The Health and Hunger Task Force celebrated its 10th anniversary in October, recognizing a decade of partnerships and collective efforts to address food insecurity and improve health outcomes across Central Florida. Members participated in the Common Threads activity, highlighting the connections and collaborations that have strengthened the network over the years and continue to support its shared mission.
The meeting also included an overview of the Task Force’s Common Metrics and data strategy, including an introduction to Beacon, a collaborative mapping and data visualization tool that lets organizations explore more than 50 publicly available datasets and identify community needs. Members reviewed data-sharing governance, Beacon access and user roles, upcoming training opportunities, and new health and food access indicators. During a hands-on, county-specific data exploration activity, participants identified opportunities to use Beacon to understand better food insecurity, pediatric and maternal health, chronic disease, healthcare access, and service gaps across their communities. Discussions also highlighted the importance of accurate, up-to-date data and cross-sector collaboration in informing future community strategies.
Explore the meeting resources:
- Watch the YouTube video and browse the photo gallery for highlights from the event.
- Review the October Meeting Follow-Up Notes for more details on discussions, county-specific findings, Beacon resources, training opportunities, and upcoming meetings.