Farm Fresh for Health Regional Symposiums

Throughout the summer of 2022, ASAP presented a series of on-farm symposiums for healthcare professionals in Western North Carolina to highlight the principles of Farm Fresh for Health. These convenings were a chance to gather on the farm, at the market, and over the table for conversations around centering local food and farms to improve health outcomes. A passionate community of physicians, nurses, dietitians, food access supporters, and community health workers brainstormed how they could use or deepen Farm Fresh for Health principles in their practices, as well as how their work could intersect with one another’s. Bringing people together to experience local food spaces—especially over shared meals that included the chef and food producers—was a powerful way to demonstrate the impact Farm Fresh for Health can have. 

Symposium Agendas

Thursday, October 20

WHEN: 3–7 p.m.
WHERE: Winding Stair Farm, Franklin, NC


AGENDA

Subject to change.

3 p.m. – Welcome from ASAP

3:45 p.m. – Strategies for Farm Fresh for Health

A panel will introduce models for using Farm Fresh for Health in clinical and school settings, particularly looking at how these strategies can be integrated into existing systems. Panelists include Jennifer Trippe, registered dietitian and director of ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School program; Rose James, nutritionist for Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Food Distribution Program; and Lisa McBride of WNC Farm to Table.

Growing Minds @ University is a partnership with Dietetic Internship programs at Western Carolina University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and Appalachian State University. Through trainings and resources, the program equips pre-service students with knowledge and experiences to be able to incorporate local food and farm to school activities into their careers.

WNC Farm to Table is working to grow and sustain a robust food system in Western North Carolina that celebrates the rich cultural history of the area, addresses food insecurity, and supports local farmers by expanding consumer and market demand for local food. They are collaborating with Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Public Health and Human Services Department’s Syringe Exchange Program and Tribal Food Distribution Program to infuse local food and nutrition education in an existing health program.

5 p.m. – Yoga on the Farm with Rose James

5:30 p.m. – Building Community with Local Food & Farms

Take a tour of Winding Stair Farm with co-owner Stacy Bredendieck and hear how they build community through events, CSA, and food security programs. Winding Stair Farm & Nursery offers a wide variety of Certified Naturally Grown vegetables through CSAs, retail store, and markets. A trailblazer for food security, the farm also proudly accepts SNAP/EBT and funds a SNAP match program.

David Smiley of ASAP will share opportunities for health and dietetic professionals to engage patients through on-farm experiences.

5:45 p.m. – Dinner + Small Group Discussions

Dinner is catered by Mary-Martin Steele, a former employee at Winding Stair Farm who now caters healthy options through Mary-Martin Meals. 

Over dinner attendees will break into small groups to discuss how they can use Farm Fresh for Health strategies within their own work and collaborate with community resources, including ASAP and area Dietetic Internship programs.

6:45 p.m. – Closing from ASAP

Larisa Lopez, program coordinator with ASAP’s Local Food Campaign, will offer ways that healthcare professionals can keep the conversation going and begin to engage with ASAP to explore their ideas for bringing Farm Fresh for Health into their communities, clinics, and workplaces.

Saturday, August 27

WHEN: 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
WHERE: Hendersonville Farmers Market and Homemade Pasta Noodles


AGENDA

9a.m. – Welcome from ASAP

Larissa Lopez, program coordinator with ASAP’s Local Food Campaign, will provide an overview of ASAP’s Farm Fresh for Health approach to improving the health and wellbeing of our community and supporting local economies.

9:30 a.m. – Farmers Markets as Healthy Food Environments

Hendersonville Farmers Market Coordinator, Meredith Friedheim, will offer a tour of their market in action, featuring local producers and growers as well as a diverse pool of community organizations offering complementary engagement activities—all of which expands access to farm fresh foods and creates a vibrant community gathering space.

10:00 a.m. – Farm-Centered Food Relief

By offering food security programs such as SNAP/EBT and WIC at farmers markets, we can cast a wider net around members of our community to engage and support through farmers market engagement activities. Learn from ASAP’s Farmers Market Program Manager, Mike McCreary, about how these programs, as well as incentives such as Double SNAP, have evolved in the region and how markets are well-suited to take on health incentive programs.

10:30 a.m. – New Models for the Farm Fresh for Health Clinic

Prescription programs are innovative preventative medical tools to reduce the prevalence and severity of diet-related illness, food and nutrition insecurity, and high healthcare costs. Sonya Jones, founder of Caja Solidaria and the coordinator of Henderson County Committee for Action and Nutrition (CAN), will join ASAP’s Larissa Lopez and MAHEC’s Stephanie Stewart, in a discussion of how these programs are working in local healthcare systems.

12:00 p.m. – Lunch + Discussion

The conversation will continue over lunch with Amy Lazarus Yaroch, PhD, executive director of the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition and project director for the GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (NTAE), which supports produce prescription and nutrition incentive programs all across the country. We’ll explore the array of produce prescription models that have been developed to serve unique community needs and how healthcare providers can play a critical role in nutrition education.

Lunch catered by Launa Marie of Homemade Pasta Noodles.

1:30 p.m. – ASAP Closing

Amy Marion, ASAP’s Associate Director, will offer ways that healthcare professionals can keep the conversation going and begin to engage with ASAP to explore their ideas for bringing Farm Fresh for Health into their communities, clinics, and workplaces.

Thursday, July 28

WHEN: 4–8 p.m.
WHERE: KT’s Orchard and Apiary in Canton, NC


AGENDA

4:00 p.m. – Welcome from ASAP

Larissa Lopez, program coordinator with ASAP’s Local Food Campaign, will provide an overview of ASAP’s Farm Fresh for Health approach to improving the health and wellbeing of our community and supporting local economies.

4:30 p.m. – On-Farm Healthy Food Environments

KT Taylor, formerly a nurse at Mission Hospital and farmer/owner of KT’s Orchard and Apiary, will welcome us to her farm and talk about the ways her clinical nursing background have influenced the products and partnerships she cultivates around her business.

5:00 p.m. – New Models for the Farm Fresh for Health Clinic

Vecinos is on a mission to provide culturally appropriate health and wellness services for the uninsured Latinx community​. Hear from the organization’s Community Health Program Manager, Renee Potere, and Farmworker Health Program Manager, Valeria Barrera Vizcarra, about the ways they aim to break down health care barriers by bringing services directly to the community through out-patient clinics and mobile medical clinics.

5:30pm Dinner + Discussion

Dinner catered by Luis Martinez of Tequio Foods.

6:30 p.m. – Farm-Centered Food Relief

ASAP’s Appalachian Farms Feeding Families program was a COVID emergency-response effort that worked to get fresh, healthy, direct from farm food to our most vulnerable community members. Hear from the program’s manager, David Smiley, about the ways that these new connections between food relief organizations and local farms spurred a renewed commitment to local sourcing in combating hunger across the region.

7:00 p.m. – Nutrition Education for the Local, Seasonal Diet

Equitable access to fresh produce is a significant component of Farm Fresh for Health, but having the tools and knowledge to prepare nutritious meals is where nutrition educators are critically needed. Jenna Kranz, founder and executive director of Uncomplicated Kitchen will be joined by their board member, Nilofer Couture, Registered Dietician and the Clinical Nutrition Manager at Cherokee Indian Hospital to talk about the ways they are helping people make better food choices through meal plans, shopping lists, and healthy, simple, and affordable recipes.

7:30 p.m. – ASAP Closing

Sarah Hart, ASAP’s Communications Manager, will offer ways that healthcare professionals can keep the conversation going and begin to engage with ASAP to explore their ideas for bringing Farm Fresh for Health into their communities, clinics, and workplaces.

Thursday, July 14

WHEN: 3–8 p.m.
WHERE: Perry’s Berry’s Vineyard and Winery and Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton, NC


AGENDA

3 p.m. – Welcome from ASAP

Molly Nicholie, Executive Director of ASAP, will provide an overview of ASAP’s Farm Fresh for Health approach to improving the health and wellbeing of our community and supporting local economies.

3:15 p.m. – On-Farm Healthy Food Environments

Follow Terry and Debbie Perry, registered nurses and farmer-owners of Perry’s Berry’s Vineyard and Winery, as they give us a tour of their farm where they teach about the health benefits of farming and blueberries through farm tours, classes, and classroom visits.

4:15 p.m. – Farm Fresh for Health in the Workplace

Workplaces are well positioned to promote a culture of health by offering local food and farm-related wellness programs and benefits. Hear from Larissa Lopez, a program coordinator with ASAP’s Local Food Campaign about such initiatives including Workplace CSAs.

4:45 p.m. – Move to Fonta Flora

5:15 p.m. – Dinner + Discussion at Fonta Flora

Dinner catered by Singlewyde, wood-fired sourdough pizza infused with local ingredients. Todd Boera, head brewer at Fonta Flora Brewery, will welcome us and speak to his passion for creating uniquely artisan beer filled with culture from their very own community.

6:00 p.m. – New Models for the Farm Fresh for Health Clinic

Courtney Morris Gardner is the pediatric nurse practitioner at Marion Pediatrics and Adolescents, a pediatric primary care clinic that has engaged with community organizations and local food hubs to bring local food-centered health and wellness to her community.

6:30 p.m. – Growing Minds Farm to School

Jennifer Trippe, RD, LDN, program director for ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School, will lead attendees in a hands-on activity to encourage thinking about how to use Farm Fresh for Health in everyday practice.

7:00 p.m. – Engaging Your Community in Farm Fresh for Health

West Marion Community Forum Inc. is on a mission to enhance the quality of life of residents and overcome racial barriers by building bridges in McDowell. Their outreach, community and clinical partnerships, and youth development initiatives aim to inspire community-driven health improvements.

7:30 p.m. – ASAP Closing

David Smiley, program manager of ASAP’s Local Food Campaign, will offer ways that healthcare professionals can keep the conversation going and begin to engage with ASAP today to explore their ideas for bringing Farm Fresh for Health into their communities, clinics, and workplaces.

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