Wellmark Foundation Letter of IntentMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Wellmark Foundation Healthy Local Foods Grant Application
DATE: April 13, 2011
Dubuque
Ail-America City
1111r
2007
Sustainability Coordinator Cori Burbach recommends City Council approval of a Letter
of Intent to the Wellmark Foundation requesting $25,000 in funding of healthy local
foods projects.
In 2010, Iowa State Extension facilitated the convening of a group of community
stakeholders to coordinate efforts regarding the production and consumption of Healthy
Local Foods, one of the eleven Sustainable Dubuque principles. The group, which
includes representatives of the City, has been meeting since then to increase partners'
capacities and educate the public about the opportunities for and benefits of healthy
local foods. The group has identified themselves as Dubuque Eats Well, and currently
includes representatives from the City, Iowa State University Extension, Limestone
Bluffs Resource Conservation and Development, local farmers markets, producers,
retailers, and consumers.
In the summer of 2010, Dubuque Eats Well received funding from the Leopold Center
for Sustainable Agriculture and was able to secure a half -time AmeriCorps position to
hire a Local Foods Coordinator. The Coordinator is housed in City Hall and works with
the Sustainability Coordinator on a variety of local foods projects, but takes direction
from the larger Dubuque Eats Well steering committee.
The Wellmark Foundation 2011 Healthy Communities Grant Program is open to
applications that seek to prevent childhood obesity or increase community -based
wellness and prevention efforts. Specifically, the Foundation has funded several
projects in recent funding cycles that focus on expanding access to healthy foods
through increased production, marketing of opportunities, and expanding access in
schools and at -risk neighborhoods.
The letter of intent outlines a strategy to better coordinate information on local foods
access in the Dubuque region and continue to build the collaborative of individuals and
organizations working to provide access to healthy local foods. The funding would
support the continued efforts of the Local Foods Coordinator as well as the creation of a
Dubuque Eats Well website that would be a central location for information on
resources, events, organizations, purchasing information, and other information related
to local foods. Finally, the letter asks for a small amount of funds to pilot a Farm to
School project in cooperation with the Dubuque Community School District and support
the coordination efforts of Dubuque's farmers' markets. Should the grant be received,
the City would be the fiscal agent for the grant, with the promised actions carried out by
Dubuque Eats Well partners.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
e l C. Van Milli
Mich g en
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
SUBJECT: Wellmark Foundation Healthy Local Foods Grant Application
DATE: April 13, 2011
Dubuque
bitri
AI- Americaciry
2007
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to request City Council approval of the attached Letter of
Intent to the Wellmark Foundation requesting $25,000 in funding of healthy local foods
projects.
BACKGROUND
In 2010, Iowa State Extension facilitated the convening of a group of community
stakeholders to coordinate efforts regarding the production and consumption of Healthy
Local Foods, one of the eleven Sustainable Dubuque principles. The group, which
includes representatives of the City, has been meeting since then to increase partners'
capacities and educate the public about the opportunities for and benefits of healthy
local foods. The group has identified themselves as Dubuque Eats Well, or DEW, and
currently includes representatives from the City, ISU Exstension, Limestone Bluffs
RC &D, local farmers markets, producers, retailers, and consumers.
In the summer of 2010, DEW received funding from the Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture and was able to secure a half -time Americorps position to hire a Local Foods
Coordinator. The Coordinator is housed in City Hall and works with the Sustainability
Coordinator on a variety of local foods projects, but takes direction from the larger DEW
steering committee.
DISCUSSION
The Wellmark Foundation 2011 Healthy Communities Grant Program is open to
applications that seek to prevent childhood obesity or increase community -based
wellness and prevention efforts. Specifically, the Foundation has funded several
projects in recent funding cycles that focus on expanding access to healthy foods
through increased production, marketing of opportunities, and expanding access in
schools and at -risk neighborhoods.
The attached letter of intent outlines a strategy to better coordinate information on local
foods access in the Dubuque region and continue to build the collaborative of
individuals and organizations working to provide access to healthy local foods. The
funding would support the continued efforts of the Local Foods Coordinator as well as
the creation of a DEW website which would be a central location for information on
resources, events, organizations, purchasing information, and other information related
to local foods. Finally, the letter asks for a small amount of funds to pilot a Farm to
School project in cooperation with the Dubuque Community School District and support
the coordination efforts of Dubuque's farmers' markets. The total request of the
Wellmark Foundation is $25,000. Should the grant be received, the City would be the
fiscal agent for the grant, with the promised actions carried out by DEW partners as
identified in the letter.
RECOMMENDATION
The requested action is Council approval of the attached letter of intent to the Wellmark
Foundation in the amount of $25,000.
Cc: Jenni Ostwinkle, Local Foods Coordinator
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
The Wellmark Foundation
1331 Grand Avenue
Des Moines IA 50309
To Whom It May Concern,
April 8, 2011
On behalf of the City of Dubuque, I am pleased to submit this Letter of Intent to the Wellmark
Foundation for the Dubuque Eats Well Local Foods Capacity Building project. The City is a
member of the Dubuque Eats Well (DEW) community collaborative, and if awarded Wellmark
Foundation funding, would use it specifically to advance healthy local foods initiatives that
support community -based wellness and prevention.
Background & Organizational Capacity. The City of Dubuque is an active member of DEW, a
community collaborative serving the geographic area of Dubuque, Delaware, Jones and
Jackson counties in Eastern Iowa. DEW is a grassroots partnership that was formed to build
community capacity to achieve the Sustainable Dubuque sustainability principle of Healthy
Local Foods. Healthy Local Foods is one of 11 principles identified by a community task force
that defined the Sustainable Dubuque vision that "Dubuque is a viable, livable and equitable
community. We embrace economic prosperity, environmental integrity, social /cultural vibrancy
to create a sustainable legacy for generations to come." DEW was formed in 2010 with short-
term goals of increasing the amount of healthy food produced locally; providing outreach and
education to improve consumer's eating habits and health; increasing access to healthy local
foods for all, particularly those who currently do not have adequate access; and finally becoming
a clearing house for data collection regarding healthy local foods with the belief that "what can't
be measured can't be managed."
DEW's capacity is built through the partnership of local government, non - profit, school, and
business institutions as well as individuals who are passionate about community access to
healthy foods. Members have partnered on projects including promotion and expansion of
farmers' markets, community gardening, introducing local produce in schools and restaurants, •
and others in order to increase efficiency, avoid duplication of efforts within the local foods
system, and enhance the health and vibrancy of community life. DEW strives to complement the
local foods scene and bring everyone to the table to come up with creative solutions and ideas.
Its core team is comprised of producers, consumers, local government and non - profit leaders,
market and grocery store coordinators, and health care providers among others.
Statement of Issue. The Dubuque Community Health Assessment set a goal of decreasing the
obesity rate in Dubuque County from 28% to 24% by 2016. To this end, community health
professionals encourage the adoption of policies by community -based organizations,
institutions, businesses and local govemment aimed at improving fruit and vegetable
consumption and physical activity for their employees, customers, and clients. DEW members
have been identified as potential partners in identifying action items to achieve this goal.
Community Needs. There are numerous resources available to both producers and consumers
interested in wellness within the region, but these resources are scattered online, in libraries,
and in a variety of organizations. They are often difficult to locate, and sometimes producers
and consumers don't know they exist at all. Websites like localdirt.com, Iocalharvest.com, Iowa
Market Maker, and East Central Intergovernmental Agency's (ECIA) Buyer - Supplier Network
can help producers make the necessary connections to consumers in order to increase their
sales. Having these resources centrally located and explained on DEW's website, in addition to
educational resources, would simplify the process of buying and selling local foods and help
producers decide which program would work best for them. Other organizations, such as the
Practical Farmers of Iowa and the Iowa State Extension, offer informative events and webinars
that could greatly benefit local producers and growers. DEW has identified the need for greater
fruit and vegetable output overall; ECIA data currently shows that Dubuque County produces no
fruit and vegetables. Although DEW has identified many area producers whose production is not
accurately reflected in this data, fruit and vegetable production is nevertheless very low due to
the reliance on commodity crops in the area. Engaged stakeholders in DEW include the City of
Dubuque, Crescent Community Health Center, Iowa State Extension, Limestone Bluffs RC &D,
farmers market and community garden coordinators, producer and local business
representatives, Hy -Vee grocery store, and the Dubuque Community School District. Additional
connections will be made to DEW, through existing relationships with City departments, to
neighborhood associations, local colleges, and others.
Desired Results. Several area school districts have indicated a willingness and desire to buy
healthy, locally -grown produce but are constrained by time, money or by lack of local producer
contacts. In the short term, we hope to facilitate the creation of a Farm to School program that
will serve as a model for other schools in the region. We also hope to strengthen local farmers
markets and increase consumption of healthy local foods by leveraging existing funding for
programs like WIC and SNAP and supporting coordinated marketing and management efforts.
DEW will track project progress in a number of ways. We will judge the success of our website
through online statistics and from feedback from local citizen, distributing, selling, or buying local
foods. Farmers market customer counts will track attendance trends. Farm -to- School progress
will be tracked through number of schools involved and the number of students consuming local
foods through the program. All of this information will feed the Sustainable Dubuque Indicators
project, an online tool built and maintained by the community to track performance on the
complete Sustainable Dubuque vision.
Strategies. Two of our local foods partner groups have undertaken similar measures with
excellent results. The Northern Iowa Food & Farm Partnership and Northeast Food & Fitness
host websites which serve as entry points into local foods for their regions. Each group also
supports local farm -to- school chapters in order to help children understand where their food
comes from and make healthier choices. DEW has an established partnership with these
entities through the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture's Regional Food Systems
Working Group program.
The City of Dubuque and DEW are well - positioned to replicate their success. A part-time Local
Foods Coordinator funded through AmeriCorps and the Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture currently provides staffing for the group and manages local food projects, although
this funding ends in August 2010. Dubuque has a number of vibrant farmers markets which
provide access to healthy local foods but most are volunteer -run and despite demand, they do
not have the capacity to expand their operations. This funding would be used to support
coordinated marketing and management efforts as well as efforts to leverage existing funding
for programs like WIC and SNAP that meet the food security needs of our community's most at-
risk residents. DEW will also encourage the consumption of healthy local foods in the classroom
by financing a pilot farm -to- school project at Dubuque Community School District. Finally,
creation of a website will address Dubuque's need for a coordinated and informed approach to
expanding access to a healthy local food system. Numerous organizations across sectors of
the community are working towards a shared vision without a sustainable way to share data,
collaborate on initiatives, and inform and educate the public. The website, in addition to other
forms of outreach and education, will be an online hub with information on local foods,
resources, discussion, events, coordination, and organization accessible by all.
Budget
Wellmark Foundation Request: $25,000
1. Local Foods Coordinator. $15,000
A part -time Local Foods Coordinator will engage stakeholders, provide administrative support
for DEW, and manage local food projects.
2. DEW Website: $2,000
The website, in addition to other forms of outreach and education, will be an online hub with
information on local foods, resources, discussion, events, coordination, and organization
accessible by all.
3. Pilot Farm to School Project: $2,000
These funds would be used to finance a pilot project that would incorporate healthy foods into at
least one school's menu while also incorporating healthy eating lessons into curriculum and
parent and family outreach opportunities.
4. Farmers Market Support & Expansion: $6, 000
This funding would be used to support coordinated marketing and management efforts as well
as efforts to leverage existing funding for programs like WIC and SNAP that meet the food
security needs of our community's most at -risk residents.
Local Match: $14,159
1. Dubuque Main Street: Promotion of Farmers Market ($6,109)
2. Dubuque Winter Market: Print Ads, Radio Spots, Posters ($2,050)
3. Dubuque Eats Well (Fiscal agent: Iowa State Extension): Regional Foods System Working
Group Grant to fund Local Foods Coordinator salary, public outreach & education, and data
collection activity ($6,000)
Thank you for this opportunity to submit a request on behalf of the City of Dubuque and the
many community organizations and individuals that comprise Dubuque Eats Well. I look
forward to discussing this application in further detail and am available to answer any questions
you may have.
Cori Burbach
Sustainable Community Coordinator
City of Dubuque
The Wellmark Foundation
2011 Healthy Communities Grant Program — Level 1 ($25,000 and under)
Letter of Interest Cover Page — Due Date April 12, 2011
Primary Agency/Fiscal Agent — Organizational Information
(If this is a collaborative/coalition project, then please submit names of collaborating organizations on a separate sheet.)
Name: City of Dubuque
Address: 50 W. 13 St.
City /State /Zip: Dubuque, IA 52001 Phone: _(563) 589 -4110
Web site: _www.cityofdubuque.org Geographic focus /county: Dubuque
IRS 501(c)3 Determination Number or E1N Number: 42- 6004596
Primary Proposal Contact Person
Name: Cori Burbach
Title: Sustainability Coordinator
Address: _50 W. 13 St. City /State /Zip:Dubuque, IA, 52001
Total Project Budget: $ 39,159
Organization: City of Dubuque
Phone: 563 -589 -4110 Email: cburbach @cityofdubuque.org
Project Information
Project Title: _ Dubuque Eats Well Local Foods Capacity Building
Aut »or a ion (required to demonstrate knowledge of and
Project Duration (not to exceed 24 months): 18 months
Amount Requested (not to exceed $25,000 - 75% of total project budget): $ 25,000
Check Priority Funding Area: ❑ Childhood Obesity Prevention ®Wellness and Prevention Initiatives
Brief paragraph (2 to 3 sentences) summarizing the project.
The City of Dubuque and Dubuque Eats Well (DEW) are requesting $25,000 to advance healthy local foods initiatives
that support community -based wellness and prevention. This financial support would be used to fund the position of a
local foods coordinator, create a website to serve as a "local foods hub" accessible by all, establish a pilot Farm to
School chapter, and to support and expand local farmers markets and meet the food security needs of our community.
port for the proposed project)
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7
President, Board of Directors (Chief Volunteer) Exa€utive Director (Chief Compensated Staff)*
_Roy Buol, Mayor 4.11.11 _Michael Van Milligen, City Manager 4.11.11
Print Name, Title and date Print Name, Title and date
*If no compensated staff, provide signature of another member /officer of the Board of Directors