Innovators in Rural Community Economic Development

Wallace Center, Nourishing Networks – Improving the Food Environment Project

Tags: Agriculture, Evaluation, Measurement, Natural Resource Based Economic Development, Training

Client Name: Wallace Center at Winrock International, Cherry Capital Foods, Firsthand Foods, Grasshoppers Distribution, Idaho's Bounty Co-op, Local Food Hub

Client Type: Non-profit, For-profit

Year: 2012, 2013, 2014

Location: Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho

Yellow Wood Associates worked for the Wallace Center at Winrock International on the Nourishing Networks – Improving the Food Environment project, funded by The Kresge Foundation. Yellow Wood served on the Food Hub Collaboration Core Team; provided direct technical assistance to study hubs and stakeholders, including assistance developing shared measures; planned and implemented in-person workshops with study hubs and their stakeholders to review and clarify goals and develop measures; and assisted Wallace staff in conducting evaluation of the overall project goals by helping to design the evaluation framework and provide ongoing evaluation implementation support.

"I've never been to one of these things that I liked.   Goal-setting workshops seem to be a lot of talk and not much more; but Yellow Wood's process moved quickly from broadly defined goals to determining key indicators in a highly efficient, interactive manner that made the day feel like a total success."

- Ian Jameson, American Capital Advisory, Idaho's Bounty Board Member - workshop participant