October 5, 1-2 pm ET: Healthy Food Futures for All: Values-based Perspectives and Connections in the Roanoke Valley. 
Amazetta Anderson of the George Washington Carver Gardens
Rachel Burks of Carilion Clinic Planning and Community Development

Join us for the first session of our Fall Virtual Learning Exchange Series, featuring food systems leaders in the Roanoke Foodshed Network. Amazetta Anderson, of the George Washington Carver Community Garden, and Rachel Burks of Carilion Clinic Planning and Community Development will join us to share about their work, engage in a moderated dialogue, and respond to questions from participants. Amazetta Anderson has a background in Nursing that fuels her support of healthy eating and exercising, which she encourages through Community Gardening in Roanoke, Virginia. She teaches community members how to eat what we grow in From The Ground Up. She is also a Master Food Volunteer with Virginia Cooperative Extension and an active member of the Roanoke Fooshed Network. Rachel Burks provides leadership to a team of health educators and nurses to improve community health through her work as Carilion Clinic’s Community Health Education Manager and she serves as a co-lead of the food access working group of the Roanoke Foodshed Network. She has experience studying consumer-vendor interactions at farmers markets, designing active aging programs, leading food access efforts through the Virginia Family Nutrition Program, and influencing the health behaviors of individuals, organizations, and communities through a variety of strategies. 

November 9, 2-3 pm ET: Growing a Culture of Resiliency and Cooperation: Urban Food Justice Possibilities
Cameron Terry of Garden Variety Harvest
Davey Rogner Stewards of the Harvest Collective
Please register to attend this session

Join us for the second session of our Fall Virtual Learning Exchange Series, featuring food systems leaders in the Roanoke Foodshed Network. Cameron Terry, of Garden Variety Harvests, and Davey Rogner Stewards of The Harvest Collective, will join us to share about their work, engage in a moderated dialogue, and respond to questions from participants. Cameron Terry is a self-taught farmer who owns an urban vegetable farm business in Roanoke, Virginia called Garden Variety Harvests. In his fifth year of full-time farming, Cam is expanding his farm by securing long-term tenure on an urban farm hub location in partnership with a non-profit land trust, The SW Virginia Agrarian Commons. Davey Rogner Stewards is the visionary force leading The Harvest Collective based in Roanoke, Virginia and has diverse experience working within the food system in the City. He has spearheaded a number of community ecological projects including founding Outback Orchards, a permaculture inspired forest garden and chicken farm, pursuing the legal permitting and conversation around a composting facility at Heritage Point, and building infrastructure for various community gardens throughout the City. 

December 7, 2-3 pm ET: Cultivating Care from the Ground Up: From Mobile Markets to Community Art
Bernadette (BJ) Lark of CommUnity Arts Reach
Kelly Key of the Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP)
Connie Kenny of the Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP)
Please register to attend this session

January 18, 2-3 pm ET: Regenerative Food Production: Healthy Soil, Ecosystems, and Communities
Anna and Brent Wills of Bramble Hollow Farm
Adam Taylor of the Virginia Tech Catawba Sustainability Center
Please register to attend this session

 

For more information, reach out to Katie Trozzo at ketrozzo@vt.edu. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Katie Trozzo at 540-231-4582 during business hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations at least 5 days prior to the event.

What is the Roanoke Foodshed Network? 
The Roanoke Foodshed Network was formed as a way to build community and capacity between diverse partners working to address food systems change in the Roanoke region. The goals of this network are to collectively learn about and address the needs of sustainable farm development, local food distribution, and equitable food access. We aspire to develop a comprehensive approach to create a more resilient, socially just, and economically viable food system in the Roanoke region. We invite you to join us in this work.

Learn more about this initiative on our project page
Strong Farm and Food Future: Planning for a Collaborative Regional Economy in the Roanoke Valley