Join us as we hear from three different organizations who are adapting to the COVID-19 Pandemic and changing the way they serve their communities in Georgia. The webinar will discuss how these programs are tackling new food waste, distribution and supply challenges, as well as the changes we can all make to benefit our communities in this time of crisis. EPA Region 4's Land, Chemicals and Redevelopment Division is hosting this webinar in honor of Earth Day.

Presenters:

Kim Charick, EPA Region 4
Kim works for EPA Region 4, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2011, Kim has focused on Sustainable Management of Food issues as a champion for EPA's Food Recovery Challenge working with the Hospitality Industry to reduce food waste and also with State Recycling Organizations, local governments, businesses, non-profits, and academia on all aspects of the Recycling Infrastructure. Kim continues to stay active, even under quarantine and believes that healthy living starts with exercise and fresh produce grown in nutrient-rich compost.

Ike Reighard, CEO Must Ministries
Rev. Dr. Dwight "Ike" Reighard is the President and CEO of MUST Ministries, serving 34,000 people a year struggling in poverty. Ike has successfully combined business experience with ministry and has an outstanding reputation for transforming communities through serving others. Three years running, The Atlanta Business Chronicle named him as one of the 50 CEO's of Who's Who in Atlanta Non-Profits.

Ike is also senior pastor at Piedmont Church. Since 2005, he has guided the building of membership and service to a high and sustainable level. He continues to minister and maintain a strong relationship with his church. Previously, he was Founding Pastor of NorthStar Church and guided that church to unprecedented growth from 1997 until 2006. NorthStar is recognized as a mega church and noted as the fastest growing church start-up in the world's largest Protestant denomination.

In the corporate arena, Ike served as Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer and originator of The Office of People and Culture for HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation from 2000 until 2007. He has co-authored two popular daily inspirational books, "Success Insights" and "Daily Insights", with Zig Ziglar for Tyndale House Publishing. He is also the author of "Treasures From The Dark", "Discovering Your North Star" and "Discovering Your North Star Journal" and is contributing author to "Human Capital Management Strategies". He and his wife, Robin, have two grown daughters, Abigail and Danielle, and a granddaughter, Addison.

Marli Crowe, Project Manager Goodr
Marli Crowe is the Project Manager at Goodr. Coming from a diverse professional background in data analytics, marketing and advertising, business development, career coaching, and entrepreneurship, she brings a lot to the table for the Goodr team. Originally from Phoenix, AZ, Marli earned an Economics degree from Spelman College and has remained in Atlanta since. Goodr's mission is personal to Marli because her sister, Jasmine Crowe is the Founder/CEO. She has been an unofficial team member since the company's inception but was officially brought on as Project Manager in February 2017. Like at many startups, Marli wears a lot of hats, and no one day is the same. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, her role consisted of overseeing Goodr's internal and external events, conducting contact management and scheduling for the c-suite, business development, and social media management, among other duties. Post-COVID-19, Marli's role, and Goodr's business model has changed drastically. She now directs logistics for Goodr's Grocery Center, which provides grocery delivery and distribution to over 1000 families a week. Goodr has been Marli's most fulfilling and rewarding job to date.

Kim Karris, Executive Director - Food Well Alliance
Kim Karris joined Food Well Alliance in 2015 as a member of its founding team.

As Executive Director, Karris leads the organization's mission to mobilize a regional coalition that works together to build thriving community gardens and urban farms across metro Atlanta.
Under her leadership, the organization provides direct resources to 150 urban farms and gardens across five metro counties.
In 2019, under Karris' leadership, Food Well Alliance launched metro Atlanta's first City Agriculture Planning process with the Atlanta Regional Commission to equip local governments with the tools they need to change local zoning and policy around composting, reduce barriers to land access and incentivize urban agriculture in cities across metro Atlanta, so that more communities can grow and access fresh, local food.

Prior to Food Well Alliance, Karris launched the U.S office of global NGO HelpAge International, developing start-up operations and implementing strategic fundraising and digital marketing strategies that raised over $3 million to support interventions to address old age poverty in developing countries, including aging farmers affected by nature disasters and climate change. This work helped secure the $1.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 2012. She has lived, farmed, and worked directly with agricultural communities in Hawaii, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Nicaragua.

Karris currently serves on the Board of Certified Naturally Grown, is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and received a Masters Degree in Sustainable Food Systems from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica.

Moderator:

Jean Balent, U.S. EPA Technology Innovation and Field Services Division (balent.jean@epa.gov or 202-566-0832)
Ms Balent is on the staff of the EPA's Technology Innovation and Field Services Division where she has worked to collect and disseminate hazardous waste remediation and characterization information since 2003. Ms Balent manages the Clean Up Information Network website and actively supports online communication and collaboration resources available to EPA. She formerly worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Engineering Division in the Buffalo District. Ms Balent was also a member of the SUNY-Buffalo Groundwater Research Group where she constructed and tested large scale models of groundwater flow. Ms Balent has also conducted research relating to the Great Lakes, environmental remediation, and brownfields re-development. She holds a Bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from SUNY-Buffalo and a Master's degree in Information Technology from AIU.

Webinar Slides and References:

• Slide Presentation for Kim Charick; U.S. EPA; Region 4 (710KB/PDF)
• Slide Presentation for Marli Crowe;Project Manager; Goodr (8.19MB/PDF)
• Slide Presentation for Kim Karris; Executive Director; Food Well Alliance (31.8MB/PDF)

Webinar Slides and References:

• Slide Presentation for Kim Charick; U.S. EPA; Region 4 (710KB/PDF)
• Slide Presentation for Marli Crowe;Project Manager; Goodr (8.19MB/PDF)
• Slide Presentation for Kim Karris; Executive Director; Food Well Alliance (31.8MB/PDF)

Additional Resources:

• Sustainable Management of Food
• Feed More, Waste Less: Goodr
• Support Farmers During COVID-19
• Food: Too Good to Waste Implementation Guide and Toolkit
• Further with Food
• Don't Waste Food SC
• Promoting using food wisely and enhancing the sustainability of Tennessee's food resources
• A Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits: A Resource for Schools
• Georgia Recycling Coalition: Community-based Composting
• The Composting Collaborative
• Wasted Food Programs and Resources Across the United States
• A Call to Action by Stakeholders: United States Food Loss & Waste 2030 Reduction Goal
• Food Law and Policy
• ReFED
• SavetheFood.com
• Georgia Food Service Changes During COVID-19(134KB/5p/PDF)