Working Groups are the driving force behind the Food Policy Council.
Our members organize around key issues to advocate for better food policies and systems in the Asheville-Buncombe area. These Working Groups operate independently, coming together through the Policy Mobilization Hub, directed by General Council to strategize, organize, and mobilize policy and advocacy in support of ABFPC’s mission.
Read more about specific items being addressed by Working Groups below.
Get involved by joining a Working Group by emailing coordinator@abfoodpolicy.org for more information.
Emergency Food Preparedness
- Locate and share existing city and county emergency response plans.
- Research plans to identify target food security areas
- Assess strength of existing food related issues and plans
- Determine strategy for recommending improvements to increase food quantity and accessibility in the event of a food shortage due to natural or human-caused disaster
Food Policy Action Plan
- Work in collaboration with the City of Asheville’s Office of Sustainability to implement City Council’s priority areas of the 2017 Food Policy Action Plan
- Identify other Food Policy Action Plan objectives not currently being addressed by City Council priority areas that are of interest to ABFPC and the wider Asheville community
- Determine strategies to advocate for identified additional priority areas
Food Waste
- Support quarterly food waste networking meetings
- Plan Food Waste Summit large gathering on a timeline as determined by steering committee
- Identify food waste policy and advocacy issues in partnership with the food waste collaborative
- To learn more about initiatives this working group supports, join the Food Waste and Recovery Facebook Group and the local Food Waste Reduction Google Group Listserv.
Present Use Valuation
- Pursue Agricultural Trust Fund establishment in Buncombe County
Communications Materials and Strategy
- Bring efficiency and clarity to communications around revised structure and operational logistics
- Create documentation to strengthen our current structure (including Orientation Materials for interested new community members)
- Update website
Emergent Issues & New Working Group Proposals
Community members are always invited to bring issues and ideas for new working groups to ABFPC. If you have an idea for a working group please attend a Policy Mobilization Hub meeting or reach out to the ABFPC coordinator – Coordinaotr@abfoodpolicy.org.
To establish a working group:
- Attend a Policy Mobilization Hub Meeting to connect with active folks and discuss your ideas
- Recruit folks interested in this area to form a working group
- Connect with ABFPC coordinator to complete the Working Group Checklist (that’s a PDF version — when you’re ready, email the coordinator and we’ll provide an online version for you to complete)
- Rally your team to make positive change
- Questions? Contact the coordinator
