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Meeting Minutes from 2.11.13

If you're wondering what we're planning for 2013, take a look at our latest meeting minutes! It's going to be a great year!

Meeting minutes
2.11.13


Present: Rick T, Beth S, Holly N, Deirdre D, Peter K

1. Regional meeting recap

• Highlights included: discussion of new leadership and direction from Slow Food USA
• What is Slow Food? Slow Food’s identity crisis--figuring out how to fit in with all of the new local, good food-focused organizations around the country
• Slow Food believes that everyone has a right to good, clean, and fair food. Slow Food values food for its cultural, social, and gustatorial value. Slow Food believes that the pleasure of good food enjoyed slowly and in community is revolutionary.
• New focuses for Slow Food USA: Ark of Taste, bringing together various food-related groups--building bridges
• What other chapters are doing
• Monthly low-effort, high-impact events
• At least one big fundraiser each year

2. Discussion of possible 2013 events

• Granges: we were invited to attend a potluck and meet & greet with the McMinnville Grange. Will be figuring out a date to do so.
• Fundraising ideas:
• Grange potluck and dance
• Benefit dinner with a local restaurant (possibilities: Thistle, Blue Goat, Community Plate...)
• Farm tours
• “Mutual promotion”
• a good theme for our events: we help local farms/businesses/etc get some exposure in the community & get the Slow Food name out there at the same time
• Last Tuesday “meet ups” at local restaurants: the Eugene chapter does this--chooses a local restaurant and arranges a “meet up” on a day that is typically slow for them
• Slow Food talks for a few minutes, chef talks for a few minutes; everyone hangs out and eats together--$2 donation goes to Slow Food, pay for meal; meeting people, sharing ideas, etc.
• Importance of building on existing relationships and building new ones as well

3. More discussion of Slow Food and messaging/branding

• Organizations that succeed (TED talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html) focus on the “why”
• Slow Food’s “why:” good, clean & fair; culture; pleasure; it’s not global OR local, it’s both; it’s not justice OR joy, it’s both; re-connecting; relationships

4. 2013 Events Schedule

• February 28th: Soil & Water Conservation District Film, GROW! 6:30pm at Third Street Pizza
• March: TEDx screening at McMinnville Public Library
• April: ‘Nothing Like Chocolate’ film screening, Betty Rawker raw chocolates demo/tasting
• May: Farm Tour & Potluck at Sky Ranch of Yamhill
• June: Farm Tour & Potluck at Mended Fence Farms, Carlton

Nourish Yamhill Valley is at it again!

Last fall, the new food collaborative group Nourish Yamhill Valley hosted a series of community meetings focused on finding local solutions to food systems issues--things like hunger, obesity, lack of food knowledge, insufficient access to fresh local foods, and many others. 100 people attended those events and offered up their knowledge and ideas.

This month, Nourish is bringing the whole county together to dream big: their county-wide summit, "Tend the Seeds of Change," is focused on identifying, fleshing out, and exploring big, county-wide initiatives that have the capacity to create deep change. The day will include networking time, an information fair, a keynote speaker and presentations by local & regional experts. The major activity will center around two breakout sessions where you and your peers will have a chance to develop a potential initiative in one of the five following topic areas: local food guides, food hubs, farm to school, local grains/beans/legumes, and processing. It's going to be a great afternoon of activity, idea sharing, and visioning for our food system's future!

The basic details:

Date: Saturday, January 26th, 2013
Time: 1-5pm, optional networking starting at 12:30pm
Location: TJ Day Hall, Linfield College
Cost: Free!

For more details about the event and to register, hop over to the Nourish Yamhill Valley website. See you there!