COLUMBIA — In South Carolina, more than one million citizens live in food deserts where there is limited or no access to healthy affordable food. These regions can be found in every part of our state. Enabling residents in these neighborhoods to have access to healthy food can make a difference to them and to their communities in a variety of ways including spurring economic development, creating jobs, and reducing high obesity rates that result from the lack of healthy affordable food options.
The third annual SC Food Access Summit will focus on increasing healthy food access through local food policy and community-led advocacy efforts. Throughout the day, you will have the opportunity to hear from local and regional leaders who have successfully led advocacy and policy change efforts to increase food access in their communities. To provide you with the tools you need to develop and implement similar efforts in your community, the afternoon session will focus on regional breakouts facilitated by Community Food Strategies. The summit will provide attendees with an opportunity to network and connect with other food advocates across the state, and to learn about strategies for influencing food policy in their regions.
Whether you are curious about food policy and the role it plays in our healthy food systems or ready to integrate a food policy council in your community, this summit will provide you with the insight and engagement strategies you need.
Monday, October 2, 2017 l 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Columbia Conference Center
169 Laurelhurst Ave, Columbia, SC 29210
AGENDA
9:30 AM Registration
10:00 AM Keynote: Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin
10:45 AM Update from Food Access Task Force
11:00 AM Panel Discussion
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Facilitated Regional Breakouts
3:15 PM Wrap Up and Discuss Next Steps
Keynote Speaker: Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin
Mayor Steve Benjamin has served as Mayor of Columbia since April 2010, but his service to Columbia began in 1990 when he served as student body president at the University of South Carolina, later becoming the Student Bar Association President at the USC School of Law. Mayor Benjamin is currently the Second Vice President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and will assume presidency of the conference in 2018. In addition, he is Chairman for Municipal Bonds for America, teaches a class at the University of South Carolina Honors College and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $20 each, and lunch is included.
REGISTER NOWMonday, October 2, 9:30am-3:30pm
Columbia Conference Center, Columbia, SC
SPONSORS
Sponsorship opportunities now available! Download the 2017 Sponsorship Packet for more information.
PLANNING COMMITTEE
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
Midlands Council of Governments
SC Community Loan Fund
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
University of South Carolina Center of Research in Nutrition & Health Disparities
— South Carolina Community Loan Fund
For more news from South Carolina, click here.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
The 153rd South Carolina State Fair returns Oct. 12-23, with a full lineup of traditional favorites and a variety of new rides, foods, entertainment, as well as a traveling moon exhibition and the return of the CIRCUS at the Fair. “As the state’s largest event, we take pride that we’re able to showcase South Carolina’s best in […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing details of a framework to transform the food system to benefit consumers, producers and rural communities by providing more options, increasing access, and creating new, more, and better markets for small and mid-size producers. Today’s announcement builds on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and […]
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The 152nd South Carolina State Fair returns Oct. 13-24, 2021, with a full lineup of traditional favorites and a variety of new rides, foods, entertainment and the return of the CIRCUS at the Fair and the Celebration Super Wheel. The S.C. State Fair is committed to bringing a safe 12-day event to the Midlands […]
ROME — Science, technology and innovation are essential to accelerate the transformation of agri-food systems and combat hunger and malnutrition, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, said Thursday Science Days for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021. Plenary Session – Session 1: Science for the Food […]
BRONX, N.Y. — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Empire State Development Acting President and CEO Eric Gertler, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball, New York City Economic Development Corporation Acting President Rachel Loeb, Congressman Ritchie Torres, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Council Member Salamanca and community […]
