NCW Food Council holds inaugural meeting

NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON — The NCW Food Council, a new regional initiative with the goal of strengthening local food systems and addressing food access challenges across North Central Washington and the Colville Reservation, held its inaugural meeting on Feb. 23.

Formed through a partnership between Blue Sky Minds and Thriving Together NCW, the initiative’s first meeting brought together approximately 20 representatives from organizations, agencies and nonprofits to collaborate across sectors, share resources and develop coordinated approaches to food system challenges.

The meeting opened with introductions and laying the foundation for the council, which included cultural regional context provided by executive director of L.I.G.H.T. Foundation Amelia Marchand, a brief history of a previous regional food system collaborative led by Initiative for Rural Innovation & Stewardship (IRIS), and the goals of the council.

The council’s stated goals include strengthening cross-sector collaboration, sharing knowledge and resources, building long-term capacity among organizations and improving food access, food security and food system resilience. It’s grounded in the Vital Conditions framework adopted by Thriving Together NCW, which outlines foundational conditions that support long-term health and well-being.

The meeting then broke out into smaller group discussions on the topic of food insecurity, where attendees shared the challenges and successes they’ve observed in their region. Across the region, council members shared a sentiment that the need for food assistance has been continuing to rise among their communities, while food donations and funding support have been in decline.

For these groups, shifting to leveraging local food supply and support has been a more sustainable antidote to diminishing state and federal support. For example, Okanogan County Community Action Council (OCCAC) reported success with gleaning excess produce from local farms and gardens, while also processing and preserving the produce to extend its use. 

“It's really making us rethink and pivot and become more dynamic in providing our own food sources, versus looking outside,” said OCCAC Stephanie Cook, noting that local donations and sponsorships would also be more sustainable than large donors who are not connected to the community. 

However, for smaller organizations, infrastructure can be a limiting factor for food distribution, such as storage and refrigeration capacity, transportation, and labor. The meeting highlighted ways in which the NCW Food Council could leverage communication and coordination to transform fragmented, siloed efforts into a stronger, regional infrastructure.

Already, cross collaboration between organizations has also been an effective way to distribute resources, said Blue Sky Minds Executive Director Maria Hines. For example, a gleaning program in Leavenworth sharing extra produce with Okanogan’s program, or the Chelan Douglas Health District widening its distribution of extra instant formula.

“These are just a couple of examples of ways this group, as we all get to know each other and develop these relationships, can work together to see how we can help each other out and see how we can share the resources that we have here,” said Hines.

The NCW Food Council plans to meet quarterly, with one in-person gathering each year held in North Central Washington. More information about the council can be found through Blue Sky Minds.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media