The Rainelle Local Foods, Local Places two-day community workshop that was originally scheduled for June 27 and 28, 2016, has been rescheduled for Apr. 6 and 7.

The topics of the workshops will surround local food and its potential for strengthening the local economy, supporting healthier people and neighborhoods, and revitalizing downtown. Rainelle was selected for this technical grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S.  Department of Transportation (DOT), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Appalachian Regional Authority (ARC).  A cash grant will be available for implementation of the plan resulting from these workshops.

A team of these agency partners and their consultants will join local stakeholders to conduct a workshop in Rainelle on Apr. 6 and 7. 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 the 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.

• Apr. 6, 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.
• Apr. 7, 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.
• Apr. 7, 1:30-5 p.m., “HOW” – This final working session further details how 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.

All the workshops will be held at Rainelle Methodist Church, 617 Kanawha Avenue, Rainelle. Lunch will be provided free of charge on Friday, Apr. 7, and light snacks and drinks on the evening and afternoon of Apr. 6 and 7.  For more information and to RSVP for the workshop, call Peggy Crowder at 304-497-4300 or email at pcrowder@gvedc.com.