CFSC Member Committees

The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) has a number of committees that focus on various aspects of community food security work. Some committees provide an advisory role to a particular CFSC program, while others focus on issues relevant to the broader community food security movement. CFSC board members, staff, and members work together in these committees, which meet in person at the annual meeting and by conference call through the rest of the year.

Members are invited to join a committee and bring your unique skills and experience to shaping this collective work. The following list gives a brief overview of each committee and lets you know whom to contact for more information or to get involved.

Community Economic Development Committee

The CFSC Community Economic Development Committee seeks to build the capacity of grassroots CFSC members to strengthen community-based food systems as a strategy for community economic development in their own regions.

For more information contact:
Ken Meter, (612) 869-8664, kmeter@crcworks.org
Katherine Pigott, KPigott@regionofwaterloo.ca

Food and Faith Committee

The Food & Faith Committee (formerly Faith-Based Committee) exists to provide all people of faith with a special forum to discuss community food security issues and to contribute to CFSC, which we believe can be a powerful vehicle for addressing local and world hunger at its foundation. The Committee provides an entry points for people of faith to work together to make important connections between our food systems, our lifestyles, social justice and environmental stewardship. Sacred themes of God's provision for all people, economic justice, the dignity of work, respect and care for the created order, and sacrifice for the good of neighbors become struggles and victories of real life. People and groups coming from a faith-based orientation can strengthen the Coalition, increase secular groups' understanding of how to work with faith communities, and broaden the perspectives and vision of the movement. The Faith-Based Committee has presented CFSC workshops and organized tours, and has compiled some stories of congregational involvement in community food security.

For more information contact:
Kristen Markley, (717) 240-1361, kristen@foodsecurity.org

International Links Committee

The International Links Committee works to connect the Coalition to its food security allies around the world through initiatives for food sovereignty, food justice, fair trade, and sustainable agriculture. Our goals are to strengthen CFSC's involvement in broader global movements and to serve as a springboard for collaboration among CFSC members on international issues. Comprised of diverse NGO representatives and individuals, the International Links Committee hosts educational calls on food sovereignty topics every other month, in addition to email communication and an annual meeting at the Coalition conference. The committee also coordinates the annual Food Sovereignty Prize.

For more information contact:
Tristan Quinn-Thibodeau, (212) 629-8850 x48, tristan@whyhunger.org.

Outreach and Diversity Committee

The Outreach and Diversity Committee (ODC) was one of the core member committees of CFSC for several years. Currently, the committee is not active. CFSC Board members are in the midst of strategizing directions for our future dismantling racism and outreach efforts. The most recent project here has been learning about garcinia cambogia.

If you are interested in joining with others in working toward dismantling racism in the food system, please join the Growing Food and Justice For All Initiative hosted by Growing Power.

Resources and links related to dismantling racism

View the mission statement and documents developed by the CFSC's Outreach and Diversity Committee when it was active

For more information contact:
Jeanette Abi-Nader (CFSC staff liaison), (434) 973-4435, jeanette@foodsecurity.org.

Policy Committee

The Policy Committee exists to further the Coalition's policy program goal to deliver focused and well coordinated policy tools for the community food security movement in the US. The Committee manages the Coalitions policy formation process including meeting at least annually with members to review policy priorities. Those interested in more active policy work meet via conference call every other week to strategize on current legislative efforts and share updates. Committee members also play a vital role in targeted outreach in specific districts and states during the federal legislative calendar.

For more information contact: Aisha Amuda, (202) 481-6933, aisha@foodsecurity.org

Urban Agriculture Committee

The CFSC Urban Agriculture Committee was begun in 1998, and has consistently been one of the Coalition's most active units. Composed entirely of volunteers, including board members of CFSC and the American Community Gardening Association, the committee identifies specific advocacy needs for the urban agriculture movement in the United States and Canada. The Committee has written an urban agriculture primer (pdf download), and has since produced new versions of the primer directed at specific professional audiences. The Committee is acting as the incubator for MetroAg, a new North American urban and peri-urban agriculture alliance.

For more information contact:
Betsy Johnson, (617) 536-1711, betsy@bgjohnson.com
Cynthia Price, (231) 739-6397, skyprice@gmail.com