Food as the Connection Between Health, Education, and Economic Development

On August 16th, 2017, OPHCC sponsored a leadership forum for Olympic Peninsula leaders to: 

  1. Learn from speakers from other areas how they are developing innovative solutions to the problems of hopelessness, reduced access to healthy foods and youth engagement; 
  2. Share resources and relationships that help foster a collaborative framework for addressing these areas, and; 
  3. Help to develop actionable steps that we can take here to begin to address these issues in Clallam County.​​

Nearly 60 attendees representing government, non-profits, youth programming, school districts, healthcare, economic development, and land use took part in the half-day forum and engaged in a lively discussion generating new ideas and the sharing of resources to begin helping our county. 

Speakers included: 

  • Katie Rains, Executive Director of GRuB, Growing Food, People and Communities, Olympia, WA
  • Stacey Larsen, Food Service Director, Port Townsend School District
  • Karen Obermeyer, Health Educator, Jefferson County Health District
  • Wally Endicott, Executive Director, Kids at Hope Northwest

Thank you to all who attended, and our generous sponsors, Molina Health Care, Olympic Medical Center, Shipley Center and the City of Sequim!

Watch over the coming months as we launch plans for some new, county-wide projects!