Greeter: Turner
Sergeant in Arms: Jon Secrest
Guest speaker: Stephen Dotson bringing Zach Hebert VT Foodbank, Carissa Brewton
This week’s scribe: Katja for Toni (immersed in sorting raffle tickets)
Next week sergeant: KJ
Next week guest speaker: 2/16 Club Assembly, 2/23 Sadie, 3/2 NEED ONE
Next week’s scribe: 2/16 Dan, 2/23 Nick, 3/2 Jeff
Rotary minute: Special Rotary Observances: February is designated as World Understanding Month. This month was chosen because it includes the birthday of Rotary International, Feb 23. During the month, Rotary Club are urged to present programs which promote international understanding an goodwill, as well as launch World Community Service projects in other parts of the world.
Quote of the day: Never worry about numbers, help one person at the time and start with the person nearest to you. Mother Theresa
Student Rotarians: None
Rotary Anniversary: None
Birthday: Feb 7 Staci
Rotary announcements:
Bethany – moving to NJ at end of March!!
We need a new secretary for March – June and need a new permanent person for next term. We discussed at last board meeting to possibly split up job:
1. Taking attendance and logging in system
2. taking notes at board meeting
3. updates info on club runner
4. personal add on: sending out cards
transition time is the crunch time: adding new members for new term, putting invoices out. There is a guide in club runner with job descriptions. Ordering awards at end of year, new member packages, keep track of club supplies. We NEED to get the position covered!!!
Katja: Refugee Family arrived yesterday at SIT
Diane: Trivia on Monday Vday Connetcict River Conservancy
Raffle Tickets Drawing – the winners are
5. Steve Hamel (am guy WKBT)
4. Josh Roberts
3. Rich Mc Fadden
2. Tristam Johnston – our very own Rotary Member
1. Dane Z….
Rotary Brags - none
Cards: no winner
Guest speaker: Carissa Brewton, RDN - Grateful Greens Vermont, Programs Coordinator, formerly Community Food Project Coordinator at Retreat Farm and Zach Hebert VT Foodbank, Associate Manager at Community Engagement
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/arbZVatzROh6l_u5845XsnAvyuhuuQEo3g2qLCS6gHtlMHKR_MCx5dpZu8_OzZdr.Qpf6Pq8tws5zsFK0?startTime=1644411482000
Brattleboro’s charitable Food system: A response to Covid 19 and emerging stronger than before!
Key terminologies to be used:
Hunger
Food insecurity
Foodways
Food Sovereignty - the right of people to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecological and sustainable farming.
When Covid 19 hit us:
food insecurity increased 33%, 1 in 3 VT had accessed charitable food support since start Covid
Schools went remote: universal school meals expanded statewide delivered via bus to students in Brattleboro district
Weekly Hunger Council meetings allowed to develop to pan for getting meals to kids and activate new support for local charitable food organizations.
Existing food shelves saw unprecedented demand and transitioned from in-person operations to low-contact models. New programs also developed at other organizations to help meet community needs like Retreat farm and Nicole’s kitchen.
Community response & Emergency Action during 2020-21
Federal support (farmers to families food boxes, American Rescue plan, Increased 3SquaresVT Eligibilty & Benefits)
Sate Support (Everyone Eats - just did 2 million meals!!! Funding allocations for emergency food relief. VT Foodbank Covid 19 relief grants)
Local/ regional support (Growing resilience - 2020 founded, Brattleboro Food Sovereignty Working Group 2021, Agriculture Advisory Committee 2021, Windham County Hunger Council, Increased charitable food programming)
Brattleboro Food Sovereignty Working Group:
“We are a collaborative with representatives from a variety of nonprofit organizations throughout Brattleboro. We are committed to improving Brattleboro’s local food system for all. The group is focused on programming that partners with and centers those with lived experience of the Brattleboro charitable food system in order to shift unequal and stigmatizing power dynamics. Our long term goal is to articulate a 5-year vision of a reimagined food security landscape which allows for food sovereignty for everyone in our community.”
Emerging stronger than before – local resilient solutions to hunger
Ongoing initiatives and collaborations for 2022
Embarking on comprehensive local food assessment, in partnership with Brattleboro Agriculture Advisory committee
farm to Fork community library project!!
Foodworks community advisory pilot program
Edible Brattleboro local food Preservation and canning workshop services (Public garden at Coop in parking lot)
B.F.S.G. brainstorming ways to make our work more accessible and inclusive for all community members who wish to engage
What local agencies, channels are locally offered? Local food pantry like food works on Canal Street, we have a few meal sites in town where donated food gets turned into hot meals, a few more food pantries in area like Putney, Townshend
Stephen Dotson “Food waste: we pump a ¼ of all groundwater to grow food that is getting to waste!!!””
Respectively submitted by Katja Matthews
