As with most professions that have a publicly visible impact, community organizing weaves a vast and complex support structure behind the scenes. If we were to follow one of the threads running through the Delta Fresh Foods Conference to its beginning we would realize that we start where we end— with relationships.
The Grassroots Action Network at WHY is a national network of community-based organizations— you can’t get much more relationship-focused than that! In 2009, through conversations, site visits, conferences and research we became interested in focusing on eliminating food deserts- regions that lack access to fresh, healthy and affordable food. We wrote a proposal for a pilot program to run in two rural communities of the Mississippi Delta and Southeastern Arizona that were deeply affected by this issue. Funding came from a relationship with the Kresge Foundation, partners came from community-based organizations working on the ground, a model of community engagement and action-planning was chosen from experience, and the clock started counting down to today’s gathering in Cleveland, MS.
Fast forward through hours of meetings, conference calls, site visits, outreach efforts, more visits, longer conference calls, and what felt like years of wall-chart preparation and name tag sorting…and we are finally ready! Over 100 participants arrive at Delta State University today for a two-day event. The result will be a concrete action plan leveraging community resources to tackle the need for rebuilding the local food system and providing universal access to fresh, affordable, healthy food in the Mississippi Delta. It’s a huge group effort, and the hardest work lies ahead. But make no mistake, that thread we were following- it’s strong, it’s woven tightly into a determined community, and like all good relationships, there’s no end in sight.
Stay tuned for an update on opening day of the Delta Fresh Foods Conference: Building Hope & Healthy Communities in the Mississippi Delta.
