About Us
About Us
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Photos by Mark C. Anderson
The Monterey County Food System Coalition first convened in September 2021 with an impetus to create positive change for communities in Monterey County. As a growing group of food professionals, our core work covers accessibility, addressing food insecurity, health and nutrition, education, and communication. We are building the foundation for a strong network throughout our county and connecting on a regional- and state-wide scale in support of food systems.
2022 was an exciting year of progress:
Aspire Health was awarded a $1 million grant from the California Nutrition Incentive Program to initiate a Double Up Food Bucks Program in partnership with Blue Zones Project, in at least five grocery stores in our county.
Everyone’s Harvest was awarded a $500,000 to expand Fresh Rx in Monterey County and $200,000 grant for a two-year project entitled "Food is Medicine: Expanding the Fresh Rx Produce Prescription in Monterey County.”
We created a bilingual food resources brochure to share with partner agencies.
Cal Fresh Healthy Living partnered with Everyone’s Harvest to hire a food navigator in three farmers markets.
New partnerships were created between Coke Farm, a local food hub, and school districts and hospitals to support the purchase and distribution of locally grown produce.
The Monterey Office of Emergency Services published two bilingual resources for food system resilience targeting both organizations and households.
What we are looking to achieve in 2023:
Implement Double Up Food Bucks in grocery stores in Salinas and South County. (Starting summer of 2023).
Expand the reach of the procurement interest group to include locally sourced food in food retail organizations (grocery stores, corner stores, etc.).
Incorporate an interest group to support the work of community and school garden leaders and educators across Monterey county.
Support the launch of a farmers’ markets in South County and Seaside that will accept nutrition incentives.
Expand the reach of Fresh Rx throughout the county.
Increase CalFresh outreach and enrollment in identified high-need areas.
Land Acknowledgement
Land Acknowledgement
We live, work and play in a landscape that encompasses the traditional territories of the Amah Mutsun, Esselen, Ohlone/Costanoan/Rumsen and Salinan Peoples, who have stewarded the land and waterways—in what we now call Monterey County—throughout generations and for thousands of years.
We honor and respect the enduring relationship that exists between these Peoples and the land, and we hope that through our collective efforts to cultivate a healthier and more just, and resilient Monterey County, we may think and act according to their example.
We honor and respect the enduring relationship that exists between these Peoples and the land, and we hope that through our collective efforts to cultivate a healthier and more just, and resilient Monterey County, we may think and act according to their example.
The Leadership Team
The Leadership Team
CO-CHAIR: Shelley Dearhart, Community Outreach Manager at the The Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust
CO-CHAIR: Niaomi Hrepich, WIC and CalFresh Healthy Living Program Director at Monterey County Public Health Department
Coordinator: Genevieve LeBlanc, Food Policy Lead, Blue Zones Project Monterey County
Coordinator: Tanja Roos, Community Program Manager, Blue Zones Project Monterey County – Peninsula Cities
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