New Chicago-based global food organization: Food Tank

[Debbie Hillman]

To:

Advocates for Urban Agriculture   (Greater Chicago)

Illinois Local Food and Farms Coalition  (Illinois)

Good Greens Midwest  (6 states served by USDA FNS Midwest Office:  IL, IN, OH, MI, MN, WI, based in Chicago)

Illinois Farmers Market Association  (serving all 300+ Illinois farmers markets)

Chicago Chicken Enthusiasts  (Greater Chicago and beyond)

Food Love Chicago  (Chicago metro area food lovers in general)

Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council   (Chicago)

Evanston Food Council and associates   (Evanston)

Illinois media covering community-based food and farm economies

Illinois researchers and scholars who work on food and farm systems

Illinois food, nutrition, and health educators

Illinois civic engagement practitioners

Hi, all --

Many of you have certainly heard about the new worldwide food organization to be officially launched next week (Jan. 10, 2013), to be called FOOD TANK.   Danielle Nierenberg, one of the co-founders, has been e-blasting over the last month or so.  Attached is Thursday's e-blast.

CHICAGO OFFICE.  What is not widely known is that the office is going to be in Chicago (at least for the time being).   They are also hiring.  Here is the link to the "We're Hiring" page, plus some basic info. on the jobs and Food Tank itself.   

http://www.foodtank.org/jobs.html

Communications & Research Associates (Both Paid and Unpaid Internship Positions)

Food Tank:The Food Think Tank seeks communications and research associates with a strong commitment to food and agricultural issues and experience in advocacy, marketing, and communications. The ideal candidate will have experience in the application of communications technology to social and political issues on a national and/or global level. Our associates will have the opportunity to have their names published in major print and online media outlets around the world

FoodTank: The Food Think Tank [ www.FoodTank.org ] officially launches January 10th (!). and is a bold new voice in the fight for health-based agriculture, alleviating hunger and poverty, stemming the tide of obesity, and improving environmental sustainability. Fixing the system requires changing the conversation and finding ways that make food production—and consumption—more economically, environmentally, and socially just.

To Danielle:  As you can see, this email is intended to reach most of the people, businesses, and organizations who are re-building Illinois' local food and farm economy.   The larger coalitions and entry points into "Illinois local foods" are listed on my resource list (attached).  I think you know many of the individual organizations that are members of these coalitions.   (The list has not been updated since April 2012, but most of the information is still reliable.)

I think I can speak for my colleagues that we would be happy to meet with you collectively to learn more about Food Tank and so that we can begin to develop critical mass and to work in unison.   Working in unison and harmony is especially important as regards leveraged policy change and grassroots engagement.    Restoring local capacity for feeding ourselves -- here in Illinois and around the world -- will require policy changes of all kinds, at every level.

Let us know how we can help Food Tank take root in Chicago and tap into the resources nearby.

-- Debbie

Debbie Hillman

Evanston, Illinois

D. Hillman Strategies:  Food Policy for Voters

847/328-7175

DLHi...@sbcglobal.net

FoodVote.2012.com    (http://DHillmanStrategies.com)