August 2020 — I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones healthy and doing well, during what has been a difficult summer for many. The impacts of COVID-19 are still reverberating across farming and food systems, yet many innovative farmers, businesses, and community organizations are stepping up to provide good food options. It’s both a challenging and inspiring time.
Alongside all of you, our team at the Wallace Center has stepped up to the unprecedented challenges that 2020 has brought to the world. Following our March 2020 National Good Food Network Conference in New Orleans, the Wallace Center launched the Food Systems Leadership Network COVID-19 Response Group, wherein we’re in contact with many of you. We have facilitated regular calls and listening sessions on timely issues such as the PPP, USDA CFAP Box program, challenges for small & medium meat processing, opportunities for food systems mapping, and beyond. We owe a debt of gratitude to many of you who have joined us as speakers, co-facilitators, and participants in these important conversations, which we will continue to offer in the months to come.
As we enter the second part of 2020, we’d like to share some important organizational updates with all of you. At the end of July, we bid farewell to two dear colleagues and revered food systems leaders, John Fisk and Natilee McGruder. After fifteen years of leadership and most recently serving as Wallace’s Senior Advisor, John stepped down to pursue new adventures. Natilee, who has served as our Communications Officer for the last year, has joined the HEAL Food Alliance as their new Program Manager. Although our team is sad to see John and Natilee go, we are deeply grateful for their significant contributions to the Wallace Center, and we look forward to partnering with them on future projects. Please take some time to read about John’s and Natilee’s time with the Wallace Center here and here as we celebrate them and wish them the best in their new chapters.
Another update that we’d like to share is the unveiling of the Center’s new website at wallacecenter.org! We welcome you to take a look around and catch up on our latest work. In the weeks to come, we will be adding more content and resources from past and current projects. Our aim is to consolidate and simplify the many ways you can join our diverse groups and networks, in addition to accessing resources and engagement opportunities. We’re excited to unveil some news with you later this fall, so make sure you sign up for our mailing list to get updates!
If you have any questions or feedback you’d like to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us – we’d love to hear from you. Thank you for your good work and support for the Wallace Center.
In service,
Lucy Jodlowska
Executive Director
Wallace Center at Winrock International