Economic Development & Policy Circle

Want to join the Economic Development Circle? 

Circle Lead:
Cindy Sink, cindydsink@gmail.com

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circle mission

The mission of the Economic Development Circle is to educate, convene, and collaborate with local partners to foster equitable economic prosperity in Wake County’s food system. Our work currently focuses in two areas: 

  1. Establishing and promoting a living wage standard

  2. Advocating for and promoting workforce development and training for quality food systems jobs

Current Activities

  • Focus on food system jobs and employers, ranging from farm production to food service and food distribution to waste and recovery. 

  • Provide education and awareness of living wage research including advantages and barriers. 

  • Provide education and awareness of Wake County food systems jobs data including projected growth patterns, wage disparities, and training gaps. 

  • Provide education and awareness of income disparities due to structural racism and ongoing practices and conditions that adversely and disproportionately affect communities of color.

  • Convene partners and community to facilitate conversation and action toward setting a county-wide, food system living wage goal, job training goals, and narrowing racial disparities.  

  • Advocate for a Living Wage Certification Program that incentivizes and supports food system employers

  • Advocate for workforce training in food system jobs that pay a living wage and remove barriers for communities of color.  

Other policy areas CAFN is working on:

  • Check out the Food Procurement Circle for work on local food procurement action and advocacy in Wake County.

  • Check out the Farmland Preservation Circle for efforts to implement municipal ordinances that preserve farmland and make small-scale farming more financially feasible.

Past Projects

Living Wage Impacts: An Analysis of Food Security and Equity in Wake County, NC

Collaborated on a report which analyzed how a living wage would impact workers and families in Wake County.

Wages That Work: An Employer-Led Conversation on Living Wage

Contributed to the creation of a living wage conversation featuring university professors, Wake County employers, and representatives from local Living Wage organizations. 

Make it Work: Equity and Opportunity for Employees and Employers

3-session webinar focused on both the job seeker, the employer, and the role the entire community plays in creating a healthy, symbiotic relationship and flourishing economy.