Rainelle is hosting a two-day community workshop on the topic of local food and its potential for strengthening our local economy, supporting healthier people and neighborhoods, and revitalizing our downtown. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Transportation (DOT), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Appalachian Regional Authority (ARC) have selected Rainelle for the Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance program, which will result in an action plan for strengthening our local food economy.
A team of these agency partners and their consultants will join local stakeholders to conduct a workshop in Rainelle on June 27 and 28. Community members’ participation and knowledge of the local area is needed to help make this event a success. The workshops will bring together many key stakeholders from throughout our region to develop an action plan. The workshops will answer the why, what and how. All are welcome to participate in one, two or all three of the sessions.
June 27, 6-8:30 p.m. “WHY”An open community discussion to explore where we want to be and what values motivate. It will include introduction and overview presentations, followed by general discussion on strengths, opportunities, and challenges around community goals.
June 28, 9 a.m.-12 noon “WHAT” Working session to explore what needs to happen to realize your goals. There will be presentations on more specific case studies and exercises designed to brainstorm ideas for actions and strategies.
June 28, 1:30-5 p.m. “HOW” This final working session further details how your goals can be achieved. These small group exercises get into details such as targeted implementation next steps, including actions, responsible parties, timeline/priorities, resources needed, etc.
The workshop will include presentations on community livability and the roles that local foods play in supporting it, plus small group working sessions and discussions on the community’s vision and goals, and specific actions for reaching them. The workshop will lay out an action plan for moving forward.
All sessions will be held at Rainelle Methodist Church, 617 Kanawha Avenue, Rainelle. Lunch will be provided free of charge on Tuesday, June 28, and light snacks and drinks on the evening and afternoon of June 27 and 28. Contact India Keller by email at ikeller@gvedc.com or phone 304-497-4300 to RSVP.