November and December were busy months for LEAP staff. At the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference, LEAP Executive Director Maureen McNamara Best participated in a panel discussion about Food is Medicine, where she spoke about the Southwest Virginia Produce Rx program and shared how community-based food outlets can be integrated into and support Food is Medicine. Virginia Fresh Match (VFM) staff Sam Hedges and Elizabeth Borst lead conversations about engaging the community in program evaluation and how to incorporate SNAP nutrition incentives into farmers markets. (VFM is fiscally sponsored by LEAP.)

At the Virginia Farm to Table Conference, Roanoke Foodshed Network(RFN) Director Mo McGonagle and VFM Advocacy Director Elizabeth Borst participated in an interactive session on regional food systems. And Maureen spoke about how LEAP and food systems connect food, farms, community, and health. (RFN is also fiscally sponsored by LEAP.)

Maureen also traveled to Washington, DC, for the Bloomberg American Health Summit, where she learned from public health advocate Marion Nestle and US Sen. Cory Booker, and networked with other Bloomberg Fellows and Sponsoring Organizations across the US who are applying cutting edge public health tools and approaches to improve community health and food systems.

LEAP Food Hub Manager Kyra Crawford and Program Director Kelly Key attended the Eastern Food Hub Collaborative (EFC) convening in Durham, NC. The EFC is a network of food hubs on the eastern seaboard committed to improving market opportunities for farmers and increasing equitable access to good food. EFC members share resources, challenges, and successes. At the in-person convening, the member hubs identified priorities for the group, which included growing membership, building shared tools, improving resources for marketing, and adding an emphasis on policy advocacy. Participants also visited member hub Firsthand Foods in Durham, and as always, enjoyed amazing camaraderie and fantastic food!