Cass Clay Food Commission - November 10, 2021 Minutes
Members Present:
Jenny Mongeau, Clay County Commission, Chair
Jim Aasness, Dilworth City Council
Arlette Preston, Fargo City Commission
Deb White, City of Moorhead
Duane Breitling, Cass County Commission
Mandy George, West Fargo City Commission
Beth McConnon, At-Large Member
Janice Tweet, At-Large Member
Jeremiah Utecht, At-Large Member
Jeff York, At-Large Member
Members Absent:
Chelsey Johnson, Horace City Council
Jeffrey Miller, At-Large Member
Others Present:
Jenna Kahly, Clay County Commission
Michelle Draxten, Fargo Cass Public Health
Rita Ussatis, NDSU Extension
Noelle Harden, U of M Extension
Mary Larson, NDSU – Community Health Sciences Specialization
Taylor Syvertson, Great Plains Food Bank
Adam Altenburg, Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments
Chair Mongeau called the meeting to order at 10:30 AM.
1a. Approve Order and Contents of the Overall Agenda
A motion to approve the order and contents of the overall agenda was made by Ms. White and seconded by Mr. Aasness. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
1b. Review and Action on Minutes from September 8, 2021
A motion to approve the minutes for September was made by Ms. White and seconded by Ms. George. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
1c. Welcome to Michelle Draxten, New Steering Committee Member
Chair Mongeau welcomed new steering committee member Michelle Draxten. She noted that Ms. Draxten is a Public Health Nutritionist at Fargo Cass Public Health and would be taking over Kim Lipetzky’s position on the steering committee.
2. Commission Check-In
Chair Mongeau stated that Commission members and the steering committee had an opportunity to provide updates on news or events happening in the community.
Mr. Breitling noted that Cass County had approved its redistricting plan, with boundaries close to what they had been previously.
Ms. White mentioned that a property was recently purchased in south Moorhead for redevelopment and that developers have been working with the neighborhood on delineating a shared green space. She noted that the development is adjacent to Moorhead Presbyterian Church which already has a community garden, and that the developers have discussed incorporating a small urban orchard.
Ms. McConnon informed the Commission that her farm has developed a test plot in cooperation with North Dakota State University researching perennial flax varieties that could add more perennials to the landscape. She noted that the results have been good thus far.
Ms. Harden provide a brief recap of the Pollinator Power Walk in Moorhead on September 22. She stated that approximately 25 to 30 people attended and that it was exciting to hear residents and city officials discuss the role and importance of urban pollinator habitats. She noted that the Cass Clay Food Partners would be interested in hosting future events, including additional pollinator power walks or boulevard garden tours at the neighborhood level.
Additional, Ms. Harden informed the Commission about Lawns to Legumes, a Minnesota Board of Water and Soil resources program which offer workshops, planning guides, and funding to install pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential lawns. She noted that the applications were currently being accepted for individual support grants as well as demonstration neighborhood grants.
Ms. Tweet provided a brief update on GleaND, noting that the network had now expanded to the Bismarck-Mandan area and had conducted its first gleans at apple orchards in the area.
Ms. Preston arrived at 10:39 AM.
Chair Mongeau shared that the Clay County Board of Commissioners had recently approved funds to purchase freezers for A Place for Hope, which has developed a successful food distribution program in Clay County. She noted that the Board of Commissioners has also allocated funds to purchase a van to be utilized for food distribution to county residents. She also provided a brief update on the county’s comprehensive plan update.
Ms. George informed the Commission that residents in the Elmwood Park neighborhood in West Fargo have begun express interest in developing a community garden after the West Fargo Park District failed to sell off part of the park for townhome redevelopment.
3. Taking Action to Address Food Insecurity and Hunger
Ms. Syvertson and Ms. Tweet gave a presentation on highlights from the 4th Annual Hunger and Health Summit hosted by the Cass Clay Hunger Coalition on October 28. Ms. Syvertson noted that the Cass Clay Hunger Coalition has for primary focus areas: food insecurity, food access, hunger and health, and awareness and engagement.
Ms. Syvertson provided information on one of the presentations from the summit which discussed the social determinants of health and how the environment can impact health and wellbeing. Several determinants that were discussed in detail included safe housing, transportation, education, job opportunities, access to nutritious foods, physical activity opportunities, and language barriers.
At the end of the presentation, Ms. Syvertson and Ms. Tweet asked Commission and steering committee members a series of polling questions to answer. These questions included: current level of awareness of existing work around hunger relief in communities, ways in which members participate in local hunger relief efforts, topics that Commission members would be interested in hearing about at future meetings, methods for advancing policies at the local level, and interest in participating in future hunger relief initiatives.
4. American Public Health Association National Meeting Recap
Ms. Larson provided a brief recap of the APHA national meeting held October 21-27. She explained that she was the program chair for the Food and Nutrition Section and that the conference received over 400 abstracts from professionals across the country. She highlighted three sessions for the Commission: Healthy Eating Research Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System, Creating Food Justice through Community Networks, and Essential Factors to Achieve Food and Nutrition Security and Health.
5. Cass Clay Food Commission Updates
Ms. Harden discussed that the Commission will have two open at-large member seats at the beginning in January and that the steering committee would be putting out a call for new at-large members for 2022-2023.
6. Public Comment Opportunity
Chair Mongeau informed the Commission that time would be allotted for public comments. She noted that there is now a new way for members of the community to submit comments via a link when Commission packets are emailed out.
There were no online comments and no additional public comments were made.
7. Commission and Steering Committee Roundtable
Chair Mongeau asked for the Commission and the steering committee to share any additional updates.
Chair Mongeau noted that this would be her last meeting serving as Clay County’s representative on the Commission. Members of the Commission and steering committee thanked Chair Mongeau for her time and work on the Commission.
8. Commission Action Steps
Chair Mongeau stated that the next Commission meeting would be held on January 12, 2022. She also mentioned that the next First Fridays event would be held at 701 Eateries in Fargo on December 3 at 8:00 AM.
Chair Mongeau adjourned the meeting at 11:49 AM.