Food Security Summit
2025 Summit ~ May 22, 2025
Thank you for joining us for a day filled with insightful discussions, networking opportunities and workshop sessions. Experts and community members addressed challenges and explored solutions to food insecurity and access. Presentations slides and handouts will be posted by June 3rd.
SUMMIT OVERVIEW
08:00 - 08:30 | Registration Opens
08:30 - 08:35 | Welcome
Rhonda Busek (Executive Director of the Lane Community Health Council).
08:35 - 08:40 | Opening Remarks
Dr. Catherine York (Chair of the Lane Community Health Council Board).
08:40 - 09:10 | Grow Lane County Overview
Planning Team members from FOOD for Lane County, Upper Willamette SWCD and Ensoterra, LLC will provide an overview of the Grow Lane County project.
09:10 - 10:00 | Morning Keynote
Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger. Commissioner Trieger has decades of experience in food security, local food systems and policy development: serving on the former Lane Food Policy Council, facilitating local procurement efforts for FOOD for Lane County, supporting the SPROUT! Food Hub, and leading the Lane Coalition for Healthy Active Youth. 20-minute presentation with 30 minutes Q&A
By sharing past successes, project examples, challenges, and model partnerships and policies, Laurie's talk - with an interactive conversation after - will explore the inputs and influences that shape our current food system, and will help guide and inspire how we might continue to strengthen it through collective effort
10:15 - 11:15 | Morning Breakout Sessions (choose from three options)
(A) Farmers & Food Security
All food comes from farms. Come and learn how local farms are partnering with anti-hunger organizations to increase access to healthy, fresh and locally grown food for community members experiencing hunger. Presenters will include farmers working with FOOD for Lane County in forward contracting arrangements and rural farmers markets facilitating food access and equity programs.
Presenters Kara Smith (FOOD for Lane County), Christina Bentrup (Bee Loved Farm), Valerie Nguyen (Westfir-Oakridge Community Farmers Market), and Linea Brink Anderson (Friends & Family Farm). Moderated by Jared Pruch (Upper Willamette SWCW).
(B) Health Care Partnerships for Food Access
Access to healthy food is closely linked with health outcomes. In this session, participants will learn about community organizations and their efforts to address challenges and explore solutions to food insecurity and access.
Peace Health Community Benefit efforts driven by their belief that good health, prevention, and community well-being are fundamental rights.
PacificSource Community Solutions and Trillium Community Health Plan efforts focused on Medicaid Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) including nutrition supports and how community-based organizations can get involved.
Ko-Kwell Wellness Center efforts to bring high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables to patients in their clinic through the Trillium Produce Plus Program.
Presenters Dominique Lopez-Stickney (Trillium Community Health Plan), Elliot Skye (PacificSource), Alexis Ravuri (Ko-Kwell Wellness Center), and Josie Hall (PeaceHealth). Moderated by Rhonda Busek (Lane Community Health Council).
(C) Increasing Access with Creative Transportation Strategies
Numerous new cross-sector partnerships are helping to move people and move food to increase food access in both rural and urban areas of Lane County - come learn more and contribute to the transportation conversation. Presenters will include public transit representatives and nonprofits that host delivery programs to bring food directly to client’s homes.
Presenters Alma Fumiko Hesus (United Way of Lane County), Jennifer Denson (Burrito Brigade) and Shelley Schular (Lane County Bounty). Moderated by John Ahlen (Lane Transit District)
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Lane County Food Security Assessment
AmeriCorps RARE Member, Grant Simonton, will share key take-aways and opportunities from the Assessment conducted over the last 6 month involving over 20 stakeholder interviews, online community feedback surveys, and research of food coalition models from Oregon. After the presentation, we will engage the audience to help respond to and build on the recommendations from the report, to inform future efforts of the Grow Lane County Coalition.
12:00 - 12:45 | Lunch fajita buffet includes vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free options.
12:45 - 02:15 | Afternoon Plenary: Food Sovereignty with Oregon Food Bank
Remembering our foods means remembering the original stewards of the land we currently occupy. In this session we will explore Indigenous connections to food and food systems, how they’ve influenced our communities, and how we’re finding our way back. We will also deepen our relationships to food and people by learning the basics of food justice.
Presenter: K’at Cali-De leon (they/them) is deeply woven into many aspects of community care and liberation. They are Mam, Poqomchi’, and Q’eqchi’ Maya, with parents who immigrated to the so-called United States in the late 80’s and was raised in Texas. After moving to Oregon in 2015, they earned a B.S in Public Health Education and currently lives on unceded Chinook territory. In their free time they practice danza, study herbalism, and sewing projects.
02:30 - 03:30 | Breakout Sessions
(A) Local Food Processing & Infrastructure Network
Food security in Lane County is dependent on the sustainability and scalability of local farm businesses. Small and mid-size producers face a lack of access to the types of processing, storage, and distribution infrastructure utilized by industrial-scale farms. Increasing network coordination and investing in mid-scale infrastructure is needed to expand local production & increase service to wholesale & institutional markets. Join us in mapping food system resources in Lane County. We’ll build upon existing connections and discuss needed solutions to ensure producers can continue to grow.
Presenters Shelley Schuler (Lane County Bounty) and Sonya Brown (Lane County Farmers Market). Moderated by Alexis Molinari (Lane County Farmers Market).
(B) Food in Schools
Schools are well positioned to provide essential services and resources to students and families - including food. Come and learn about innovative farm to school, school-based food pantries, and school farm-to-cafeteria programs.
Presenters Sue Wilson (Mapleton School District), Jillian Drewes (OSU Extension) and Jill Cuadros (Eugene 4J School District). Moderated by Patrick Newson (Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network).
03:45 - 03:55 | Building a Coalition - Steps for Engagement & Closing Remarks
Katrina Van Dis (Ensoterra) has over 20 years experiencing building food systems throughout Oregon. She was the Founder of the High Desert Food & Farm Alliance and co-founded the Oregon Community Food Systems Network. Her role in the Grow Lane County project is to facilitate the development of the Food Security Coalition. She will present on the overall goal of Grow Lane County, describe the structure of the newly forming Coalition and how people can engage.
03:55 -04:00 | Closing Remarks
Rhonda Busek (Lane Community Health Council) will provide inspirational closing remarks.
04:00 - 05:00 | Happy Hour Optional
Happy hour in the Sweet Waters riverside restaurant, downstairs at the Valley River Inn. Appetizers provided and no-host bar. Continue the conversation and networking over a drink with fellow attendees.
(C) Mapping Food Insecurity
A Food Security map developed by FOOD for Lane County, the University of Oregon and Lane Council of Governments is helping to visualize food security barriers and opportunities - come learn and engage with this new community resource.
Presenters Kyle Overstake (Lane Council of Governments), Dani Dolphin & Holden Eastman (University of Oregon). Moderated by Carrie Copeland (FOOD for Lane County).