The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development invites you to attend a webinar on April 8th at 1:00 p.m. Eastern We’ll be joined by the University of Rhode Island’s Dr. Amanda Missimer and Vanessa Venturini, who will share the story of Food Recovery for Rhode Island—a Cooperative Extension community development train-the-trainer program that simultaneously addresses food waste, food insecurity and climate change.
Registration is required. Register here.
Webinar Description
How can Extension professionals amplify community-led change? How can we meet individuals where they are to implement new, sustainable food behaviors that are right for those individuals and that community? Coming to you from “lil’ Rhode Island,” our guest speakers Dr. Amanda Missimer and Vanessa Venturini are thrilled to share a new program that delivered in terms of metrics. In 2024 alone, 231,785 pounds of surplus food was donated to feed people and 87,196 pounds of wasted food was diverted from the landfill through community partnerships supported by URI Food Recovery volunteers. They’ll tell the story of Food Recovery for Rhode Island – a Cooperative Extension community development train-the-trainer program that simultaneously addresses food waste, food insecurity and climate change. They will also share their plans for expansion, and have plenty of time to discuss collaboration and implementation in your state.
About the Speakers
Vanessa Venturini (she/her), Extension Program Leader and Co-founder of Food Recovery for Rhode Island has a Masters Degree in Environmental Science. She has served as State Program Leader of the URI Master Gardener Program for over a decade. Ms. Venturini is focused on engaging community members in service organizations poised to uplift and amplify community-driven food systems and biodiversity projects. Rhode Island-born and Rhode Island-bred, she is grateful to be in a role to connect motivated people and organizations doing good work by and with the community. She is all about good food, spending time in nature with her family, and music.
Amanda Missimer (she/her), Clinical Assistant Professor in the URI Department of Nutrition and co-founder of Food Recovery for Rhode Island (FRRI), has expertise in curriculum design and development, health communication, student engagement, assessment and implementation of behavior change models as a nutrition professor and registered dietitian. Dr. Missimer holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences and is a Registered Dietitian. In her role at the University, she instructs undergraduate and graduate courses and splits her Extension time between FRRI and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Coming from a background in biochemistry, it has been a joy of hers to step into the community and share information to help individuals foster a relationship with access to local food. This program has been a labor of love, and as a new Rhode Islander, the best way to learn about all lil’ Rhody has to offer its residents beyond the beautiful beaches and buck a shuck (oysters).
Comments (0)