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Food Policy Council maps community gardens, presses SNAP outreach and senior food priorities
Summary
The Washtenaw Food Policy Council told commissioners it has reorganized its policy agenda by policy action teams, produced a community-garden map to target resources, and identified a participation gap for SNAP‑eligible seniors that the council plans to address.
Jay Gearhart, chair of the Washtenaw Food Policy Council, presented the council’s annual report to the Board of Commissioners and outlined the council’s recent work: reorganizing the policy agenda into actionable policy‑action teams, creating a community‑garden map to target tool‑sharing and pollinator resources, and assessing gaps in SNAP participation among seniors.
Key findings: Gearhart said the council found a 17% SNAP participation rate among SNAP‑eligible seniors in Washtenaw County, which he said translates to just over 5,000 eligible seniors not receiving benefits. The council compared that figure to the state average and described a roughly 25% access gap the council aims to reduce through partner outreach.
Policy work and partnerships: Gearhart said the council revised its internal tracking and created an Excel‑based work plan to track policy items by PAT (policy action team). The council has been coordinating with Resilient Washtenaw and other county partners to align goals, and joined statewide advocacy on healthy-school-meals and Medicaid nutrition-therapy proposals.
Council resolutions: Gearhart said the Food Policy Council passed two internal resolutions at its last meeting: one to support USDA staff and county commitments to small and minority‑owned farms, and another to prioritize food services for seniors in Washtenaw County. He said council members will continue to engage with JFS (job & family services), Trinity Health partners, Food Gatherers and other providers to address participation gaps.
Ending: Commissioners asked the council to bring proposed, implementable steps; several commissioners offered to connect the council to county procurement, school‑district CTE and senior‑services planning. Gearhart said the council is exploring monthly meetings and more active PAT work.
