How did you come to Nebraska?
Our family moved to Nebraska in the early ‘90s when I accepted a position with DuPont as a sales rep in Nebraska.
How did you get involved in No More Empty Pots?
I am one of the co-founders of No More Empty Pots. I volunteered for 2009 to 2015. In 2013, I began my service as a board member for the organization. In 2016, I became a full-time employee as the President/CEO.
Please tell us the journey, vision and focus of No More Empty Pots.
We started in February 2010 with a food summit, where 50 community residents met for 4 hours to discuss what was possible and what we wanted to see for food systems initiatives in our neighborhoods. Two initiatives emerged: urban agriculture and shared-use commercial kitchen. Monthly meetings, community engagement, small and large group events, partnerships, etc., led to many different opportunities to address these issues. For No More Empty Pots, we worked with hundreds of different people and researched countless hours to get to the current configuration of the food hub. Our values are education, stewardship and sustainability. Our two basic tenets for engagement are the self-sufficiency of people and the economic resilience of communities and neighborhoods.
Here is a link to our mission: http://www.nmepomaha.org/our-mission.
No More Empty Pots (NMEP) is a grassroots non-profit corporation that connects individuals and groups to improve self-sufficiency, regional food security and economic resilience of urban and rural communities through advocacy and action.
No More Empty Pots’ vision is to support communities in becoming self-sufficient and food secure through collaboration and adhering to our core values of education, stewardship and sustainability.
Please tell us about some of your initiatives and how they relate to the mission and vision of No Empty Pots.
Here is a link to our programs page: http://www.nmepomaha.org/programs
Please tell us about some of the members of your coalition behind No Empty Pots and what they bring to the table.
We do not have a membership, but we do have partners and collaborators. Here is a list: http://www.nmepomaha.org/about/coalition. Some provide joint programming to participants, some provide support for activities, some collaborate on projects, some serve on committees, some provide services.
To learn more about the Collaborative Community Centered Food Hub from No More Empty Pots, here is the link: http://www.nmepomaha.org/foodhub .
The Collaborative Community Centered Food Hub is based on a system of interdependent activities including commercial kitchens, community cafe, cold/dry storage, incubator, and rooftop garden with raised beds and solar-powered aquaponics systems rooted in proven models that deliver positive outcomes in job training, workforce readiness, food waste reduction, healthy food access, income generation and business development.
The food hub best practice models include:
www.lacocinasf.org
www.dccentralkitchen.org
www.lakitchen.org
www.unionkitchendc.com
www.uncommonground.com (rooftop garden)
Please tell us how that fits into North Omaha and the city of Omaha and the surrounding region, including economically and socially.
There are initiatives underway for years to improve food access, reduce health disparities and improve economic conditions in Omaha. The food hub is supporting the growth and development of the local food system, which includes Omaha and surrounding areas from Iowa to Nebraska, by providing infrastructure support and space. Nebraska has a $4 billion fresh food market and just 10% of supplying our own fruits and veggies will tap into a $400 million recurring market. A stronger local foods system will provide easier and more economical access to healthy affordable produce. By recirculating local dollars, we can compound the impact of the market.
What is your public contact information?
No More Empty Pots
8511 North 30th St.
Omaha, NE 68112
Food Hub
8501 North 30th St.
Omaha, NE 68112
402.502.1642
info@nmepomaha.org
http://www.nmepomaha.org
Where can people sign up to volunteer?
Here is the link to the volunteer form: http://www.nmepomaha.org/volunteer
How can people donate?
Donation: http://www.nmepomaha.org/donations
