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LYNN — Two organizations committed to how well Lynn eats are holding a series of listening and information meetings beginning with one Feb. 9 at the Lynn Community Health Center, 269 Union St., from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The session will be conducted in English and Spanish.
The Food Project and the Lynn Food and Fitness Alliance have sponsored 11 listening sessions with groups around the city in order to better understand what food system-related issues are important to residents.
The Food Project and the Lynn Food and Fitness Alliance formed the Lynn Grows partnership in late 2016 with a diverse group of Lynn community members to create a more equitable and healthy food system in the city.
“We are excited for Lynn Grows and continuing the work we started at the beginning of the year with Lynn residents and stakeholders to develop strategies that will build a better food system for everyone in the city,” said The Food Project’s North Shore Regional Director, John Wang. “We are pleased to be able to share a draft of that vision and to continue gathering feedback in listening sessions throughout the city and fine-tune the Lynn Grow priorities.”
A Lynn Grows steering committee of 25 Lynn residents drafted a vision and list of six priority areas to guide the Lynn Grows initiative through implementation.
Priorities include creating better food access, building community gardens, enhancing school food, and more.
Previous listening sessions included an introduction to Lynn Grows, a discussion of the Lynn food system, and an opportunity for participants to offer feedback on the vision and priorities, while sharing their experiences and ideas for the future.
Lynn Grows is also holding tabling events where people can fill out surveys and get additional information. An upcoming tabling event is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the Lynn YMCA from 10 a.m. to noon.
Lynn Grows is continuing to look for community feedback through February and early March. The steering committee plans on holding 25 listening sessions with organizations and groups throughout the city. The feedback received will be incorporated into the Lynn Grows vision and priorities, which will ultimately guide the group through implementation.
The implementation phase is currently scheduled to begin in April. There will be a kickoff event to allow Lynn residents and stakeholders to learn more about Lynn Grows and how they can be involved.
Anyone interested in participating in a listening session or to learn more about Lynn Grows, contact Olivia at oboggiano-peterson@fellow.thefoodproject.org and check Facebook (@lynngrows) for updates.
Since their founding in 1991, The Food Project has grown into a nationally-recognized non-profit organization that works at the intersection of youth, food, and community. For more than 27 years, The Food Project has brought youth and adults from diverse backgrounds together on their farms to produce healthy food for residents of the city and suburbs to build a local and sustainable food system.
