Equity Advocates: 2022 in Review

With your support we made great strides in advancing food equity in New York in 2022 including:

CAPACITY BUILDING 

  • Hosting 8 advocacy training workshops for 860 community partners 

  • Strengthening the advocacy capacity of our partners who report the following as a result of our work:  

    • 87% have a better understanding of policy making process & who makes food policy decisions in NYC

    • 78% Learned new policy skills 

    • 83% Feel more confident in ability to engage in advocacy 

    • 70% have developed/strengthened relationships with policymakers

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING 

  • Expanding our team with a new Community Organizer to lead the NY Food Policy Alliance, investing more heavily in our movement building.   

  • Growing the NY Food Policy Alliance to 88 food system organizations. Thanks to our Community Organizer’s outreach efforts we welcomed 22 new members to the Alliance, including more statewide representation. 

  • Developing NY Food Policy Alliance Community Agreements, holding elections for Committee Chair leadership positions for our Policy, Outreach and Food Policy Council committees, and hosting our first ever in person Alliance meeting!

  • Running a Youth Organizer program in partnership with Teens for Food Justice to give youth, aged 14 to 22, a powerful voice in shaping food policy. The youth cohort met over 8 months to learn about food policy and advocacy and then used their new advocacy skills to conduct independent policy research projects, develop and submit testimony and meet with the Sanitation Committee Chair to advocate for restored funding for composting and host a youth-led Listening Session with 40+ peer youth food justice leaders about priorities for the new Mayor's Office of Urban Agriculture.

CREATING POLICY CHANGE 

  • Securing $308 million in food system and human service investments through the New York City Budget and $410 million in the New York State Budget

  • Hosting a virtual food policy legislative briefing in partnership with Speaker Adrienne Adam’s Office to educate City Council members about significant challenges in the NYC food system as well as opportunities to advance food security and justice to the staff from twenty three City Council Member offices that attended.

  • Launching a campaign in partnership with Black Farmers United NYS and Food for the Spirit, to advocate for a 2023 Farm Bill that will prioritize strong sustainable regional food systems, advance racial equity and help address food insecurity across our communities. 

  • We co-hosted a series of Farm Bill listening sessions where 158 food systems practitioners, farmers and producers and community based organizations across New York State shared their stories, experiences and priorities for how the 2023 Farm Bill can better support land access and urban agriculture, climate change, community food project funding, nutrition, local and regional food systems, and more. For the next few months we’ll be engaged in additional outreach and developing a 2023 Farm Bill NYS policy platform. 

  • Worked with Hunger Solutions NY and Community Food Advocates as a strategic partner on their Healthy School Meals for All Campaign to ensure school meals are free for all kids across New York state

We’re so glad that you’re with us in helping build a powerful, organized movement of grassroots food leaders.