PLATINUM2023

Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network

Catalyzing actions for a thriving and equitable local food system that is accessible to ALL.

aka NWTN LFN   |   MARTIN, TN   |  https://nwtnlfn.org/

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Mission

The Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network serves as a catalyst for a thriving and equitable local food system that is accessible to ALL.

Notes from the nonprofit

Our staff is currently composed of three dedicated team members: Samantha Goyret, Caroline Ideus and Wenwen Xu. We rely on internship support as well. Currently Brittney Rose is serving as our Marketing and Communications Intern.

Ruling year info

2018

Executive Director

Samantha F Goyret

Co Principal Officer

Caroline Ideus

Main address

113 Elm Street

MARTIN, TN 38237 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

83-1004052

NTEE code info

Agricultural Programs (K20)

Management & Technical Assistance (O02)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2020 and 2019.
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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network is addressing the need to create a sustainable regional food system that utilizes locally grown and produced foods to promote healthy individuals, equitable communities and thriving local economies.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Northwest Tennessee Local Food Guide

The NWTN Local Food Guide highlights area farmers markets, family farms, CSA’s, u-pick farms, agri-tourism, animal goods, artisan foods, local food trucks, processors, beekeepers, locally owned plant vendors and additional food resources. Northwest Tennessee encompasses a 9-county region - including: Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, Weakley Counties with a total rural population of 250,000 residents.

Population(s) Served
Adults

By working with area farmers, parents, students, school administration, and teachers at each school, the Local Food Network, supports the following initiatives within Northwest Tennessee Schools:
~ Assessing current Farm to School Program assets and needs
~ Promoting increased collaboration between multiple stakeholders
~ Connecting interested farmers to school cafeteria managers helping identify and develop supply chain & processing mechanisms
~ Incorporating Farm-to-School education activities into curriculum planning
~ Creating a marketing plan to educate the public on the benefits of a thriving Farm to School Program in Tennessee Schools

Population(s) Served

The goal of this program is to nourish the connections children have with healthy produce, gardens and farms by providing hands-on agricultural and nutrition education experiences through hanging and onsite gardens, training teachers to access and implement Farm to Early Childhood Education curricula (including Ag in the Classroom) and conducting educational outreach to parents and educators in pre-schools.
We currently are partnering with all Weakley County Early Childcare Education Centers with 12 partners.

Population(s) Served
Age groups
Ethnic and racial groups
Children and youth
Teachers

The #GrowFoodChallenge is a call to action for individuals, families, schools, FFA students, & community groups in Northwest Tennessee to grow food & build soil. Anybody who wants to grow food and compost can join; however, qualified recipients of #GrowFoodChallenge prizes are only open to residents living in the following Northwest Tennessee Counties: Benton, Carroll, Crockett Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, and Weakley. All participants must submit themed photo submissions to be eligible for prizes. One photo submission form/theme/household is allowed. The challenge runs from Saturday, April 22 – July 1, 2023. Learn more at https://nwtnlfn.org/grow-food-challenge/

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of publications identifying sector best practices

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Age groups

Related Program

Northwest Tennessee Farm to School Planning

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

To view Farm to School Planning publications, please visit https://nwtnlfn.org/programs/farm-to-school/

Number of students enrolled

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Age groups

Related Program

Northwest Tennessee Farm to School Planning

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Collectively we have reached over 15,000 students 2-18 years old through our Farm to School planning and Nourishing Connection programs. https://nwtnlfn.org/2021/08/01/local-food-network-annual-report

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Short-term Goals:

GOAL 1: Tell our story to increase awareness about the NWTNLFN.

GOAL 2: Increase educational opportunities to improve the access, practice in growing, and knowledge of our food sources.

GOAL 3: Improve organizational structure and funding resources.

Long-term Goal - 2-3 years: Conduct a community food assessment.



1. Create local destination places and increase access to local foods through the distribution of the Northwest Tennessee Local Food Guide Magazine.

2. Form a robust Farm to School Movement through Farm to School Planning initiatives in Northwest Tennessee Schools.

3. Increase educational opportunities for area farmers.

4. Feature monthly Tennessee commodity and locally grown products through the Harvest of the Month program including social media posts and e-newsletters containing educational activities, featured books and recipes.

5. Host virtual and in-person "Meet-Ups" to inform the public about Local Food Network initiatives and topics of interest.

We are a small nonprofit organization with a growing team that has a passion to serve as a catalyst for a thriving and equitable local food system that is accessible to ALL.

Please review our annual report. There is a lot of good news to share! https://nwtnlfn.org/2021/08/01/local-food-network-annual-report-2020-2021/

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network

Board of directors
as of 07/09/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Jessica Crews-Garcia

University of Tennessee at Martin

Term: 2022 - 2024


Board co-chair

Rachna Tewari

University of Tennessee at Martin

Term: 2018 - 2024

Whitney Stover

Centre Point

Rachna Tewari

UTM Professor

Brian Carroll

Dietetics

Ranson Goodman

UT Extension - Henry County

Emalee Buttrey

Discovery Park of America

Brad Buttrey

BERG Farm

Melinda Meador

District Court Attorney

Theresa Smith

Milan General Hospital

Jessica Quinn

Mama on the Homestead

Lisa Seiber-Garland

Trenton Special School District

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/9/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 07/09/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.