Due to this recent media expose, we have decided to extend the deadline for applications until Friday, October 7, 2011.

For more information about how you can apply, please click here.

Are you passionate about making a difference in our food system?
Do you want to help improve our food system in Jefferson County?

Then we want YOU to apply to become a member of the new Birmingham-Jefferson Food Policy Council.

It takes input from ALL members of a community to have a successful food policy council.

No matter what kind of “food story” you have, you can make a difference in this community.

We are happy to announce that we are seeking applicants for the new Birmingham-Jefferson Food Policy Council.

The Council will be established to help improve our local food system in Jefferson County. The Council will be a private-public partnership tasked to examine the local food system, educate the community, and recommend solutions to policy makers in the public, private and non-profit sectors.

The Council will be diverse and representative of our community. It will consist of approximately 21 members that will represent private and public sectors impacted by the food system. Council members will serve terms ranging from one to three years.

In order to ensure certain key sectors of the food system are represented, approximately half the Council members will be appointed by local government, a local funding agency, and Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners. The remaining Council members will be selected through an open and fair application process.

How can I apply to become a member of the Council?

It’s simple – You can apply by:

• E-MAIL
• STANDARD MAIL
• FAX

Click on your method of choice for instructions on how to apply to the Council.

ALL individuals interested in applying to be a Council member will need to fill out an application and submit it to Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2011.

We are so excited about the Summit!  I hope to see each and every one of you there.

Today, myself and The Modern Brand (along with their wonderful contracted designer and photographer!) met at the new Railroad Park for a photo shoot.  The shoot was exclusively for our Food Summit!

How on earth did this come about?  I had a vision for the poster and marketing materials; a harvest farm table with the city in the background.  I am full of ideas and I am sure The Modern Brand is wondering why on earth this food girl thinks she is a designer!  Anyway, we tried some looks and realized that the only way to do this would be with a photo shoot.  No photoshopping for this project…we needed a harvest table in the city!

The shoot was planned for yesterday, having heard from the weather folks that it would be sunny all week.  Ha!  It started raining at 4pm precisely.  After trying to wait it out, it was clear that we were losing light (ok-it was clear to the photographer and he made it clear to us).  The only other time to get the best light?  Sunrise.

So this morning everyone assembled before 6.  Full disclosure: I arrived around 7:30, just to see the end result!  I was so happy that I literally sang. Y’all, it is going to be beautiful.

The stuff *should* be ready next week so keep your eyes and ears out.  Can’t wait to see these around town! Until then, enjoy this little teaser photo.

November 12 8am-4:30pm at the Avon Theater

November 13 will be a day of fun activities throughout the community.  Canning classes, cooking demonstrations and a grand finale in the park!

Check the Food Summit tab at the top of the page for more details as they become available.

Registration to open by October 1.

For more information, follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/foodsummit2010

August 30th, 2010

We had a great turnout at our Lunch Line screening Saturday, where we hosted the Southeastern premiere of a documentary that shows “how you can impact children’s health and work within the system.”

We were lucky to have one of the filmmakers, Michael Graziano, drive down from Nashville. The film, produced by Graziano and his partner Ernie Park at Uji Films, was alternately hilarious, sobering, and poignant. It follows six kids from Detroit who are just trying to make their school food healthier. In the meantime, it offers a comprehensive look at the history of school lunch; the current state of the program, which feeds over 31 million children daily; and the future of school lunch.

We packed the house with over 60 attendees, who together donated over $500 to help mobilize Alabamians to end poverty in our home state. These donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.  Thank you!

Most importantly, we started a discussion about the school lunch program, the food system, child nutrition, hunger, and childhood obesity – one we hope to continue during our Hunger Workshop tomorrow in Huntsville and the Food Summit on November 12-13 in Birmingham. We’re planning further Lunch Line screenings in Montgomery and at UAB, UA and Auburn; details TBA! If you would like to host a screening with us, contact T.C. McLemore.

Our panel discussion included (above, left to right):

Amanda Storey, coordinator of Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Jefferson County

Scott Silver, the Farm-to-School Coordinator for Jones Valley Urban Farm

Sharon Boshell, Area director for the Child Nutrition Program in Shelby County

Jennifer Horton, parent and chair of the CPC Education Workgroup

Michael Graziano, co-producer of Lunch Line

Amanda, our moderator extraordinaire, sent us these resources about school lunch reform:

• www.onetray.org
• www.healthyschoolscampaign.org
• www.chefann.com
• www.lunchbox.org
• www.farmtoschool.org
• www.fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com
• www.scoolfood.org
• Birmingham News article on free and reduced school lunches in Alabama
• School Lunch: A Peculiar History – written by local Birmingham blogger Jason Horn.

To advocate for the Child Nutrition Act working its way through Congress, see Slow Food’s Info on Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

Big thanks to Amanda, Jenn, Scott, Sharon, and Michael for bringing their knowledge, experience, and viewpoints to an excellent panel discussion!

Thanks also to our audience members, who asked great questions; Merrilee and Brad at the Bottletree Cafe, who generously gave us their space; and Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, Slow Food Birmingham, and Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners who promoted this event all over the city.

**Thanks Robyn, for once again writing a post that I couldn’t even begin to try to compete with, so instead copied it directly!

Things that are possible: ending childhood hunger

Childhood food security – image via npr.org

The Obama administration has pledged to end childhood hunger by 2015. What does that mean, and how can we reach that goal? NPR’s All Things Considered recently looked at this question over a 2-part series.

Part 1:  A Daily Fight to Find Food: One Family’s Struggle

Part 2: Eating Nutritiously A Struggle When Food is Scarce

The Diane Rehm show also devoted an entire hour last week to a discussion of childhood hunger in the United States.

As the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill moves through Congress, we know that these conversations will continue to be important. We cannot forget that 13.3 percent of Alabamians lack food security, while around 5.4 percent of our neighbors have very low food security – meaning they are chronically hungry.

Want to learn more about childhood hunger and child nutrition programs in Alabama? Join us for a screening of the film Lunch Line, August 28, at the Bottle tree Cafe in Birmingham. A panel following the movie will discuss the future of school lunches and child nutrition programs. This is the Southeastern premiere of Lunch Line, so buy your tickets today!

We also invite you to come to the table for the Alabama Food Summit November 12-13 at the Birmingham BJCC, where we will discuss food security, the food system, and creating sustainable solutions to our state’s hunger problem.

Thanks Robyn, for all the hard work you do.  Folks, keep up with Alabama Possible/Alabama Poverty Project by checking out their website and liking them on Facebook.  They are also on Twitter as http://twitter.com/alabamapossible