Regional Food System Assessment

 
 

BACKGROUND

Emergency food provisions have always been part of disaster planning, but recent events have caused emergency planners to reconsider their approach. The fragile nature of food supply chains and inequities in food access were put into stark relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic demonstrated how various shocks may compromise and exacerbate food security in the Portland Metropolitan Region, particularly for communities of color and low-income households.

CURRENT WORK

A follow-on project to conduct a full assessment started in February 2024. Additional details will be shared soon.

Project Manager

Project Task Force

The Project Task Force (PTF) is a group of expert collaborators with specific experiences to help develop these food system assesment findings and recommendations.

  • Chris Chuculate, Associate Director of Distribution & Warehousing, Oregon Food Bank

  • Stephanie Coleman, Emergency Planning and Operations Coordinator, Clackamas County Social Services

  • Renee Curtis, Emergency Management Analyst Senior, Multnomah County Department of County Human Services

  • Danny Faccinetti, Director of Operations, Oregon Food Bank

  • Jeff Gilbert, Regional Emergency Coordinator, Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM)

  • Justine Magnoni-Garver, Mitigation and Recovery Emergency Management Coordinator, Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA)

  • Sonya McCormick, Public Private Partnership (P3) Program Manager, Oregon Department of Emergency Management

  • Emily Straw, Director of Technical Program Support, Clark County Food Bank

  • Mary Ellen Winterhalter, Resilience Coordinator, Clackamas County Public Health

  • Courtney Yan, Emergency Management Coordinator, Emergency Management Cooperative of Washington County

Consulting Team

  • Alisa Pyszka, President, Bridge Economic Development

  • Kim Zeuli, Managing Director, The Feeding Cities Group

PRIOR WORK

Scoping Study (2021-2022)

The structure, mission, and vision of RDPO makes it uniquely suited to take initiative on food system resilience in the Portland Metropolitan Region. The RDPO engaged a consulting team from The Feeding Cities Group in September 2021 for a five-month project to:

  1. Explore whether a comprehensive assessment of the vulnerability of the regional food system is needed; and

  2. Establish a foundation of work that would allow RDPO to refine a scope and objectives for future food system resilience research and planning.

For additional info, please contact Carol Chang, RDPO, carol.chang@portlandoregon.gov.