Tuesday, December 9, 2008

CNY Convivium Mission Statement

Last night we worked on crafting our mission statement. We looked at Buffalo's convivium for inspiration (as Rochester's website was down!). Now, I will confess, I thought Buffalo's wording could use work and that some of the items are redundant. After some streamlining, and adding some food justice type statments, here is what I am suggesting:
At the Central New York Convivium, we intend to rediscover the rich and diverse food traditions of our region and ensure that everyone has access to quality and affordable food. We will support local growers, food artisans, and purveyors. We will empower individuals to become involved in their food from seed to fruit. Understanding that we are all interdependent, we will always strive to work with sister organizations and cultivate future food leaders whenever possible.
We didn't talk about that last interdependence line at the meeting, but I think it's something very important to add. On another note, we also decided on our motto:
"Growing the local food economy, one salt potato at a time!"
I modified it slightly by changing the action verb, but it is essentially what we discussed last night. Let me know what you all think!

2 comments:

Zay said...

I think we did talk about the interdependence thing, just not in so many words. What we talked (and got excited) about were collaboration opportunities.

Ralph said...

I read the P-S story with great interest. I've been an admirer of the Slow Food movement for a number of years and applaud your efforts to get a chapter going here in Central New York. Two questions: do you have a newsletter or a mailing list for announcements of meetings and such and can I get on it? Second, in my mind, the Slow Food movement is also about a focus on preparing food for your family and friends and I hope that you will also emphasize home cooking in your group.

Thanks. I look forward to meeting you. Best, Ralph Valente ralphvalente@rcn.com