Mission

Build connections among Greenville County community members and food system partners to foster creative solutions to ensure equitable access to sufficient, nutritious and culturally appropriate food, as well as to advocate for a community driven food system that improves the quality of life for all people.

Vision

We envision a Greenville County where all community members have equitable access to healthy foods, comprehensive community infrastructure to support those in need and a support system that enables individuals to move towards permanent food security.

Food Security Coalition Values:

Equity and Inclusion
We are mindful of cultivating inclusive spaces that support and celebrate the diverse cultural needs and lived experiences of our community’s members. We seek to create environments that reflect the full spectrum of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual identity and orientation, ability, economic status, immigration status and religion. We embrace the rich tapestry of knowledge and experience present in our community and will prioritize the voices of those who are most impacted by food system injustice in the design and implementation of the work.

Dignity
We believe everyone has the right to nourishing food at all times and deserves to be treated with honor and respect during times of adversity.

Transparency
We maintain open communication so that all partners have equal access to information about opportunities, community resources, and the strategic direction of the coalition.

Collaboration
We recognize each other’s diverse strengths, support one another, and work together towards our common goal.

Action
We use a community action plan to catalyze action with a willingness to adapt based on community feedback or changing conditions in our community.

How we do the work
Image of our Food Security Coalition's work. Our initiatives include: Food Is Medicine; Backpack Programs; Urban Agriculture Food Forests; Transportation; Formula Bank; Summer Break Cafe; Community Food Resource Guide; and Food Pantry Infrastructure.

An ACTION CIRCLE is a defined team of people working together towards one specific goal. Circle members make collective decisions and have shared ownership over the work.

The COORDINATING CIRCLE is made up of one representative of each action circle. It meets quarterly to plan out partner meetings, ensure that the action circle work is aligned with our values and make strategic decisions about the coalition.

BACKPACK PROGRAMS Coordinate weekend food backpack programs across Greenville County Schools to ensure that all children have access to food on the weekends.

URBAN AGRICULTURE & FOOD FORESTS Support urban agriculture and food forests in underfunded neighborhoods in Greenville County.

TRANSPORTATION Expand the network of food assistance providers offering home delivery services to address transportation barriers.

FORMULA BANK Sustain the formula bank as stop gap measure for families with long wait times between birth and WIC enrollment.

SUMMER BREAK CAFE Coordinate and promote Summer Break Café program in Greenville County so that all children have access to meals throughout the summer months.

COMMUNITY FOOD RESOURCE GUIDE Ensure that the FSC Food Resource Guide is up to date, accessible and shared comprehensively across the community.

FOOD PANTRY INFRASTRUCTURE Leverage funding and resources in order to fill gaps in emergency food system by increasing infrastructure at key food pantries in the southwestern part of the county.

FOOD IS MEDICINE Strengthen and expand produce prescription programs and improve systems for food resource navigation in the healthcare sector.

ACTION CIRCLES & GOALS

Get Involved

  • Attend quarterly partner meetings to see what we are up to or share community feedback
  • Apply to join the HEAL Board
  • Join an action circle, email Susan Frantz for more information.
  • Serve as an action circle coordinator + representative on the coordinating circle
  • Keep up with the work by subscribing to our monthly newsletter, following us on social media and checking out our website
sign up for our newsletter