Getting at the Roots
Wait til you hear what my colleague Sally Yee and I got to do this summer and fall! Right in the middle of peak harvest season, we got to explore and visit some truly enterprising and engaging efforts to build strong community food systems in Oregon. As part of our jobs!
MMT Studying Community Food Systems
As the Great Recession has hit Oregon so hard and lingered so long, our trustees have been increasingly concerned with its effects on low-income and rural Oregonians. They've been particularly worried about rising food insecurity and hunger. While MMT has consistently supported Oregon's statewide food bank network, we wanted to explore more systemic responses that would help:
TWST in Malheur County
This group made us earn our keep by asking a lot of good questions about MMT, foundations and how to demonstrate community support for their projects and organizations. While the community has been struggling in the current economy, a lot of great things are happening among the area’s nonprofit and government partners, such as more and stronger collaborations, establishment of a new relief nursery for at-risk families with young children
TWST in Curry County – Brookings
Our last stop on the Southern Oregon Coast Tour was Brookings, the “Home of Winter Flowers,” just north of the California border.
TWST in Curry County – Port Orford & Gold Beach
Our focus for day two of the Southern Oregon Coast Twist Tour was Curry County, whose motto is “No Hurry in Curry.”
We began at the Port Orford Senior Center hosted by Center board chair, Owen Miller.
TWST in Coos County – Coos Bay & Bandon
This latest Meyer Memorial Trust Two-Way Street Tour began in Coos Bay yesterday (April Fools Day!) at the Kozy Kitchen, where evidence of active work by the area’s nonprofits was displayed right on our table—a laminated “Hunger Facts” card produced by Oregon Coast Community Action
