This proposal outlines a plan to address food insecurity among children in Youngstown, Ohio by designing, assembling, and delivering ready-to-eat meals using locally sourced ingredients. The proposal notes that 1/3 of children in Youngstown experience food insecurity and outlines an approach to convene community members to define nutritious and culturally appropriate meal options, test meal preparation and distribution, and identify local food sources and business opportunities to support a sustainable model. The goal is to fuel children while also building a local food system and enterprise infrastructure that can be replicated in other communities.

1. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
5th Annual Stinner Summit - October 7, 2011
Project Proposal

2. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
Proposal:
1. Title and Idea
2. Rationale
1. Children, Poverty, Food Insecurity
2. Local Ready-To-Eat Meal Flow
3. Local Ready-To-Eat Meal Volume Requirements
4. Which Food Groups Can Provide 1,600 Calories for $1.40?
5. Local Food Systems Flow to Support RTE Meal Flow
6. Meal Flow Profile by Neighborhood
7. Local Food Systems Functionality and Value Flows
8. Connecting All 5th Annual Stinner Summit Projects
9. Local Food Systems Business Opportunity Spaces
3. Approach and Timeline (5-steps on 3-slides)
4. Resources / Acknowledgements

3. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
Idea:
● Design, assemble, and deliver Ready-To-Eat (RTE) meals to kids
[16 years old and younger] in Youngstown, Ohio.
● Along the way, build a local-food-based community enterprise
infrastructure [easily replicated model for other communities]

4. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
Rationale: Focus on hungry kids
● One-third of the kids in Youngstown go to bed hungry
● Many organizations in Youngstown are committed to address
food insecurity issue, but do not have a food product to deliver
● Provides common agenda for currently disconnected food system
components
● Start with what kids can eat not with some product somebody
wants to produce
● Community members build their own local food system

5. Children - Poverty - Food Insecurity
Ohio
16.4%
6th in U.S
Youngstown
33%
3rd in U.S
Youngstown: 33%
1st in Ohio

6. Poverty Statistics for Youngstown

7. Local Ready-To-Eat Meal Flow
3
Prepare
2 RTE Meals
● Product Source 4 ● Pre-Packaged
● Processed Distribute ● Pick-up
Ingredients
● Raw RTE Meals ● Delivered
for RTE Meals
● In Advance
● Per Daily Menu
● Per Order
1 5
Define Consume
Meal RTE Meals
● Children / Families Involved ● Children Experience Food Security
● Recipes Developed and Tested ● Children Eat the Food
● RTE Meal Flow Initiated ● Children Engage in the Meal Flow

8. Local Ready-To-Eat Meal Volume Requirements
3
Prepare
2 RTE Meals
Source 4
Ingredients Distribute
for RTE Meals RTE Meals
1 5
Define Consume
RTE Meals RTE Meals
Population of Youngstown: 66,982
Population (under 18) of Youngstown (25.8%): 17,286
Youth Population Food Insecure (33%): 5,762
Meals (x 3) per day for 2,000 calories per person: 17,286
Meals required per year (x 365): 6,309,390
Total (healthy, affordable, tasty) calories / year 12,618,780,000

9. Which Food Groups Provide 1,600 Calories for $1.40?
Based on a standard 2000-calorie diet, the researchers
found a diet consisting primarily of calorie dense foods
costs $3.52 a day, but a diet consisting primarily of
low-calorie food costs $36.32 a day. The average
American eats a variety of foods throughout the day,
spending $7 a day.
Data Source: USDA

10. Local Food Systems Flow to Support RTE Meal Flow
3
Prepare
2 RTE Meals
Source 4
Ingredients Distribute
for RTE Meals RTE Meals
1 5
Define Consume
RTE Meals RTE Meals
4 1
Food Waste and
Processing Energy
3 2 Flows
Food Soil Building
Production and
Remediation

11. Meal Flow Profile by Neighborhood
3 Youngstown
Prepare Neighborhood Grid
2 RTE Meals
Source 4
Ingredients Distribute
for RTE Meals RTE Meals
● Volume Requirements
○ Total 2,000 Calories
○ Supplementary
1 ● Menus 5
Define ○ Variety Consume
RTE Meals ○ Easy to Prepare / Distribute RTE Meals
● Recipes
○ Culturally Relevant
○ Nutritionally Appropriate 1
4
Food Waste and
Processing Energy
3 2 Flows
Food Soil Building
Production and
Remediation

12. Local Food Systems Functionality and Value Flows
3
Prepare
2 RTE Meals
Source 4
Ingredients Distribute
for RTE Meals RTE Meals
Coordination
1 5
Define Consume
RTE Meals RTE Meals
Transactions Reputation
4 1
Food Waste and
Processing Energy
3 2 Flows
Food Soil Building
Production and
Remediation

13. Connecting All Projects from 5th Annual Stinner Summit
Regional
Food Hubs
3
Prepare
2 RTE Meals
Source 4
Ingredients Systems Distribute
for RTE Meals Applications RTE Meals Youngstown
Eats
Coordination
1 5
Define Consume
RTE Meals RTE Meals
Transactions Reputation
Farmer Soil Health and
Entrepreneurs Urban Farms
4 1
Food Waste and
Processing Energy
3 2 Flows
Food Soil Building
Production and
Remediation

14. Local Food Systems Business Opportunity Spaces

15. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
Approach and Timeline:
● By Dec 1, 2011 - Convene a Group of "Consultants" [Local
Community Members...to Initiate RTE Meal Flow]
○ Reflect Diversity of Community by Neighborhood
○ Represent Multiple Capitals: Human, Built, Natural, and Financial
● By Feb 1, 2012 - Define the RTE Meals
○ Direct Involvement by Participants throughout the RTE Meal Flow
■ "Ownership" of Menus
■ Influence with Owners of Capitals
○ Taste Test and Selection of Recipes

16. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
Approach and Timeline:
● By Apr 1, 2011 - Assemble and Test the Meals
○ Capacity
○ Scalability
○ Food Safety
■ Licensure of Operators and Facility
■ Type of Organization, e.g., Cooperatives

17. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
Approach and Timeline:
● May 1, 2012 - Identify:
○ Food Sources
■ Food Distributors
■ Regional Food Hubs
■ Local Producers / Processors
○ Distribution process
■ Institutions, e.g., Educational, Faith-Based, Community Care
■ Non-Profit Organizations, e.g., YMCA, etc.
■ Places of Employment
● Sep 1, 2012 - Identify Business Opportunities
○ Resources for Business Startup

18. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
Resources: Affiliations:
● LocalFoodSystems.org
Use of Funding Amount
● Mahoning Valley Social Enterprise
Coordination: $2,500 Network
Reimbursements: $2,500 ● USDA Community Food Project
Mini-Grants: $5,000 ● OSU Food Innovation Center
Total: $10,000 ● Greener Acres Value Network
● Contact Conference 2011 Network

19. Youngstown Eats:
Fueling Kids Fuels Neighborhoods
Acknowledgements:
● Ross MacDonald: macdonaldrossb@gmail.com
● Maureen Langlois: langlois.8@osu.edu
● Brian Gwin: bgwedc@gmail.com
● Parwinder Grewal: grewal.4@osu.edu
● Nathan Hilbert: hilbert.34@osu.edu
● Steve Faivre: smfaivre@gmail.com
● Steve Bosserman: steve.bosserman@gmail.com
● John Anderson: anderson.37@osu.edu