September Member Meeting - 09/22/2020

Present: Nikki Carrion, Christine Carpenter, Tammy Turner, Katie Boaldin, Sarah Steinmeyer, Clarissa Klostermann, Sally Browne

Minutes: Minutes are available on the website to read before meetings. Minutes should also routinely be sent a few days after meetings to all who attended.

Treasurers Report: The website registration has been renewed for another year. As of August 31, HCVC had $3791.78 in the Veridian account.

Sustainability

• Tammy suggests applying for a marketing grant from the Cedar Falls Tourism office to cover costs of brochures and posters for the Backyard Tour. She is willing to do the work involved in the grant application if someone else signs it. The event should also be marketed on social media. A tentative date is Saturday, June 19. Her committee will get together in November or December to decide details. With the usual large group finale cancelled, maybe a Facebook live event can replace it.
• WasteTrac is pushing education about toxic waste disposal on their Facebook page.

Health & Wellbeing

• Katie notes that while outreach to encourage healthy lifestyle is limited by COVID, people's physical condition does decline with inactivity.
• Nikki reports that the CF Community Center has reopened; the Safe Routes to School position at INRCOG is still open; and there is a new dietitian at the CF HyVee to contact about membership.
• The health coach at Natural Grocers did attend several HCVC meetings, and we discuss what people can expect to gain from membership. Nikki suggests we can help promote any free services, and Christine suggests the best recruitment tool is a really good project, which is very difficult now.

Access to Fresh Produce

• Clarissa details Food Corps' work with Daquan on Greens to Go at Dollar General, on harvesting, and at the Urban Farmers' Market. The Food Corps service year is different because of Covid; they are involved with food distribution at the People's Clinic garden 2x a week. They will be developing a virtual tour of Hanson's Dairy and one of Blue Ridge Orchard.

Unfinished Business: Christine asked for ideas about new projects to undertake.

• Tammy says Green Iowa Americorps is essential to her work and to sharing information about what HCVC does. Sarah says now that Jackie Schares has left INRCOG, HCVC members may want to attend INRCOG meetings.
• A tour of food gardens has been suggested. The sustainable tour could still be held in spring, with a grower tour in the fall, or instead of a tour, there could be a garden update on Facebook.

Next Meeting: The November meeting will take place on the 3rd Tuesday, Nov. 17, to avoid conflict with Thanksgiving. Christine will check on keeping the Zoom link. A password could be sent out on the meeting notice. Christine moves we adjourn.

Recorded by Sally Browne