Meeting Minutes
Date: 10/24/2013
Time: 11:00 am – 12:15 pm
Members Present: Marylou Underwood, Sherry Bryant, Jillian Corbin, Bob Lavoie, Yolanda
Bowes, Brenda Keefe, Genevieve Caron, Shiela Hayes, Ellen Mail, Ho Soon Han
Other Attendees: Bill Seedman, Cheryl Parsons, Joe Atwater, Sarah McDermott
Next meeting: 11/21/2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the United Way in Gales Ferry
Agenda Item 1: Welcome and introductions
Agenda Item 2: Selection of Chair
• Members nominated and seconded the nomination of Yolanda Bowes, who was then
elected chair of the food insecurity working group.
• Action Item: Yolanda and Madeleine will meet to determine details.
Agenda Item 3: Updates
• The steering committee met on the 4th of October with the following results:
o Food Action Plan – due date of December 6th.
o VISTAs will be investigating best practices for food policy council funding.
Agenda Item 4: Food Action Plan
• Madeleine used information from one-on-one meetings and focus groups to consolidate
strategies and initiatives into streamlined model. Members discussed:
o Food Pantries: value of best practices and sharing information
o Transportation – some pantries deliver food or allow relatives to pick up food,
which could be considered pantry best practices; it was also suggested that VISTAs
meet with SEAT board members (specifically Pat Dixie; Jill Corbin can share contact
info) and look at Hartford Commission on Food Policy work changing bus routes.
Vistas agreed to investigate change in route at Three Rivers as well as possibility of
getting someone in transportation to a meeting.
o School food programs – what would outreach intitiatives look like? Members
suggested meetings with school officials, superintendants, summer feeding site blitz,
working with PTAs, news articles, and working with EHC!’s Jim Crawford.
o How do lunch managers know that a child has free or reduced lunch eligibility? Best
practices and support for high-tech systems might help to reduce stigma. It was also
noted that the best way to get free- and reduced-price lunches for kids was to
encourage parents to sign up for SNAP.
• Action Item: VISTAs will contact Pat Dixie.
• Action Item: VISTAs will examine Hartford work on transportation.
• Action Item: VISTAs will contact Jim Crawford regarding school outreach.
Agenda Item 5: SNAP policy updates
• Willard Seedman and Cheryl Parsons from DSS spoke with regards to SNAP benefits.
o Numbers of SNAP participants have nearly doubled in the last five years
o July 8th saw the implementation of a new statewide system; ConneCT is a multi-year,
multibillion dollar reform: all documents will go to a central processing center; easier
to apply and easier to become eligible; face-to-face interview can now be completed
via phone and client statements can act as verification. DSS is currently piloting
online applications.
o SNAP benefits will decrease on November 1 st with the expiration of ARRA. Bill
mentioned that awareness of available deductions and the underutilized training
program could help; a poster would help to spread details at pantries.
• Action Item: Bill Seedman will share poster with details regarding available deductions.
Announcements
• www.nlcfpc.org is now updated; all members are invited to publicize events on the food
policy council’s online calendar.
• The Connecticut Food System Alliance will meet on November 1st at Mercy Hall on the
University of St. Joseph Campus in West Hartford, CT.
• Register for the EndHungerCT! Hunger symposium on Dec. 5 th at http://tinyurl.com/odadxv9
The next meeting will be held on October 21st at 11:00 a.m. at the United Way.
Minutes submitted by Madeleine Daepp