Food Security Locally

The Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council (A-B FPC)

The council started in 2011 and is run entirely by volunteers.
There are 8 working groups/clusters: Access, Asset Mapping, Communications, Emergency, Health Wellness & Education, Land Use Policy, Local Food Flow, and Legislative Policy & Advocacy.
There is also a general council that is made up of representatives from each of the 9 working groups.

In a 2008-2009 national study, Asheville was the 58th worst metropolitan area with respect to food security. In the 2010-2011 national study, Asheville rose to the 3rd worst metropolitan area in the nation.
Also in 2010, there was a 27% increase in county residents that received food assistance, up to 31,011.
50.1% of the students within the Buncombe County School System were enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program during the 2009-2010 school year, up from 46.7 the previous year.

For more facts and information click HERE

If you want to get involved, the best place to start is one of the individual working groups/clusters meetings.
Find clusters that meet at a time that is convenient for you. There is no limit to how many clusters you can be involved in.
If you want to just observe what is happening with the FPC the general council meeting is open to the public. Make sure you e-mail the FPC ahead of time to let them know you are coming.

Contact the A-B FPC at info@abfoodpolicy.com