City of Gainesville - File #: 100410.

• File #: 100410.
• Version: 0
• Name: Report for the Community Workshop on Meal Services and Food Distribution (B)
• Type: Discussion Item
• Status: Held In Commission
• File created: 10/21/2010
• In control: City Manager
• Title: Report for the Community Workshop on Meal Services and Food Distribution (B) This item involves hearing a presentation from City Staff on a Community Workshop on Meal Services that was held on June 29, 2010 at the Alachua County Health Department.

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
10/21/2010	0	City Commission	Approved as shown above and Referred	Pass

Title
Report for the Community Workshop on Meal Services and Food Distribution (B)

This item involves hearing a presentation from City Staff on a Community Workshop on Meal Services that was held on June 29, 2010 at the Alachua County Health Department.

Explanation
On February 18, 2010, the Gainesville City Commission directed City Staff to hold a Community Workshop to discuss meal services and the distribution of food within the City of Gainesville and Alachua County. The workshop was held on June 29, 2010 at the Alachua County Health Department, and was jointly sponsored by the City of Gainesville and Alachua County. Ms. Marilyn Crotty, Director of the Florida Institute of Government at the University of Central Florida facilitated the workshop and prepared the summary report. More than 50 community members and stakeholders participated in the workshop.

At the workshop, the participants heard presentations from City of Gainesville Planning Manager Ralph Hilliard, Program Administrator for Food Stamps/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Policy at the Florida Department of Children and Families, Eileen Schilling, and Keynote Speaker Barbara Green, who is the Director of the Homeless Emergency Project in Clearwater, Florida. In addition to the presentations, the participants were randomly divided into small groups for breakout sessions to discuss specific questions and related areas of concern. The four questions were:

1. How can we provide a safe environment for participants in the meal programs and for the community?

2. How can we allow for the distribution of prepared bag meals?

3. Explore the potential for increased meal services at new or existing sites.

4. How do we increase the participation levels and utilization of the food stamp program?

The small breakout groups discussed the four questions and reported their findings and recommendations to the general body at the end of the workshop. There was some consensus of som...