The NEW Montgomery County Food Council has officially launched, and is currently welcoming applications from interested individuals.  The deadline for applications is next Friday, January 13, so if you are interested don’t delay!

Click here for more information and to apply.

In case you haven’t heard, the Food Council aims to bring together a diverse representation of stakeholders in a public and private partnership to improve the environmental, economic, social and nutritional health of Montgomery County through the creation of a robust, local, sustainable food system.

The Council will be comprised of 13 – 17 diverse stakeholders including individual members, professionals, private businesses, government officials, community organizations, and educational institutions that represent and/or work on food issues in our county.  We would particularly love to see council members who represent urban/suburban agriculture and community food production, so if you are involved in any of these, please consider applying!

The first meeting of the Council will be on Wednesday, February 15, location to be announced; all meetings will be open to the public, with community involvement encouraged.

Again, Council member applications are being accepted through next Friday, January 13.  Click here for more information and to apply.

Community Education Group (CEG) has been awarded funding through the US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and DC Community Health Administration, to support a new and innovative Capacity Building Program, offering free hands-on technical assistance, individual organizational consultants and relevant trainings to eligible community and/or faith based organizations in Wards 7 and 8.  CEG’s Fresh Start wants to help build a brighter future for our organizations, our community, and our people.

While CEG’s Fresh Start is a Capacity Building Program, we take into account your busy schedule and strained budget.  Our services are FREE and RELEVANT.  CEG’s Fresh Start will be at no cost to you, offer our experienced consultants to support your organizational growth and development to increase your ability to meet your agency, client, and community goals.

There are three levels of participation, with one micro-grant award of $5,000 in each category, allowing guaranteed inclusion for your organization.

Category 1:   Provide community garden space to needy individuals and publicize the free/reduced fee.

Category 2:   Make available free, locally grown food in Wards 7 and 8, using a “learn for food” model.

Category 3:  Provide regular physical activity in group settings through classes timed so that potential participants are already on site.

Please see below, links to the Overview of the program, requirements, and application.  The application should be submitted to emily@communityeducationgroup.org or fax: 202 543 9146 due by 5:00, October 21, 2011. Please forward on to those organizations who might be eligible to participate in this exciting program.

Community Education Group Fresh Start Overview of Program

2011 CHA Application

Emily Weaver, Executive Assistant
Community Education Group

Phone: (202) 543-2376 x107 • Fax: (202) 543-9146
emily@communityeducationgroup.org • www.communityeducationgroup.org

Emily Weaver

Executive Assistant

Community Education Group

3233 Pennsylvania Ave, SE

Washington, DC 20020

202-543-2376 x107 (phone)

202-543-9146 (fax)

You’ve heard of “Temporariums” and pop-up shops?  Well, the Better Block Project is a pop-up neighborhood!

On April 9th (this Saturday), an assortment of artists, community activists, kids, street performers, crafters, thrift stores, gardeners, and other random do-gooders are getting together to transform a gritty, half-empty commercial stretch of the main street in Mt. Rainier MD (just a few blocks from the border of NE DC).  By sprucing it up and bringing some color and life to it for a day, we are going to demonstrate the economic and social potential of this space.  The day is inspired by a similar event in a rundown little town in Texas – when Oak Cliff held a Better Block Project, every vacancy in their commercial strip was rented within a month!

Arts District Community Revitalizing its Main Street Through

The Better Block Project

Viral Neighborhood Improvement Festival Blossoms Inside the Beltway

As you plan your garden, consider growing a little extra for a neighbor in need. Grow A Row is a network of individual and community gardeners and Capital Area Food Bank partner organizations that feed the hungry in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Whatever your donation, Grow A Row will partner you with an organization that will get your extra produce onto the dinner tables of hungry families or into the meals of hardworking soup kitchens. Grow A Row is an excellent opportunity to bridge community, build relationships, and provide low income people with access to fresh, local produce. Contact growarow@capitalareafoodbank.org to get started!

Market Community Outreach Intern

Join us for a unique event — a live webcast of big thinkers sharing big ideas about changing the way we eat on a systemic level, interspersed with presentations from our own local big thinkers-and-doers – farmers whose direct-to-consumer activities are truly changing the way we eat on a practical, day-to-day level.

The Future Harvest-CASA Official Viewing Party for TEDx Manhattan is free, but advance RSVP is REQUIRED by February 10 due to limited seating. To reserve a space, send an email to events@futureharvestcas.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  with your name, email address, phone number and brief statement of your interest in or work related to changing the way we eat in the Chesapeake region.

If you are a farmer looking for a forum to present information about your upcoming CSA season, farm box program or farmstand, email renee@futureharvestcasa.org about the opportunity to present at the Viewing Party. If you are a business looking to promote your support of the local food community, email renee@futureharvestcasa.org about the opportunity to sponsor this event so it can be presented free to all.

Future Harvest CASA

Official DC Viewing Party for TEDx Manhattan: Changing the Way We Eat

Letelier Theater, 3251 Prospect Street NW

Saturday, February 12; 10 am – 6 pm

For those of you who are looking to get involved in your community and have a few extra hours a week, here are a few opportunities available for you!

The D.C. Farm to School Network is looking for a dedicated volunteer to help 2-4 hours a week with website content, website updates and database management.  Please read the full description and instructions for how to apply here.

The Capital Area Food Bank is always looking for volunteers, and through their Ambassador volunteer program you can utilize skills you have to help them with specific projects. Some of the volunteer areas are advocacy, agency relations, development, food for kids, and nutrition education. Find more information about these opportunities here.

Bread for the City looks for volunteers to commit to a weekly shift for at least a month, so if you have the time for that sort of commitment, check out the details here. They also have opportunities for those who wish to volunteer as a group. If you’re interested in donating food or clothing or organizing a drive, you can find more information here.

If you’re more interested in policy, join one of the many action groups at DC Hunger Solutions.

Happy volunteering!

There was a lot of action here in Washington around food policy this past year. Change.org has compiled a list of the 6 biggest victories for sustainable food and several of them happened right here with your help. These include the passing of two important pieces of legislation, the Child Nutrition Act (national) and the DC Healthy Schools Act (local). Our own partner organization, DC Farm to School Network, celebrated a victory when their action helped to save the funding for the Act. The other memorable moments of 2010 include some important food safety legislation, as well as important victories for sharks and honeybees. Check back here for more ways to get involved in the future of sustainable food in 2011!