about the accessibility of trainings was a driving force for the proposition of SWAT. This group will work to provide resources and training specific to food distribution programs at the local level. With the Washington Food Coalition as the champion, steps will be taken to identify local experts and develop materials focused on the needs of local agencies. SWAT will be a volunteer effort for those recruited to do trainings. Next steps are to create a work plan by identifying materials and experts already available, and identifying areas of the state in need of technical assistance.

Technology and Communication A persistent weakness in the Washington emergency food system is the lack of resources and knowledge to utilize technology as a communication medium. Many smaller agencies do not have access to the Internet or a computer. Better communication would bridge the geographical gap in the state. Local resources will be leveraged to acquire the technology hardware. SWAT will be the entity to work to provide technology education to agencies so that they can utilize communication networks and online education resources. This project is set to be a two-year effort with the Washington Food Coalition as the champion.

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Statewide Assessment of Fresh Foods A capacity assessment would be very useful to identify the strengths and weaknesses across the state in bringing fresh food to food banks. Understanding transportation and handling capacity, distribution capacity, and ways to assure the process is dynamic are essential to providing the most fresh food to our communities. The champion for this project is the Washington State Department of Agriculture, with strong support from other statewide entities like Rotary First Harvest. Together, this group will identify the scope of work for this project, and create an action timeline.

F r es h foods i n food banks

The group placed high value on accountability for progress in the selected projects. To continue the conversation throughout the year, these initiatives will be revisited within the WFC board meetings and communication. To assure accessibility to all members, these projects will focus on connecting with, and benefiting as many agencies as possible across the state. The champions of these projects will convene a meeting with stakeholders by the end of April 2015, and create a work plan by June 2015. The Washington State Department of Agriculture has provided resources to assure these projects have the capitol they need to flourish. The overarching goal for all projects created through the 2015 Hunger Leaders’ Summit is to make measureable progress by the Hunger Leaders’ Summit next year.

Hung er l ead er s mov i ng forward

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