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 insecurity 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
Carol Chang, Senior Planning Coordinator, RDPO, carol.chang@portlandoregon.gov
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.
Julia Bishop, Regional Feeding Lead, American Red Cross
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
Rachit Nerwal, (Acting) Chirf Resilience Officer, Portland Bureau 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:
Explore whether a comprehensive assessment of the vulnerability of the regional food system is needed; and
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.