2019 Come to the Table Conference

Registration Now Open for 2019 Come to the Table Conference, Called to Action: Uprooting Hunger and Cultivating Justice, March 12-13, 2019

PITTSBORO, NC, December 16, 2018—Registration is now open for the 2019 Come to the Table Conference. With funding support from The Duke Endowment, Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA’s (RAFI-USA’s) Come to the Table Program (CTTT) brings together faith leaders and laypeople, hunger relief advocates, farmers, farm workers, community organizers, community gardeners, food council members, extension agents, and others to find mutually beneficial solutions to relieve hunger and strengthen just, sustainable agriculture in rural North Carolina. CTTT has been holding regional conferences and gatherings since 2007. This will be the second statewide conference and is a collaborative effort between RAFI-USA and the NC Council of Churches.

2019 Come to the Table Conference

• March 12-13, 2019
• Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 3400 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216

The 2019 conference theme is Called to Action: Uprooting Hunger and Cultivating Justice. During the conference, participants will examine the root causes of hunger and leave energized to go back to their communities with knowledge, skills, and connections to challenge the systemic nature of hunger and build a more just food system.

“Come to the Table never fails to inspire. At every conference I’ve met new people doing great work, and their creative examples show what’s possible when faith communities get involved.” – 2017 conference participant

The conference will feature two keynote speakers. Dr. Monica White, assistant professor of Environmental Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement, will be speaking about “Freedom Farmers: The History of Black Agricultural Cooperatives and Building Sustainable Communities.” Dr. Eric Holt-Giménez, Executive Director of Food First, political economist, agroecologist, and author will be speaking about “Farm Justice, Food Sovereignty and the Transformation of Everything.”

Participants will have the opportunity to attend 57 workshops in the following tracks: addressing hunger, community agriculture, economic and labor justice, environmental justice, faith, food, and justice, food policy advocacy, healing and wellness, movement building, racial equity, resources for farmers, working together in community, and youth-led change.

North Carolina continues to rank among the top ten states for food insecure households. As the wealth gap in America continues to grow and hard work does not guarantee prosperity or food security, people of all faiths are called to examine and address the foundational systems that create conditions in which hunger and poverty thrive. The Come to the Table Conference will provide a platform for collaboration where people of faith, farmers, farm workers, and community members can share resources, tools, and knowledge, and build relationships to sustain and support their work toward a more just food system.

The early bird registration deadline is December 31, 2018 and final registration deadline is February 15, 2019. Register for the conference: rafiusa.org/cttt/2019conference

About the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA

RAFl-USA’s mission is to cultivate markets, policies, and communities that sustain thriving, socially just, and environmentally sound family farms. RAFI-USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Pittsboro, North Carolina and incorporated in 1990.

About The Duke Endowment

Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $3.6 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.