Our partners at National Family Farm Coalition have created the Food Solutions Forum Toolkit to walk 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations through hosting a Food Solutions Forum to educate those running for public office, the media, and the public. The steps and skills provided in the toolkit were drawn from the New Hampshire Food Solutions Forum held in November 2019. The goal of the forum was to raise awareness and discourse of family farming, fishing, ranching, food worker, food system and food access issues in presidential and other election cycles.
Too often food and farming related issues and solutions are left out of the political and electoral conversations. The forum held in New Hampshire is illustrative of how communities can elevate awareness and understanding of these issues that bridge political divides.
However, one forum in one state does not generate the impact needed to call the attention of the press and general public. This toolkit was created to share the approaches, lessons, and materials created in planning the New Hampshire forum with other 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
This toolkit includes details on 501(c)(3) compliance rules, coordination and teams, candidate outreach, pre and post-event promotion, and resources such as event budget, logo, sample video release forms, press releases and more.
If we want to elevate conversations around our food system, we need to continue to raise awareness around the issues and generate momentum at a national level. Hosting a Food Solutions Forum in your community is a first step in starting a conversation between those impacted by the current food system and public officials who implement food policies. The National Farm Family Coalition hopes that with many of these conversations across the country we can collectively amplify the work of the Food Movement.
Click Here to Access Toolkit
Those interested in learning more about the toolkit or how to host a Food Solutions Forum of their own are encouraged to reach out to the National Family Farm Coalition.