CAFE Meeting 08/16/23

Coalition Meeting Notes

In-Person Meeting

Activity: Review goals and determine milestone content for the next 45 days or greater.

Goal: Promoting greater access to programs

Comment	Speaker
DCFS is piloting a partnership with Code America to provide an app for SNAP applications Their hope is pop up locations at multi-sites: libraries, community center Looking at baseline data of who accesses support now vs. our goal Studying communication systems between governmental programs (Ex: DCFS > Medicaid)	Monica Brown (DCFS)
Suggestion: DCFS have pop-ups at grocery stores	Christen Engle (YMCA)
Food Bank is focused on areas that are more rural to increase impact	Mike Manning (EBR Food Bank)

In 45 days

• Create outcome of student study: 1) Flowchart of processes between application to other benefits 2) Understanding the reasons of that siloed breakdown

• Identify students, set goals for their participation

Goal: Collaboration between organizations

Comment	Speaker
Creating a culture beyond the stigma (especially for elderly) Consider educating the youth so they can advocate to their elders

In 45 days

• Creating framework document for the education of this opportunity

• Looking at BRAYN becoming engaged in education of the stigma around food access (trainings for partners to help their cohorts understand/promote food access)
  

Goal: Teach to grow

Comment	Speaker
Creating a start-up farmer’s document Funding/Loans, Opportunities, Legal Acknowledging land ownership barriers	Allie (BREADA) & SK (Baton Roots)

In 45 days

• Meet together (BREADA/Baton Roots/GGH) to discuss what that document looks like and breakdown the steps/timeline

• Farmer’s Bureau engagement? Farmer backyard/frontyard farming? LSU (Carl Motsenbocker/ask PTuck on recommendations/ Dr. Eubanks *later on*) and SU (Renetta Marshall/Stephanie Elwood) Ag centers, USDA (Beatra after IRA fundings, Robert Seeman, Quintala)
  

Parking Lots:

• 9/21 Budget Project Conference > to share moral outrage for food insecurity

• Discussed vertical farming, barriers are more than just facility, it is infrastructure. Example farm from another state (CT?) is having to close because it became a loss leader.

• Culture > Emergency Distributions

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Attendance:

Mike Manning (EBR Food Bank) Christian Engle (YMCA) Monica Brown (DCFS) Aetna/CVS Allie (BREADA) Donavan Johnson (BRCC)

SK Groll (Baton Roots) Dean Andrews (Southern University) Sherreta Harrison (MetroMorphosis) Helena Williams (Walls) Casey Phillips (Walls) Pepper Roussel (Walls)