Minutes 11-10-2022 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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9 said that transportation is an issue and that having income would be a part of the solution. She said that she is glad the community voices are included but knowing where they are would have been helpful. She said that for example, Rogers Road didn’t have a bus for years and they knew this was an issue. She said that she is looking for solutions like that. She said that she is concerned about the rural areas. She said that she is perplexed that the priority would be on the more densely populated areas and there is a lot of hunger in the rural areas of the county. She said that people have trouble accessing food and that it is important to note that hungry people are across the county and even into the schools. Ashley Heger said she did not mean to suggest that rural areas are better off. She said she thought more could be done in the rural areas. She said that engaging rural communities is an important part of it. Chair Price said she would like to see steps that are specific to Orange County. She said from a teaching perspective the report is helpful but that they need suggestions for specific actions. Ashley Heger said that the intended plan for the spring is to have farmers be part of the conversation. She said that farmers want to think of creative ways to help provide food and they are working with farmers to support their ideas. She said this is not the end and the Food Council will have convenings with farmers and food providers. Chair Price said she thought they were working with them initially. Ashley Heger said that they have relied on relationships that came out of the black farmer think tank. She said that half of the farmers are in the Cedar Grove area. Chair Price asked if they were working with them initially. Ashley Heger said they are trying to come up with creative solutions based on what came out of Anatov and being a part of it initially. She said the community assessment did not involve any farmers. She said none of the community experts would call themselves farmers. Commissioner Greene said the report is the voice of community experts in the subject of community access. She said this represents communities and it did not occur to her at all that experts only lived in Chapel Hill. She said she appreciated the humility it engendered in herself when she read the report. She said it was important to hear the voices. She said that she learned the importance of terminology when discussing food insecurity, such as the difference between food deserts and food apartheid. She said that words do matter and the food insecurity is not a naturally created phenomenon and it is important to note that. She said she appreciates the work that Ashley Heger has done. Chair Price said she hoped in the next phase there are more actionable items and it is more inclusive. She said she understood that getting it out to more people, there will be greater representation. She said that there is value in the report. Commissioner Greene said that on the Instacart idea, there is an app that is being used to manage food stamps and she took that idea to a local Orange County entrepreneur and it is not an outrageous idea to think of an app that could be created as a county service. Ashley Heger said that they do feel the recommendations are actionable and relevant to Orange County. She said there are multiple generations and levels of expertise. She said we now have expert feedback from the community. She said that this work is never done, we can always do better. She asked them to support the Food Council and set them up to do more work. Commissioner Bedford asked about the authority of the county to negotiate with developers. Commissioner Greene said there are policies in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. She said when there is a zoning request, the Town of Chapel Hill says that affordable housing has to be part of the development.