The Food Trust

At the second general assembly of World Farmers Markets Coalition last week, local food leaders from around the world gathered in Rome, Italy to affirm the role of farmers markets as a tool for re-shaping the global food system. We were honored to participate in three days of meetings, debates, projects and alliances focusing on the key role farmers play in nutrition security, alongside our colleagues from around the world.

Looking to try more local foods? “Start with what you know and push yourself out of your comfort zone a little at a time to try new recipes.” - @Alyssa Thayer, Senior Associate of the Farmers Market Program at The Food Trust, via The Philadelphia Citizen.

It's Travel Tuesday and this time The Food Trust visited Montgomery, Alabama for the 2024 National Rural Grocery Summit. It was an incredible event, packed with insightful discussions and the chance to connect with both old and new colleagues. This summit is the premier event for independent grocers and rural food access stakeholders, bringing together grocery store owners, community leaders, food suppliers, researchers, policy makers, and funders. Staff shared lessons learned and innovative best practices for sustaining locally-owned rural grocery stores and improving access to healthy food in rural communities. Throughout the summit, participants discovered just how vital independent grocers are as a financial and economic asset to their communities, particularly because they can cater to the unique needs and preferences of their local areas. Our Healthy Food Financing Initiatives team presented on "How Healthy Food Financing Initiatives (HFFIs) Can Leverage Data-Driven Strategies to Support Equitable Rural Food Access." Staff explored what HFFIs are and what data rural grocers can use to bring funds into their community to address disparities in healthy food access within rural communities. 📸: 1) Marisol Zavaleta Martin & Rita Ouimet, ready to present! 2) Carmack’s Grocery, in Notasulga, Al. 3) Our HFFI team with Rhonda Mann of VOICES for Alabama's Children.

Last week christina pirello joined us for our Philly seasonal Farmers Market training to share skills for engaging cooking demonstrations. It was great to have her energy and expertise -- getting our team excited for this summer's demos! She provided some key tips, and then gave our educators some 1:1 / small group instruction on specific techniques as they prepped two of this season's recipes: Smashed Cucumber Salad and Apple Celery Slaw 🥗🍎🥒

The Food Trust is pleased to announce we have extended the deadline to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) for potential evaluators of Cooking Matters’ new curriculum, Cooking Matters Core. The new deadline is Friday, July 5 2024. Cooking Matters Core is designed to help organizations and implementers reach individuals, caregivers and families with dynamic content about purchasing and preparing delicious, nutritious foods. The evaluation will test Cooking Matters Core’s impact on purchasing and preparing foods that meet nutrition, budget, and personal needs. Learn more, submit your proposal, or share with your networks: bit.ly/4cd7E2w.

In Case You Missed It: Last month, The Food Trust participated in Stroke Awareness Day held at Frazier Family Coalition. Members of the community received valuable resources, including free health screenings coordinated by Jefferson Health. The Food Trust promoted the Nutrition Navigator as well as Farmer's Market programming updates to community members and partners! Learn more about the Nutrition Navigator here: hackthefoodsystem.org

The Nutrition Navigator is an interactive online mapping tool designed to help D.C.- and Philadelphia-area communities uncover new layers of programs and resources within their local food system. Powered by organizational partners, the Nutrition Navigator (created by the Bainum Family Foundation) allows local nonprofits, public agencies and other services providers to input and update their own programs as a way to promote the important work they are doing. Huge thank you to our current partners who have helped us to create a community of organizations working toward similar goals: Vetri Community Partnership, Free Library of Philadelphia, MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance), The Enterprise Center, Norris Square Neighborhood Project, Cloud 9 Community Farms, & Greener Partners. How can your organization get involved? Visit hackthefoodsystem.org.

The Food Trust, Philadelphia's Department of Prisons and Bennett Compost invite you to the prison orchard for a volunteer day. Volunteers will visit Philadelphia's prison orchard on State Road, learn about prison and re-entry food programs, and help pick vegetables and fruit. Please email '[email protected]' if you are interested in being a volunteer, or for more information on the program.

The Food Trust is pleased to release the Request for Proposal (RFP), which seeks an evaluator to conduct an impact evaluation of Cooking Matters’ new curriculum, Cooking Matters Core. Cooking Matters Core is designed to help organizations and implementers reach individuals, caregivers and families with dynamic content about purchasing and preparing delicious, nutritious foods. The evaluation will test Cooking Matters Core’s impact on purchasing and preparing foods that meet nutrition, budget, and personal needs. Full RFP: bit.ly/4cd7E2w

The Food Trust Travels: Chicago Edition 📍 📸: Staff attended the Food as Medicine Summit in Chicago alongside Intermountain Health, Homestyle Direct, UPMC Health Plan, The George Washington University, Stop & Shop, and other key stakeholders from healthcare and the Food & Beverage industry to advance conversations, drive commercialization, foster collaborations, share advances and ultimately improve the health of the population.