About Us
Overview of VOFF
Visioning Our Food Future (VOFF) aims to enhance local food systems in Bladen, Columbus, and Robeson Counties. This initiative, led by community members and supported by a research team from NC State University, began with a comprehensive food system assessment involving over 400 community members through interviews, surveys, and events. The goal was a process that supports deep community relationships and collaboration and prioritizes actions for future food system development that can sustain a thriving local food economy, with equitable access to healthy food for all.
Our Food System Goals
What Are We Striving For
Increasing access to local
and healthy foods.
Improving profitability
for local farmers.
Strengthening local food
infrastructure and innovation.
Vision and Purpose
Vision
Our community's vision is equitable access to food that is nutritious and affordable for all community members of Bladen, Columbus, and Robeson Counties and is provided by a community-driven, place-based food system of thriving farmers, entrepreneurs, and infrastructure.
Purpose
The purpose of the Visioning Our Food Future (VOFF) strategic plan was to assess assets and challenges and prioritize actions to guide future food system development in Bladen, Columbus, and Robeson Counties of southeastern North Carolina. The VOFF plan can be used to identify equity-centered development strategies for funders and local governments to support.
Who We Are
Community members in Bladen, Columbus, and Robeson counties teamed up with a research team from North Carolina (NC) State University between 2022 and 2024 to create a food system assessment and plan for the region. The research team included NC State organizations, including Cooperative Extension, Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), and People 1st Tourism (P1t) Lab.
The Community Advisory Committee included seven community members from the three counties representing farmers, small business development, consumer health, equity advocates, youth support organizations, and two indigenous tribes. This process was community-driven, meaning the community informed the research questions, data needs, and research strategies.
The goal was a process that supports deep community relationships and collaboration and prioritizes actions for future food system development that can sustain a thriving local food economy, with equitable access to healthy food for all.
Grant Impacts
Our project uses a Community-Based Participatory Research approach to gather data. It is important that we are not extractive, and instead adding value and building capacity within our partners. How are we doing that?
Our Team
Meet our Community Advisory Committee and 2022-2024 researcher team from NC State University. This work was supported by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.
Cathy Hunt
Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas Grant Facilitator for UNC Health Southeastern (Robeson)
Ed Hunt
Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator for Thomas Entrepreneurship Hub at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) (Robeson)
Randolph Keaton
Executive Director of Men and Women United for Youth and Families (Columbus)
Millard Locklear
New Ground Farm Owner/Operator and previous Manager of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Dept. for The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (Robeson)
Kim Pevia
Founder and Principle of K.A.P. Inner Prizes (Robeson)
Brielle Wright
Co-Owner of The Farmers B.A.G. (Bladen)
Pamela Young-Jacobs
Vice Chief of Waccamaw Siouan Tribe and Director of Small Business Center Southeastern Community College and Regional Director of the SBCN Sandhills Region (Columbus)
Niesha Douglas
Visioning Our Food Future Coordinator, Community-based Food Systems Research Scholar
Dara Bloom
Assoc Professor and Local Food Extension Specialist, Dept of Agriculture and Human Sciences.
Hannah Dankbar
Cooperative Extension Local Food Program Manager
Dylan Dodson
MS Graduate Student, Dept of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
Duarte Morais
Assoc Professor, Dept of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
Lindy Olive
PhD Graduate Student, Dept of Sociology and Anthropology
Program Director
Our Supporters
