On June 3 representatives from local governments, schools, non-profits, farms and markets filled University Place at Portland State University to spend one of the season’s first sunny days gathered inside at the second annual Multnomah Food Summit.
Attendees came to implement the actions outlined in the Multnomah Food Action Plan, a 15-year outline of goals and actions to create an equitable, healthy local food system. Although Multnomah County is touted as a “foodie haven,” the area faces serious issues surrounding access to healthy food, especially for low-income residents.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oregon has the second highest rate of hunger in the nation. In Multnomah County, more than half of the adult population is overweight or obese. Chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke are on the rise.
Many residents struggle not only to find healthy food, but to find enough food at all. About 36,000 people in Multnomah County access emergency food boxes each month and approximately 30 percent of the county’s children receive food through SNAP food assistance.
“At the first Food Summit one year ago, we tried to imagine what to do to create an intentional food vision, “ said Kat West, director of the Office of Sustainability at Multnomah County. “We faced a hunger crisis, a health crisis and an unemployment crisis.”
While many of these problems persist in Multnomah County, local governments and partners are working quickly to find solutions. “Today, I can barely keep up with all that’s happening to confront these problems,” concluded West.
The Health Department recently received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to launch “It Starts Here,” an initiative that combats obesity through programs based in schools, neighborhoods and community centers. County Digs, a program founded in 2010 donates tax-foreclosed properties to qualified governments and non-profits for use as community gardens, urban farms and green spaces.
At the Food Summit, local partners were determined to build on this progress, attending breakout sessions such as “Building a Successful Farmer Resource Network,” “ The Roles of Small Businesses in Creating Healthy Local Food Systems” and “Developing Partnerships to Build Equitable Community Food Resilience in Under-served Neighborhoods.”
For more information about the Multnomah Food Action Plan, visit www.multnomahfood.org.