Equitable
Community Engagement
We root our work in the community in many ways. We lead from experience, meet people where they are, lift up the vision of community members as our priorities.
Lived Expertise
Let's start with us. We are from the community and we speak the languages, know the challenges, love our people. Our staff, board, and accountability circles all include people who are survivors of experiences of food scarcity. Having been there, we approach our work a little differently. We believe that everyone is worthy of dignity and has a leadership role to play. Read some of our reflections on our work over in News & Stories.
Participatory Budgeting
This year we are working in partnership with the Henderson County Committee for Activity and Nutrition's Participatory Budgeting Delegation to convene a series of community dinners to identify community priorities for healthy eating. These dinners grew out of the participatory budgeting delegation's commitment to increasing community cohesion and healthy relationships as a key strategy for improving community health. Food is the social glue that brings groups together.
DeBorah Ogiste is convening GrandBlessings and Delia Jovel is convening Cenas Comunitarias de Dana. Roxanna Pepper is convening a women's group to support Black families at A Place to go.
Community Dinners provide social support, a space to re-build social networks, and time to de-stress in the company of people with shared life experiences.
Our long-term goal is to have strong social networks of support and care across the diverse communities of Henderson County.