Minutes 11-10-2022 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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8 that feedback to larger trends in the community. She said she would share that comment with the team. Commissioner Hamilton said the report is heavily qualitative and could use some quantitative data. She said that it would be helpful to have a description of what the services are, who the players are, and to fit in some of the qualitative data more effectively. She said that it comes off as anecdotal, and not resting so much on that would have strengthened the report. Ashley Heger said that the visual report that will be available will show some of that information. She said that the community experts were asked what they thought would be most impactful to share in the report. She said it would have been helpful for the commissioners to see what setting this information is in. Commissioner Richards said she understands the need, desire, and value of the community experts. She said she expects that staff would take that and bridge that to what the elected boards or decision makers want to see to better inform the decision process. She said the balance between the two would enhance the work and is critical going forward. Ashley Heger said she hopes that before she maps out next steps that they will move in that direction. She said that she would like to set the Food Council up for success with follow- through. Commissioner McKee asked for clarification if the inability to reach out to rural residents was due to time. Ashley Heger said that it was not only time. She said that due to time and funding and looking at where the biggest food insecurity numbers are in the county, they worked with community leaders to identify community experts that would support the work. She said that naturally led them to working with experts that live in the more populated areas. She said there was rural representation in the process, but they can do more. She said the process was proof of concept, by shifting power to those most impacted. She said that her hope is that the Food Council can have convenings that can have more of a process that would help the decision makers in the county. She said that they have done what they can, given time, relationships, and funding, but the Food Council can do more, especially in the future. Commissioner McKee said he has been dealing with this for six years now. He said he does not see how time can be a factor. He said that there is not an area specific to Orange County that is more impacted by food insecurity and that it is north to south, and east to west. He read the paragraph from the MOU from 2015 and said they are not closer to then where they were in 2015. He said that the system is not working. He said that the engagement needs to be with providers and there is a disconnect. Ashley Heger said that providers are a necessary part of finding a solution and should be part of the process in the spring. She said that would work with people in various county departments and the charitable programs. She said that there is a systemic problem and that she has sadness leaving because this feels incomplete. She said it is long-term work and will require difference collaborative pieces across the system and more staff primed to convene around the entire food system. She said that is too large for any one staff person to handle alone. She said the work is taking place and there are a lot of amazing people doing the work but it will be difficult to see the same type of results because of the staff. She said it takes time to build trust and relationships. Commissioner McKee said his concern is moving past the discussion to getting food to the people who need it. Chair Price said the report is a good description of hunger in the United States. She said if it was for a university class it would have been good. She said that many of the points they have known for years. She said she worked with a hunger organization twenty years ago and because they have not made systemic change, they are dealing with the same issues. She