The Western North Carolina Food Security Advisory Council is an organization that seeks to strategically align community partners across the Western North Carolina that share the common goals of assessing and ending food security in the region.
General About the Organization/Mission
The common agenda of the council is to increase availability and accessibility of safe, local, nutritious and culturally appropriate foods for all people in WNC.” Specifically, the council seeks to increase coordination and collaboration between food system networks to better connect people to available resources and to connect farmers and growers to food insecure communities in economically sound ways.
Basic Info
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Type of Organization |
Non-profit |
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Website |
http://www.appalachianfoodshedproject.org/nc.html |
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Primary Contact |
Angel Cruz [email protected] |
History of Organization
In the spring of 2013, the Appalachian Foodshed Conference hosted a series of forums across North Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia to encourage community stakeholders to conduct a Community Food Security Assessment in each state. North Carolina stakeholders who participated in the assessment saw the need to better align and coordinate the many efforts among organizations and individuals already working throughout Western North Carolina to strengthen community food security and increase access to healthy local food.
In August 2013, a small committee comprised of regional leaders met to create a collective impact framework and discuss plans for a “backbone organization” that would serve as a strategic organizational network and allow for the coordination of strategy and communication and the development of shared measures and data.
Programs and Projects
- The WNC Food Security Advisory Council is creating an action plan to address the following:
- A communication and collaboration plan for WNC
- Shared measures using the Whole Measures for Community Food Systems
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A database of meaningful assessment data
- County Data Profiles
- Reference to related Assessments; e.g. Feeding America, Manna
The WNC Food Security Advisory Council also works to develop Community Food Security Assessment to examine the status of community food assets and inputs, provide strategies for community-based and coalition building, and promote education and awareness.
Partners and Frequent Collaborators
Appalachian Foodshed Project
