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Meeting Minutes

Action Team Name: Food System Meeting Date: 3/20/2008 Facilitator: Allison Harris
Note Taker name: Annie Rojas Telephone #: 215-386-5211 e-mail: annierojas@whitedog.com
Attendees:
Basher, Mike ShopRite Granados, Tatiana, East Park Morgan, Ruth The Food Trust
Brawer, Rickie Jefferson Revitalization Alliance Richardson, Keith
Bryant, Brenda West Phila Health Harries, Caroline The Food Trust Richardson, Stan Manny SWES
Consortium, Monumental CDC Harris, Allison The Food Trust Rosen, Johanna Mill Creek Farm
Colon, Pete ShopRite Hastings, Allison DVRPC Santana, Abbie
Duncan-Tessmer, Christie Ingram, Karl Weiss, Norman Weavers Way Coop
Gorman, Patrick The Food Trust Johnston, Haile Common Market, East
Park Revitalization Alliance
Agenda Item Discussion: Main Points Follow-up Actions/Status Responsibility Deadline
Introductions and Participants introduced themselves.
Announcements • Stan Richardson offered thanks to Jeff Brown and
his Shop Rite for coming in to the community.
• Community Food Security Coalition Annual
Conference in October- looking for workshops
• May 31 New Shop Rite at 52nd and
Parkside/Jefferson will open; already hiring, apply
at any ShopRite and specify that location (hiring
center to open 4/1 at Charter School at Parkside)
• Family Room in West Phila YMCA- ShopRIte
partnered with City to build room for use
afterschool- provides academic setting at YMCA
• West Girard Community Council is hosting a
meeting about a food market on 4/10.
Synergy: List examples of Allison gave a brief overview of PUFFA Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
synergy provided at Brenda- Secured free reports from The Food Trust and
meeting further information about mapping to share with her
West Phila Consortium Board
Previous Meeting Follow-
up
Community Engagement Yahoo Group invitations have been sent If you haven’t received an invitation you
should soon. The group is not invitation only.
Establish a Yahoo identify and search for
PUFFA.
Annie ASAP
Annie will review invitation list to make sure
food systems names are included.
Food systems update Vision posted to Yahoo Group for comment Please comment All April 11
Workplan update There was a brief review of the workplan with a Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
reminder to attend the full Alliance meeting on 4/16.
Location TBA
New Topics
Food Retail opportunities- Welcome on behalf of Jeff Brown. 9 stores in PA Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Mike Basher from (Phila and Bucks Counties) and 1 in NJ. New store
ShopRite opening in Parkside will be a big help- not a lot of
groceries there. Jeff feels that growth throughout the
city is successful when done right. 4-5% of total store
sales in the average urban store comes from produce
department. Brown’s Shop Rite has about 7-11%
produce sales because of expanded departments and
freshness guarantees. Parkside will have expanded
organics offering- seem to see greater interest in
organic in city stores vs. suburbs. Jeff is committed to
community support through donations and community
engagement/ collaboration. Strategy for success in city
groceries comes from leadership- Jeff Brown wants to
see a healthy community.

When Jeff Brown wants to come in, he goes to


community leaders and assess interest etc. Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Stanley Richardson is on the PAC board- Project Area
Committee- association of southwest community
organizations (approve any business coming in). Jeff
Brown came to the PAC for approval and was told by
the PAC that it wouldn’t work. In fact the store has
been very successful.

Stanley- ShopRite proudly supports over 200


organizations with generous support of food or clothes- Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
what ever is needed. The Eastwick Food Bank, run by
Stan’s church feeds close to 2000 people a month
(recognized by the state of PA for serving so many
individuals). ShopRite is the primary supporter and the
reason so many people are served.

Question: Is Jeff Brown an African American?


No he is not, although he is a lifetime member of the
NAACP.

Jeff Brown researches communities to determine


demographics as they relate to food needs. For
example, a lot of Africans looking for familiar Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
packaging and foods etc. so he researches and changes
products accordingly. Halal meat sells well because it
is what the community needs. Other chains that don’t
take the time to know community needs miss out on
business opportunities, like Halal meat.

Question: A lot of seniors need rides to shop. Is there a


program like that here or at the new store?
Answer: This store wasn’t set up like that because
Acme (previous occupant) volume was so low. Since
business has picked up, they’ve arranged for “hacks”
to make transportation available. Hacks provide taxi-
like transportation. ShopRite does best to check license
(on file), rates are fair etc.

Questions: Local buying?


Some local buying from NJ and surrounding areas.

Question: If we run a food bank near the new store, can


we get food donations from Jeff Brown’s ShopRite

Every year he donates $10,000 a year per store (ie


$100,000) to local food banks. Mike will give card to
Haile to work out details.

Jeff Brown keeps his stores beautiful because good Haile Johnston to discuss with Mike Basher Haile By late spring
business makes it easier to give. Jeff’s motto is give
until hurts.

Can we get bike racks for this store?


No problem

Mike Basher to inquire about bike racks Mike Basher ASAP


Food Retail opportunities- Carolyn gave an overview of the Fresh Food Financing Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Caroline Harries from The Initiative.
Food Trust
It is a pool of funding that helps with
supermarket/grocery development across PA. It is a
public private partnership- Food Trust works with
Reinvestment Fund and GPUAC-Greater Philadelphia
Urban Affairs Commission to administer funding. This
Shop Rite is a beneficiary of funds- the first store in the
city that received funding. 50 stores in PA have
received funding- 1/3 have been in Philly. Criteria for
program: a) Store location in low to moderate income
area b) store location in an underserved area

This program is unique in the country. Program began


because Food Trust did a study that mapped areas of
high disease rates, low food access, and low income
and saw that these issues were clustered. The grant that
was received from the state was leveraged to increase
funds. The initiative encourages applicants from low
income and middle income areas. Interested persons
should call. The funding can fund big supermarkets
and small stores too. Romano’s grocery (19124) was
recently remodeled using funds. Romano’s looks
beautiful and offers a lot more fresh fruits and
vegetables.

The initiative focuses on adding fresh food retail (ie


adding refrigeration, employee training, anything that
helps the upfront costs of locating in these areas.
Grants and loans are available- size of funds is
dependent on the size of the project.

A written overview of the program was distributed

Question: Were all 50 stores enclosed? Or have any


farmers markets been funded?
Criteria requires that store must be year round retail.
Enclosed farmers markets could apply.
Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Ruth Morgan has been working on evaluation of
Romano’s. She determined that the program is really
designed for larger operators. To really work for small
vendors or farmers markets- funding will have to
evolve. Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable

No real technical assistance provided beyond funding.


Program is designed to emphasize expertise of
operator. With corner stores who haven’t had
experience with produce or fresh foods currently
minimal support is provided- but this model/service
will hopefully developed
Prioritization process The group discussed what criteria or elements we Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
might use to help us make decisions in the future in
terms of selecting policy or pilot areas. How we
prioritize things will depend on group values and
guidelines that we all can live with. This is an evolving
process and an ongoing dialogue. Criteria for
prioritization may change over time. The group
created a list of elements or criteria that matter to us to
help us prioritize in the future:

The following was the criteria identified:


Community assets
Replicability
Environmental Impact (how you do it is as important
as what you do)
Community Readiness
Partnership with community/collaboration with local
steward
Community Leadership
Need (including health disparities, low access to
healthy food, physical need for product, broad
diversity across whole the project)
Local first
Systems approach
Impact (including number of people, health disparities,
and bang for the buck (cost/benefit))
Health disparities
Feasibility
Level of difficulty

Persons were asked to “vote” using four dots for the


elements/criteria they value the most.

Question: Can we add an “all of the above” item?


For the purpose of the exercise- no “all of the above”
choice- but continue to encourage dialogue that criteria
for prioritization should not be an either/or- but really
all criteria are equally important.

Number represents the number of dots- not the number


of people, supporting that element. Elements receiving
no dots are not listed.

Impact (including detailed list above)- 9


Need (including detailed list above)- 9
Partnership with community/collaboration with local
steward - 7
Environmental Impact - 4
Local first- 3
Community assets - 2
Replicability - 2
Health disparities- 2
Feasibility-2
Level of difficulty- 2
Community Readiness - 1
Community Leadership -1
Evaluation- Rickie Brawer Rickie reviewed informed consent and reviewed Persons who have signed consent should Persons who ASAP
evaluation process- it will measure how well things complete participant information form and have signed
worked, did people develop new relationships etc. She return to the evaluation team. If you need a consent
detailed risks and benefits of participation in the consent form, participant information form or
evaluation process. If you chose not to sign you can envelope, contact Abbie Santana
still participate in PUFFA, but you can’t do the surveys abbie.santanta@jefferson.edu
or the focus groups.

Question: Will data be shared with PUFFA meeting


participants
Yes, group level would be reported to PUFFA
Next Steps Next meeting will focus on vision analysis with
members of the nutrition action team
Data/Information Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Requests
Next Meeting Date April 11th Awbury Arboretum 12:30-1:00 Networking,
Meeting 1:00-3:00 . Tours of the arboretum will be
available from 12:00-1:00 and from 3:00-4:00.

Full Alliance meeting scheduled for April 16 5:30-8:00


at the International House.

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