Alyssa and Melodie at the Photovoice Exhibit Event

While many Extension offices are leaning into the whole-office approach toward local food and incorporating Local Food Agents on staff, Guilford County Cooperative Extension Center is one of a few counties with a team dedicated specifically to food security. Guilford County Board of Commissioners helped establish the program with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2022. The Guilford County Extension Food Security Program has a goal of improving food security through the various parts of the food system within their county. This includes efforts such as increasing food access, building the capacity of existing organizations that connect people to food, strengthening the farming system and farmers’ markets, minimizing food waste and improving food recovery. Their three person team includes Alyssa McKim, Food Security Coordinator, Melodie Melbouci, Food Security Program Assistant, and Vincent Webb, FCS Agent. Specifically, the team hopes to create more and consistent spaces for collaboration, create a system for measuring and sharing data, and develop a county-wide food security plan.

Alyssa spends her days leading the strategic planning efforts and community and partner engagement, including meeting planning, facilitating, and project organization with community partners. She also serves with many local food and food security organizations including the Extension lead for the Farm to ECE Collaborative, leadership committee member of the Triad Black Faith Leaders and Black Farmers Network, member of the Guilford County Community and School Garden Advisory Committee, and co-chair of the Local Food Program Team Food Security Workgroup. Alyssa also coordinates the Guilford County Food Action Network (GCFAN) which is their equivalent of a food council. Melodie works to create outreach materials for the program including a monthly newsletter, internal weekly updates, and keeping their county websites updated. Alongside coordinating logistical aspects of meetings and events, Melodie also facilitates a Youth Feeding Hunger Gap Working Group and is leading a Grocery Gap Analysis with the goal of identifying gaps found within identified zip codes to determine the types of stores available in these areas, whether SNAP is accepted, and how affordable the food is at those stores. They hope to use the findings to create solutions for addressing the gaps and tailor them to the specific needs of each community. A unique aspect of the project is that they have worked with community partners to reach residents in the zip codes they are surveying and will be hiring five Community Liaisons to serve as boots on the ground for this project. They are excited to prioritize offering training, experience, and fair compensation to individuals from food-insecure communities, rather than bringing in people from outside. The only exception will be two interns helping to fill the gaps in areas where there wasn’t enough interest from local residents. 

Melodie and Alyssa have also worked hard to compile resources and create an essential and accessible Food Security Hub on the county government website for food insecure individuals, farmers, and consumers to connect with resources they need. They felt that it was really important for the website to act as a way to address the needs of people from all access points within the food system. 

Last but not least, Vincent leads the food and nutrition and physical activity programming in schools and community sites. He leads a seasonal preservation class as well as other programs related to cooking, canning, and food safety. He also started and leads the Blessing Box, though the team works together to manage the box and fill it with food as often as possible. 

Pruning Persimmon Trees at the the Greensboro Wat Buddhist Temple

Looking around Guilford County’s local food landscape, you’ll see a unique blend of urban and rural influences. “With two urban centers with a sorted past – Greensboro and High Point – and a strong agricultural presence in our outlying areas, we’re positioned at an intersection of production and need,” the team shared. They continue to see growth of small and mid-sized farmers and markets, community gardens, and urban agriculture projects with a deep local commitment to food and community. A strong collaborative network among partners like Extension, local government, and community organizations, is identified as a strength toward more cohesive equitable food access, but they still face challenges. Transportation, income, infrastructure, and land loss are just some of the barriers the team has identified and are working to address. 

Among many of their efforts, their most recent unique and successful project was “Framing the Future: A Photovoice Exploration of Food Justice”. Photovoice is often used as an educational tool for community members to capture photos that can document their needs, encourage dialogue and action, and inform policy. The idea is that it will help include members of the community whose voices may not otherwise be “heard”. It is effective for a number of reasons but can be especially helpful in eliminating barriers such as language, technology, and culture. After gathering photos and narratives from community members, an exhibit was hosted as an opportunity to share the stories and highlight the importance of food security work. “There was so much good conversation and wonderful connections that were made, it was amazing to see everyone come together and take everything in for themselves.” The team credits the success of this project to the community members and to UNCG’s Recipe for Success team. The Food Security team created guidance around setting up your own photovoice project if you are interested in bringing something similar to your county. In addition to the projects and events mentioned thus far, the team also hosts an annual Farm Fresh Holiday Meal Distribution Program, which connects local farmers with food agencies to deliver local fresh food to seniors and homebound individuals. This spring they are hosting a series of community conversations to share the food security assessment and prioritize next steps. And lastly, the first draft of the Guilford County Food Action Plan is set to be completed in October. 

While many of their projects are unique to their county, they feel that similar efforts could be replicated in other counties and welcome other agents and local food coordinators to reach out to them. Other advice for local food coordinators included making sure to explore everything that’s available in regards to helpful resources, really connecting with the community and community partners and leaning on the ones who have been doing this work for decades, showing up consistently and showing that you care to help build necessary trust for doing this type of work, and including the people most impacted in the conversation. Alyssa shared guidance for her team and others doing this work, “Lastly, take care of yourself! This is hard work in very uncertain times. The stress and potential for burnout is high in positions serving the most vulnerable populations. It can become overwhelming and when it does, allow yourself to pause, take a deep breath and listen to what your physical and mental needs are at the moment. If you don’t care for yourself that very second, make a plan to do so, and stick to it.” 

When asked about the future of local foods and addressing food insecurity in North Carolina, they acknowledged the challenges and difficulties we continue to face and the struggles they are currently seeing with funding and grant cuts for many of their community partners. However, they also shared that the future depends on how willing and flexible we are as a community. They focused on the importance of coming together and learning to be proactive rather than reactive to implement and foster long lasting solutions. “N.C. Cooperative Extension is positioned and qualified to continue to lead the regional food and food security initiatives across the state.”