2023 Community Food Gathering Summary - Community Food Strategies

Artwork by Marcus Hill

Hundreds of farm and food system leaders, public service and nonprofit leaders, local food councils, key partners, and community food advocates from across North Carolina participated in Forging our Food Future: 2023 Community Food Gathering March 15-16 in Rocky Mount, NC.

The Community Food Gathering brought together food system practitioners to explore solutions, learn skills, and strategize around how to create a food system built by us and for us. Along with keynote speakers and workshops, the Gathering also featured additional events in the surrounding area, including a Farm-to-Table Dinner and viewing of the documentary Freedom Hill at Golden Organic Farm in Pinetops, NC and an After Party and StorySLAM held at The Power House at Rocky Mount Mills.

On March 15th, Keynote Speaker Kim Pevia, Founder and Principal of K.A.P. Inner Prizes, Lumbee Tribe, encouraged attendees to ground ourselves and “call in our ancestors” to access the wisdom we need to “…uproot systems and change things that have never even been imagined.” Referencing sheroes Joy Harjo, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Grace Lee Boggs, Pevia offered perspectives and emotional and somatic justice tools to transform our ways of being and of doing our personal and collective work towards living into a just food future.

On March 16th, a Keynote Panel moderated by Jesalyn Keziah, Lumbee Tribe, UNC American Indian Center with panelists David Anderson, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Lariza Garzón, Hispanic Federation; and Samantha “Foxx” Winship, Mother’s Finest Family Urban Farms, explored existing and future work at the ground level, in communities to forge a just food future.

Sixteen workshops and panel discussions featured more than 30 speakers, representing organizations from across the state. Workshop topics included statewide policy and advocacy opportunities, existing community food solutions, opportunities to support growing value chains and local food system infrastructure, creative communications and engagement strategies, and capacity building for our own and our communities’ wellbeing. Find workshop descriptions and speaker bios here and presentations below.

Special thank you to the Rocky Mount Event Center for hosting the conference!

“One of if not the most impactful conferences I have ever attended. To hear the stories shared altered my way of thinking in how I approach situations in my work. It challenged where I am in deconstructing my old ideologies (raised in a small rural NC town). I truly felt at home amongst people who spoke their truths and work every day towards not only a more equitable and just food system, but in every walk of life. Thank you for everything! It was an amazing time surrounded by beautiful people.”

– Gathering participant

Policy

Opportunities to learn and engage with food-related policy and advocacy campaigns, ideas, and actions

> From Farm to Schools & Senior Services: Advocating for Investments in Local Food
Are you interested in taking action on local food procurement in your community? Come hear about local budget processes that are key in advocating for change. This session features a panel discussion on increased local food investment in a rural and urban setting and two different institutional markets, schools and senior services.

Dr. Linden Thayer, Assistant Director, Food Systems Planning for Durham Public Schools
- Dr. Linden Thayer is Assistant Director, Food Systems Planning for Durham Public Schools, and the co-founder of both Food Insight Group (FIG) and Upstream Works Collaborative (UW). In schools, Dr. Thayer is focused on centering student voice and power in school food programs, and surrounding students and staff with the tools and training they need to visualize the future to transform how we do school food. This includes everything from designing culturally relevant menus, to scratch cooking, to purchasing from BIPOC, women, and new regional farmers engaged in regenerative agriculture, to composting, to washable service ware, and beyond. Dr. Thayer is trained in nutrition and food systems, and has more than fifteen years of school food systems experience.
Suzy Khachaturyan, Senior Policy Advocate, NC Budget & Tax Center (BTC)
- Suzy Khachaturyan (she/her/hers) is a Senior Policy Advocate at the NC Budget & Tax Center (BTC), which she joined in 2019. BTC is a statewide, non-partisan non-profit organization that works to document economic conditions in communities to support the work of people, organizations, and government to advance solutions to poverty and pursue racial equity. In her role, Suzy leverages the power of state budget and tax decisions to document needs across the state, mobilize the public and policymakers to support equitable policy choices, and build lasting collaborations with partners to draw connections between fiscal issues and their missions.
Gabe Cummings, Working Landscapes

Lindsey Carver, Extension Associate, Center for Environmental Farming Systems
- Since 2013, Lindsey has called North Carolina home and has applied her skills in community engagement and facilitation toward creating sustainable and equitable food systems across North Carolina. Lindsey draws on her experiences in food production, agricultural education, local food procurement, technical support for food councils, local government, and nonprofit management to provide a unique perspective on systems change. Currently, she manages the NC Farm to Senior Services program as an Extension Associate at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems.

Workshop recording

> 2023 Farm Bill: Investing in Our Future
The highly anticipated farm bill, a game-changer for the future of agriculture, is up for reauthorization this September. Join forces with the NC Food System Advocacy Coalition and help shape the future by advocating for important issues like soil health, emergency nutrition programs, credit, and community food system funding. Don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of creating a brighter and more sustainable food system.

Bobby Jones, Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition
- Bobby Jones is an organizer with the NCFSAC. He is a former Deputy Director at O’Berry Center in Goldsboro, NC, the Director of Internal Community Advocacy for the eastern region and he retired with 30 years from NCDHHS. He is a lifelong community organizer and advocates for social and environmental justice. Currently, the President of Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition, Bobby was the 2018 recipient of NCEJN’s Community Resilience Award.
Keith Sexton, NC United Methodist Church
- Keith is a beekeeper, United Methodist (UMC) pastor, EarthKeeper, and Advocacy member of the Creation Care Team of the North Carolina Conference of the UMC. He wrote and curated a toolbox for faith communities to engage in Sustainable Agriculture in the use of church land and to partner with local farmers to increase local access to affordable, local. organically grown food. Currently, he is undertaking a graduate program at the intersection of faith and public policy.
Jessica Burroughs, MomsRising
- Jessica has been passionate about food justice and equitable access to food for many years. For the past four years, she has been leading a campaign on hunger & food insecurity for MomsRising. As part of this work, she has developed an anti-hunger advocacy program for women who have experienced food insecurity to advocate for themselves and their communities and drive policy changes that address hunger. She has also spent the past six years supporting the implementation of the CEFS NC Farm to Early Care and Education Breakthrough Series Collaborative, which connects children in child care with local food and farms across North Carolina.
Jaylen Cates, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, CFSA
- Jaylen is the Policy Director at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association where they support the organization’s network of members through policy and advocacy engagement at the state and federal levels. They also support the growing network of food policy councils in North Carolina through their work on the Community Food Strategies Team.
Lavonia Lewis, Men & Women United for Youth & Families

Workshop recording

> Working Together for State-Level Impacts
Unlock the secrets to state-level advocacy success at this exciting panel! Experts from top organizations in NC will bring you up to speed on the latest opportunities for advocacy in the state. Hear real-world examples of how advocacy has made a difference, and learn how you can be a part of the movement. Discover ways to engage your local networks and inspire others to join the cause.

Morgan Wittman Gramann, NC Alliance for Health
- Morgan joined NCAH in 2015. In addition to her role as executive director, she also serves as one of NCAH’s registered lobbyists. Morgan earned her JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and her BA in Anthropology from American University in Washington, DC. She is an active member of the North Carolina State Bar. Morgan lives in Durham with her husband, three children, and 19-year-old cat.
Marianne Hedrick Weant, NC Alliance for Health
- Marianne joined NCAH in 2018 after almost nine years with North Carolina PTA advocating for the health and well-being of North Carolina’s children. Marianne worked at Booz Allen Hamilton and the American Red Cross, before working in health promotion at Be Active NC. Marianne completed her BA in anthropology and history at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and her MA in anthropology and development at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. She received her MSPH from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In her spare time, she manages her husband Tom, six kids, one very old dog, and five chickens.
Carrie Martin, Back Family Land Trust
- Carrie Martin is the NC State Coordinator of the Black Family Land Trust Inc. (BFLT). Since joining the BFLT in February of 2021 Carrie has provided technical assistance to farmers and has been able to assist land owners with connecting to farm resources and navigating farmers through the pandemic relief programs that are being offered by the USDA.
Jaylen Cates, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, CFSA
- Jaylen is the Policy Director at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association where they support the organization’s network of members through policy and advocacy engagement at the state and federal levels. They also support the growing network of food policy councils in North Carolina through their work on the Community Food Strategies Team.
Meg Molloy, Care4Carolina
- Meg leads Business and Community Engagement for Care4Carolina, an advocacy coalition that is working to cover over 600,000 uninsured North Carolinians with Medicaid Expansion. Given that many food insecure North Carolinians and farmworkers are uninsured, and that state legislators are in active discussion on Medicaid Expansion, Care4Carolina looks forward to sharing progress and next steps.
Juvencio Peralto, Association of Mexicans in North Carolina
- Juvencio Rocha Peralta, Jr., a native of Veracruz, Mexico, has lived in North Carolina since 1980 and has been a community advocate and leader in communities local and abroad for the past 30 years. Mr. Rocha-Peralta has been the Executive Director and Founder of the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, Inc. (AMEXCAN) since 2001.

Workshop recording

Presentation slides

> Building Climate-Resilient NC Agriculture and Food Systems
This session will explore how NC farms can build climate resilience and the support they need to make the transition. It will feature a short video created by NC A&T University and Environmental Defense Fund, followed by discussion with two participating farmers. We will then be joined by panelists from organizations that help to build farm and food system resilience to discuss public funds, markets and finance.

Mark Blevins, NC A&T Cooperative Extension
- Dr. Mark Blevins is the Assistant Extension Administrator for Cooperative Extension at NC A&T State University where he leads Agriculture and Natural Resources Programming to connect campus research and resources to Counties and farmers across the state. He chose Extension as a career because of the local agents in Sampson County who helped his family with vegetable production, canning, youth-development, and even laundry questions when he was growing up in rural Eastern North Carolina. Since then, Blevins has worked with Extension since 2002 in tribal, urban, suburban, and coastal communities with a focus on small-scale operations and sustainable agriculture. His role at NC A&T leverages preeminent resources at the nation’s largest HBCU to equip minority and small growers with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to make even greater impacts in Agriculture. Mark lives with his wife, Anna, and their three daughters in Greensboro.
Beverly Blackwell Bowen, Blackwell’s Farm
- Beverly has provided support and held administrative leadership roles in community-based organizations such as Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) – USA, Small Farm Task Force at NC A&T State University, NC AgrAbility and advocate support to local farm communities.
- Today, Beverly is an active farm owner/operator of Blackwell’s Farm with the support of her brother in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina growing seasonal specialty vegetables and Angus Beef Cows with a focus on Climate Smart and Regenerative Agriculture practices.
- Beverly is a passionate farmer – keeping a family legacy alive as being from a multigenerational “six-generation” farm family dating back to the late 1700’s and a true believer in the power of food to heal. Beverly volunteers her time in service to the people around her, ever willing to lend a hand or her knowledge for the purpose of a healthy and informed citizenry.
- In addition to her farm background she has thirty (30) plus years of industry experience from roles at McDonald’s Corporation and ABM (formerly GCA Services), where she has held management and leadership positions in operations, management, and human resources. Beverly holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from UNC-Greensboro.
- Recently, she has been recognized by Environmental Defense Fund, Spectrum News, NC A&T State University, Noble Research Institute, Farm Aid 2022, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, CEFS and other organizations for her farm practices in reducing greenhouse gases and migrating climate change.
Millard Locklear, New Ground Farm
- Millard Locklear along with his wife Connie are owners and farmers at New Ground Farm in Pembroke, North Carolina. The farm is located on loamy sand soils in North Carolina’s coastal plain. The 26-acre farm has been in Millard’s family since the 1930s, and four generations of Locklears have lived on the farm. Millard was born and raised on the farm and began farming it again at full capacity in 2015 after a career away from the farm. Millard and Connie grow a wide array of vegetables, including peas, sweet corn, kale, collard greens, tomatoes, squash, peppers and eggplant. New Ground Farm is certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices program, and Millard and Connie sell many of their crops directly to the NC University of North Carolina system and UNC Pembroke in particular.
Maggie Monast, Environmental Defense Fund

Kelly Crane, Farmer FoodShare
- Kelly (she/her) joined Farmer Foodshare in 2022 as its Executive Director, working to ensure that the operations of the organization are always and actively supporting our mission and vision of providing fresh, local food for all.
- Kelly’s vast experience includes non profit leadership, small scale farming, fundraising and policy work. Prior to working at Farmer Foodshare, Kelly served for four years as the Executive Director of the Oregon Farmers Markets Association, followed by a period as the Annual Fund Manager for the Triangle Land Conservancy. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia, and also owned and operated a sustainable farm in Charleston, West Virginia for 5 years.
- Additionally, she previously served as the Executive Director of the West Virginia Farmers Markets Association and, before that, was a Policy Analyst for the West Virginia Legislature. She enjoys hiking, biking and swimming with her friends and family, and is currently passionate about “rewilding” her yard and exploring all of the Triangle’s incredible farmers markets.
Belton Moore, Native American Agriculture Fund
- Belton Moore grew up on a farm in Robeson County and is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. He serves as a Program Officer for the Native American Agriculture Fund, where he works to help increase access to capital for Native producers. Before joining NAAF, Belton served as a Policy Associate with Hometown Strong, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s initiative to champion rural communities. He is a proud graduate of NC State University and currently resides in Chatham County.

Workshop recording

Increasing Impact

Skills, techniques, and models to build an organizational culture that creates more equitable outcomes

> Adult Allies and Engaging the Next Generation in Agriculture
This session will focus on bridging generational gaps in the agricultural profession and how to positively engage our youth in agriculture experiences. This is a hands-on workshop that will provide you with the tools to create workshops for the next generation. You will also see and hear from youth who are blazing the agriculture trail and hear how they got involved in agriculture and what’s kept them engaged.

Brielle Wright, The Farmers B.A.G
- Brielle Wright is a proud NC A&T alum with a degree in agriculture business. She grew up in Clarkton, NC with parents and grandparents who have professions in farming and education. Brielle and her sister Michelle started the Farmers B.A.G with the ultimate goal of creating a foundation that will fund and create opportunities for underrepresented youth in agriculture and underrepresented farmers.
Temika Parker, The Farmers B.A.G
- Temika Parker is a retired Veteran of the U.S. Navy. She was born and raised in NC into a military background. She became passionate about agriculture through volunteering with her community garden and became a Master Gardener. After retiring from the military Temika sought out a career in agriculture to ensure a stronger foundation of agriculture was built in underrepresented and underserved communities. She is now a farm apprentice with The Farmers B.A.G in Bladen County and is wanting to pursue a degree in agriculture business.
Linda Tyndall, Richardson Herbal Farm
- Linda Richardson Tyndall is co-owner of Richardson Herbal Farm and is sometimes referred to by close friends as “Dr. Linda”. She may not carry a little black bag, but she does carry a brown purse full of natural items to help with wounds, headaches and coughs. Raised in the small town of Tar Heel, North Carolina in Bladen County, about 30 miles from Fayetteville, N.C., Linda has spent more than thirty years as a Cosmetologist and Owner of the Restoration Center. Linda has taught nutrition and healthy living classes to families and has provided active learning experiences that focused on freezing and canning produce.
Chester Williams, A Better Chance, A Better Community (ABC2)

Workshop recording

> Content Analysis as Audit Tool for Evaluating Racial Equity in the Food System
In this workshop, we describe and apply a tool developed for internal audits to motivate critical organizational reflection and a change in action toward racial equity. This tool utilizes content analysis with a pre-established codebook to assess the framing of proposals and programming. Bring your own proposals and programs to analyze and think about where your organization is at on the journey to racial equity.

Andy R. Smolski, NCSU Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences
- Andy R. Smolski is a postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. His research focuses on the social conditions of sustainable transitions in agriculture and resilient agrarian communities in the Western Hemisphere.
Rebecca Shisler, NCSU Department of Sociology and Anthropology, CEFS, MDC Rural Forward
- Rebecca Shisler is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. She is also a graduate fellow with the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and a Program Assistant with MDC Rural Forward. Rebecca’s research focuses on how people understand their relationship with the food system, the environment, and each other. Additionally, she is passionate about addressing inequality across the food system through research and community-led development.

Presentation slides

> Part 1: Engaging Community: Creative and Cultural Strategies
As a Food Council, your work encompasses so much more than food. Power, justice, work and health are key to your mission. As your organization works within the community and wants to engage different audiences on these intersectional elements, standard tactics of tabling or a media conference do not help. Being creative and working with creatives can make intersectionality come alive. The question many groups face is how. Should they do a mural or a flash mob? How do you reach and work with local artists or a celebrity to move your message? Part 1 of this Spitfire Strategies training will explore the best creative and cultural strategies to consider when engaging your community in ways that will align with your mission, messaging and resonate beyond your expectations.

Wyatt Closs, Senior Vice President, Spitfire Strategies
- Based in Los Angeles, Wyatt Closs is senior vice president for Creative and Cultural Strategies at Spitfire. He’s constantly curious, likes to noodle on things and discover the new new. He has spent the last 20 years on explorations of art and design for social change, progressive politics, creative advocacy, cultural criticism writing and organizing for social justice. He is considered an early practitioner in a field now known as cultural organizing or culture change work. Wyatt was born and raised in North Carolina, but his career has taken him primarily to Washington, New York City and Los Angeles, where he currently lives with his wife, Roshin Mathew. Often you’ll find him spending whatever other time he has left writing more screenplays, tricking out his bike, working on his DJ skills, blogging and watching every movie under the sun with his wife.
Mark Dessaurer, Senior Vice President, Spitfire Strategies
- Mark Dessauer seeks the lightbulb moment in his work with organizations, communities, and individuals. What is a lightbulb moment? It is a simple change of mind, seeing something in a different light, and deciding to act in another manner as a result. From a glimmer to a blinding flash of inspiration, these sparks are central to creating social change. Mark has worked for the last 25 years on creating change with think tanks, the U.S. embassy, state governments, universities, nonprofits, and foundations. From community solutions to childhood obesity prevention across the country to statewide early childhood and oral health campaigns, Mark’s communication work has focused on improving the health and well-being of hundreds of communities. Mark is committed to community change outside of his day job and works to make Durham more walkable, bikeable, and healthier for all residents. Mark previously served on the Prevention Partners board and currently serves on the Upstream Works Collaborative board. He co-founded the Bull City Open Streets (North Carolina’s first open streets event in 2010), helped start the Bike Durham coalition and Durham Bicycle Boulevards, assists Congregations, Associations and Neighborhoods (CAN) in finding more opportunities for biking and walking in Durham and has led the monthly walk and bike to school at Club Boulevard Elementary since 2009. He also helped establish and develop the Durham Public Schools Hub Farm – a 30-acre farm and wilderness area where students, teachers, and the community grow and harvest healthy food. Mark enjoys hiking, biking, and exploring nature and the food system with his family and dogs. In his spare time, Mark is working on more being and less doing.

Presentation slides

> Part 2: Engaging Community: Creative and Cultural Strategies
After hearing examples and ideas in Part 1 of this training, let’s brainstorm your Food Policy Council specific projects to engage your community and talk strategies to engage specific audiences in a creative way. This is a great opportunity to get real-time workshopping and feedback on creating creative strategies right for you and your community. We will discuss everything from wild, expansive tactics and the budgets, staffing and insurance needs to make them happen.

Wyatt Closs, Senior Vice President, Spitfire Strategies
- Based in Los Angeles, Wyatt Closs is senior vice president for Creative and Cultural Strategies at Spitfire. He’s constantly curious, likes to noodle on things and discover the new new. He has spent the last 20 years on explorations of art and design for social change, progressive politics, creative advocacy, cultural criticism writing and organizing for social justice. He is considered an early practitioner in a field now known as cultural organizing or culture change work. Wyatt was born and raised in North Carolina, but his career has taken him primarily to Washington, New York City and Los Angeles, where he currently lives with his wife, Roshin Mathew. Often you’ll find him spending whatever other time he has left writing more screenplays, tricking out his bike, working on his DJ skills, blogging and watching every movie under the sun with his wife.
Mark Dessaurer, Senior Vice President, Spitfire Strategies
- Mark Dessauer seeks the lightbulb moment in his work with organizations, communities, and individuals. What is a lightbulb moment? It is a simple change of mind, seeing something in a different light, and deciding to act in another manner as a result. From a glimmer to a blinding flash of inspiration, these sparks are central to creating social change. Mark has worked for the last 25 years on creating change with think tanks, the U.S. embassy, state governments, universities, nonprofits, and foundations. From community solutions to childhood obesity prevention across the country to statewide early childhood and oral health campaigns, Mark’s communication work has focused on improving the health and well-being of hundreds of communities. Mark is committed to community change outside of his day job and works to make Durham more walkable, bikeable, and healthier for all residents. Mark previously served on the Prevention Partners board and currently serves on the Upstream Works Collaborative board. He co-founded the Bull City Open Streets (North Carolina’s first open streets event in 2010), helped start the Bike Durham coalition and Durham Bicycle Boulevards, assists Congregations, Associations and Neighborhoods (CAN) in finding more opportunities for biking and walking in Durham and has led the monthly walk and bike to school at Club Boulevard Elementary since 2009. He also helped establish and develop the Durham Public Schools Hub Farm – a 30-acre farm and wilderness area where students, teachers, and the community grow and harvest healthy food. Mark enjoys hiking, biking, and exploring nature and the food system with his family and dogs. In his spare time, Mark is working on more being and less doing.

“Food is a social justice fight and a fight against racism, and we continue that fight by doing events like this and speaking up.”
– Terrence Whidbee, ABC2

Food & Community Health

Case studies, solutions, and analysis of ways to improve health of people, land, and community

> ROOTED TOGETHER: Creating an Interdisciplinary Student-Led Community-Engaged Program Addressing Nutrition Security
The Root Causes Fresh Produce Program of Durham, NC, has leveraged a network of graduate and undergraduate students to support faculty, clinical, and community partnerships to establish a unique volunteer-run operation of at-home food deliveries for food-insecure families of Durham County’s medical clinics. We hope our story can serve as a jumping point for universities, health, and food systems in North Carolina to consider and pursue student-led community support.

Speakers:
- Elaijah Lapay, Duke University, Root Causes Fresh Produce Program;
- Scott Esko Brummel, Duke University, Root Causes Fresh Produce Program and El Centro Hispano;
- Willis Wong, Duke University School of Medicine and Root Causes Fresh Produce Program;

Presentation Recording

Presentation slides

> The History of Farmworkers in the US
Farmworkers do not enjoy the same labor protections as most workers in the United States. Their annual wages continue to be some of the lowest in the country and farmwork is considered to be one of the most dangerous occupations. Explore some of the main historical events that shaped the agricultural system and how farmworkers continue to deal with the legacy of slavery and colonialism.

Anai Santibanez, Hispanic Federation
- Anaí Santibañez is Hispanic Federation’s NC Civic Engagement Program Manager. Previously, she worked and volunteered with other organizations who supported farmworkers and immigrants through direct services and skills and leadership development. She comes from a farmworker family and worked as a farmworker in 2015 and up until the first few months of the pandemic. As a recent graduate from NC State University, she hopes to use her knowledge and skills to do more for farmworkers in NC through direct services and empowerment.
Lariza Garzon, Hispanic Federation
- Lariza Garzon is the Director of NC and Midsouth Op at Hispanic Federation (HF). HF works to advance and empower the Latino community and its institutions through programs, advocacy, grantmaking, and capacity building. Lariza Garzon was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, and has worked for 15 years with immigrant and agricultural workers in the U.S. and Mexico. Lariza joined HF in March of 2022 and is happy to lead the organization’s efforts to strengthen and support Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations in North Carolina.

Presentation slides

> The Evolution of an Urban Local Food System - Lessons Learned
Growing High Point has experienced substantial growth over the past two years, launched a mobile food market that incentivizes fresh food consumption in food deserts, implemented a farmer training program, a beekeeping apprentice program, and a youth enrichment program to combat food insecurity, boost economic mobility, and build civic engagement.
- Wilma Mays and Jose Abreau, Growing High Point

Presentation slides

> Food, Farming, and Legacy: Building blocks for influence in the community
Hear from successful farms who left corporate America to build an urban farm that offers multiple protein options, educational offerings, and agritourism for the community. They will tell their story of the successes and failures of growing livestock on a small 4-acre farm, their marketing strategies, and how they work together. We will also share the generational legacy of passing down the knowledge of farming to children.

Immanuel Jarvis, Jireh Family Farm, Co-founder
- Immanuel Jarvis, a former sales manager, webmaster, and social media developer, uses his skills to organically promote the business with online content development, referral programs, customer retention efforts, and strategic product branding. These efforts have resulted in year-over-year sales growth, value-added options, and a 5-star rating on google.com.
Valarie Jarvis, BSN, RN, Jireh Family Farm, Co-founder, The Nurse Who Farms, Founder and CEO
- Valarie Jarvis, a third-generation tobacco farmer, Registered Nurse, and corporate nurse consultant, uses her experience to sustain animal health and implement medicinal herb development. Her expertise guides homeopathic solutions for livestock care and land utilization practices to maximize soil conservation. Valarie is also training to be a registered herbalist and master gardener to supplement her holistic and horticulture knowledge.
Makayla Jarvis, Jireh Family Farm, Director of small ruminant division
- Makayla Jarvis is a fourth-generation farmer and recent graduate of Kentucky State University with a degree in agribusiness. She leads the small ruminant division and uses her expertise with goats to care for our farm’s goat herd and to offer educational opportunities and consultations to other farms and individuals.

Presentation slides

> Joy and Rest: A Liberated Lifestyle
This workshop will be a discussion and practice to understand the importance of rest and joyfulness in the work towards liberation. Resistance to the harms of a racist and inequitable society is critical to the success of our goals of self-sufficiency, community, and success.

Michelle Wright, The Farmer’s B.A.G., LLC
- Mìchelle Wright is a licensed clinical mental health therapist in NC, co-owner of The Farmer’s B.A.G., and a racial equity consultant. She has worked across local government and non-profit sectors to promote community healing, equitable access to resources, and Black Joy. Mìchelle believes that Black Joy is not only a form of resistance but liberation.
Brielle Wright, The Farmer’s B.A.G., LLC
- Brielle Wright is a proud A&T alum with a degree in agriculture business. She grew up in Clarkton, NC with parents and grandparents who have professions in farming and education. Brielle and her sister Michelle started the Farmers B.A.G with the ultimate goal of creating a foundation that will fund and create opportunities for underrepresented youth in agriculture and underrepresented farmers.

Regional Food Economies

New and existing value-based solutions that create wealth throughout local food infrastructure

> Value-driven Food Systems: Exploring Values, Solidarity Economics, and Systemic Change toward Better Food Systems
The solidarity economy (SE) is a progressive, value-based economic framework that seeks out, highlights, and champions ways of doing economics (that is, the production, consumption, and allocation of things) in ways that promote solidarity through lacing progressive values like equity (in all dimensions), cooperation, sustainability, celebrating diverse ways of doing things, and participatory & democratic decision-making throughout how those economic practices are done. It’s not necessarily a new economic framework as much as it is a rekindled one — one reframing, refocusing, sometimes innovating, and connecting existing progressive practices. And it seems to do this increasingly out of necessity as our communities and futures face crisis-level systemic inequity, exploitation, fascism, and increasingly-frequent economic and ecological disaster. SE is more of a needle and thread — rather than a blueprint — that stitches together tapestries of sustainable and community-focused ways of meeting our wants and needs, collectively promoting alternative visions of healthier, thriving communities in the process.

Community Food Strategies has been hosting a small cohort of food system practitioners exploring possibilities for ways SE can inform the work of equitable food system development and usher in more progressive visions for systemic change. This will be a discussion of those core values and what possibilities look like for the changes we want in our food systems.
- Jesalyn Keziah, UNC American Indian Center
- Marcus Hill

> Supporting Regional Economies by Promoting Urban-Rural Connectivity Through Food
This session is designed for individuals interested in learning about how food system planning can increase economic development in their communities. We will be discussing a project in the Upper Coastal Plain, Kerr-Tar and Triangle J regions to understand and create pathways to build a healthy food value chain that aims to shorten supply chains, drive economic development, create quality jobs, enhance resilient practices, and foster equity in the greater region’s food system.

Mary Jane Lyonnais, Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments
- Mary Jane Lyonnais is a Regional Planner specializing in Food Systems for the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments. Mary Jane received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and her Masters of Public Health at East Carolina University. She spent the last 5 years in Northeastern NC as a Healthy Foods Coordinator for a District Health Department working to increase access to healthy foods in rural North Carolina communities. She now coordinates a Food Systems Economic Development Project to strengthen urban-rural connectivity through food in partnership with two adjacent Councils of Governments: The Kerr-Tar and Triangle J. Mary Jane is passionate about understanding the underlying causes and solutions for health and economic disparities in North Carolina and believes the food system to be a driving force to do so.
Erin Love, RTI International
- Erin Love is an economist in RTI’s Center for Applied Economics and Strategy. Her research interests include food systems as a mechanism for economic development, food security, institutional food procurement, and true cost accounting in agricultural supply chains. Her technical skills include agent-based modeling, time-series econometrics, optimization modeling, supply chain mapping and margining, hedonic price analysis, economic impact analysis, and survey design. Before joining RTI, Ms. Love was a member of an interdisciplinary team at Colorado State University that built an agent-based model of the Colorado food system. She also participated in aquaculture education and business development efforts as a Fellow at the Island Institute and administered federal afterschool and summer nutrition programs at the YMCA of Western North Carolina.

Presentation slides

> How the Industry is Changing for Farmers of Color
In this session, Crystal Taylor, Co-founder of the Black Farmers Market and Ron Pringle of Interfaith Food Shuttle will discuss how farmers can get the access, support and information they need to be better equipped with resources and opportunities for sustainability.

Ron Pringle, CEO Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
- With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, Ron Pringle continues to serve his community at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, speaking on behalf of the underserved, and improving their quality of life through transformational programs and services. Raised in South Carolina, Ron received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services from Springfield College in Charleston, SC. He served as an Assistant Chaplain in the U.S. Airforce during Desert Storm, and then returned to the Charleston area and began his career in food banking, coming to the Food Shuttle as President and CEO in May of 2020. Ron is an avid golfer, makes his own furniture, and is a self-taught musician who enjoys spending time with his family.
Crystal Taylor, Co-Founder, Black Farmers Market, Director of Agriculture & Farmer Relations
- The farmers market takes pride in providing access to affordable food, and supporting black farmers and businesses while encouraging health & wellness.

> Creating and Strengthening Partnerships in Rural Communities
An interactive workshop that shares the process of creating community partnerships in crisis and beyond. A holistic view of community members and their needs – recognizing root causes and approaching people in reciprocity, learning from each other to address needs in community. Creating a team that crosses silos, engaging organizations with different skills to: solve problems, unite a community, create a message, and find funding as a team.

Amy Steven, McDowell Access to Care and Health
- Amy Stevens serves as the Program Manager for McDowell Access to Care and Health, a community collaborative focused on whole person health, access to health care, and health equity for all McDowell County residents. A passionate community health advocate, she also serves as the Chair of Food Access and Security for McDowell Local Food Advisory Council, Secretary of the Mission Ministries Alliance Board of Directors, and active member of West Marion, Inc’s Community Engagement team.
Heather Edwards, McDowell LFAC / Foothills Food Hub
- Heather Edwards serves as the Executive Director of the McDowell Local Food Advisory Council and was Project Developer for the recently completed Foothills Food Hub. She has been invested in food access and the local food system development in McDowell County for the last 10 years. Heather has been a leader in the local food movement, an active member of several community organizations, an advocate for small farmers and passionate about shifting food access and food system inequities.

StorySLAM speakers, 2023 Forging our Food Future Gathering

Ten incredible storytellers at the Forging our Food Future: 2023 Community Food Gathering on March 15th in Rocky Mount, NC. The participants were provided with the following story prompt:
Story Prompt: Forging our Food Future. Think of an early or important food memory. What do you want to bring forward from that memory into the work of creating our food future?

Photos By Jamaal Torrence

Jamaal Torrance is a wedding videographer and business videographer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. 5+ years of professional experience with capture and editing in fast-paced environments, such as agencies, media, or design studios.

Thank you to our sponsors for this event!

– Gathering participant

Policy

Opportunities to learn and engage with food-related policy and advocacy campaigns, ideas, and actions

Increasing Impact

Skills, techniques, and models to build an organizational culture that creates more equitable outcomes

“Food is a social justice fight and a fight against racism, and we continue that fight by doing events like this and speaking up.”– Terrence Whidbee, ABC2

Food & Community Health

Case studies, solutions, and analysis of ways to improve health of people, land, and community

Regional Food Economies

New and existing value-based solutions that create wealth throughout local food infrastructure

StorySLAM speakers, 2023 Forging our Food Future Gathering

Photos By Jamaal Torrence

Thank you to our sponsors for this event!

“Food is a social justice fight and a fight against racism, and we continue that fight by doing events like this and speaking up.”
– Terrence Whidbee, ABC2