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9 <br /> the Council is assessing what assets exist in the region and locally. She said many local <br /> people make a living off of food, but some of these same individuals are often not recognized or <br /> deeply connected to institutional support. She said existing assets need to be considered <br /> along, with the return on investment around community self determination and community <br /> driven economic development. She said it can feel difficult on the institutional side for how to <br /> reach people who do not have access to resources on grants, small business loans, and <br /> information. She said one idea to address this difficulty is to give funding to community <br /> organizations who can then disburse the funds, such as EmPOWERment, Inc. <br /> Ashley Heger said a common question from people in the food economy is about <br /> access to cold storage. She said there are infrastructural changes that could be made to <br /> benefit the community and economic development. <br /> Ashley Heger said the Council is conducting a new food assessment, and collecting best <br /> practices from those doing the work on a daily basis. She resumed the PowerPoint <br /> presentation: <br /> Slide #3 <br /> Orange County Black Farmers <br /> Think tank framework <br /> Re-commendation from an ec1uityass4ssrn4nt <br /> Triangle 3 « .. System Academy <br /> * Training program for electedn+staff <br /> Regional supply chain and infrastructure <br /> w Food access implicat.ions <br /> Ashley Heger said in 2020, the Orange County Black Farmers Think Tank was created. <br /> She said the food system is not doing anything to disrupt institutional racism, and the county <br /> was encouraged to hear from actual black farmers and learn from them. She said it is <br /> important to build real relationships between various parties to gain understanding and trust <br /> between the marginalized and institutions. She said the bridges have to be built on a larger <br /> scale than just person-to-person. She said the food council is working with Triangle J on these <br /> issues. <br /> Ashley Hager said in addition to cold storage, people have asked for shared meeting <br /> space, in order to work together more. She resumed the PowerPoint presentation: <br />