World Café on Hunger & Food Insecurity
Sept. 10, 2015. Biotech Place, Wake Forest Innovation Quarter
This world café and community conversation drew 170 participants, along with 31 table moderators and 31 scribes, who discussed three topics: enhancing access to nutritious food, engaging neighborhoods in addressing food insecurity, and reducing the stigma too often associated with participation in nutrition-assistance programs like SNAP and WIC.
The prompts for the table discussions were:
1. How might we enhance access to healthy food and nutrition education for needy children and adults in Forsyth County?
2. How best to engage neighborhoods—across Forsyth County—to address food insecurity, both in their own neighborhood (as appropriate) and in the larger community?
3. How might we reduce the perceived stigma associated with dependence on food stamps, emergency pantries, and similar sources of food assistance?
The table discussions yielded more than 150 ideas for reducing hunger and food insecurity in our community. A variety of groups--well-trained students, food-policy experts, and local leaders--then rated each idea in terms of its impact and feasibility.