ExtraFood’s Post

Buying and eating local food is better for your health and for the health of our community, but it’s not always as easy as a quick run to your nearest grocery store. Right now it’s easier than ever, as Western New York is at the height of our harvest season. Farmer’s markets abound with local food options, and it’s a great way to meet the farmers and producers and ask them how you can shop locally in the off-season. Eat Local WNY offers a number of resources on their website to help you track down local food. It also offers a local food pledge, created to help encourage WNYers to increase their consumption of local food by just 10% this year. To learn more about local food availability, access and benefits, to hear more stories from the local food community, or to take the Eat Local WNY Food Pledge, visit eatlocalwny.org.

Local & Regional News Food desert elimination grant combats food insecurity in Arkansas KUAR | By Sophia Nourani / KUAF Published September 17, 2024 at 3:55 PM CDT A new study conducted by the federal department of agriculture, or the USDA, has identified Arkansas as the most food insecure state in the country. With almost 20% of the state lacking resources to feed their household, Arkansas has a significantly higher rate of hunger than the national average of 12%. There is a food desert in every county in Arkansas. What’s a food desert? According to the USDA, it’s a term used to describe a region with a large number of households facing low incomes, inadequate access to transportation and a limited number of food retailers providing fresh, affordable produce. In a rural state like Arkansas, these types of areas are common to find. And while residents may be growing food in these farming-driven communities, CEO of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance’s Sylvia Blain said the food isn’t for the farmers. https://lnkd.in/gMNqVd8q

I have several reactions to the recent (and very important) Oregon State Policy Analysis Lab report that shows a 9.2% increase in food insecurity in Oregon over a period ending in 2023. 1. It underscores the 28% increase in meals served at Blanchet House & Farm in 2023 compared to 2022. 2. It underscores the record number of meals served at Blanchet House so far in 2024, up as much as 30% in some months compared to 2023. 3. The extraordinary increase of food insecurity in rural Oregon is important because as resource scarcity in those communities increases, people will seek resources in urban centers, which suggests greater numbers of people needing Blanchet House's services in 2025. We'll be ready! 4. Predicted cuts to SNAP benefits in the Farm Bill that will be passed by the new Congress will exacerbate the benefits cliff already affecting thousands of Oregonians, which will then further increase the need for Blanchet House's services in 2025. We'll be ready! 5. The projected increased need for food coupled with disruptions to the food chain that could result from labor impacts in agricultural and related sectors will require enhanced gleaning and food rescue efforts -- something Blanchet House is poised to do in support of our colleague food pantries and meal service organizations. We are ready to lead in 2025 to help meet the need for food in our community!

December 31,2024 marks a critical time for those centered on food insecurity when it comes to SNAP. With a change in administration, concerns over card skimming and a possible budget neutral approach to the program (even with higher food costs), 2025 could mark some critical impacts for hunger relief. FoodBridge, LLC is committed to enabling hunger relief organizations with the technology and resources necessary to meet the increasing demand for food and nutrition for our insecure neighbors. https://lnkd.in/eMhzinn8

In 2023, County Executive Steuart Pittman created the Anne Arundel County Food Council by executive order. Hosted by the Partnership for Children, Youth and Families and facilitated by Due East, the Food Council came together to address the root causes of food insecurity. Due East played a pivotal role in bringing together a diverse group of local food providers, producers, and distributors, fostering a collective vision and shared plan to ensure everyone has equitable access to affordable, healthy food. 🍎 This strategic plan combines safety-net programs such as food banks and pantries with long-term solutions that aim to strengthen local farming and community gardens. 🧑🌾 The ultimate goal is to ensure that individuals earn enough income to afford healthy food for themselves and their families. #socialimpactleaders #sustainablecommunities #togetherwethrive

Here at Collective Food Works one of our biggest goals is to reduce the amount of people suffering from food insecurity via educational posts and programs. While the amount of people suffering from food insecurity and poverty has stabilized since the end of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, "an estimated 1.2 million (14.6%) New York City residents were food insecure" according to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy annual 2022 Food Metrics Annual Report. Not shockingly, "New York City’s residents make up 50% of all food insecure people living in New York State". The city has been working to help battle food insecurity with a variety of programs such as SNAP, but it has done little to help New Yorkers who are struggling to feed themselves due to rising costs of living. So, what is the solution? Well, outside of inflation, part of the rising cost of food in the city comes from the fact that much of our food comes from great distances. We touched on this in our last post where we shed light on America's growing dependence on imported food. While the concrete scenery of New York City does not make it easy for it's population to produce their own food, GrowNYC is an organization focused on increasing the amount of farmers in the area. If you are interested in joining their Farmer Assistance's Beginning Farmer Program or supporting their cause, be sure to check them out.

What a thought-provoking article! Food Banks are advocating to continue the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. Read more below and consider adding your voice to help.

I would like to thank all the food pantries and food banks that volunteered to be part of the pilot project, titled, Community Harvest, that I am co-leading with Dr Jane Murray Northumbria University. Unfortunately there were too many organisations to include in our pilot project (which shows the need in communities, as demonstrated by new figures on food bank usage (1.6M) published today by the Trussell Trust). So we have agreed to share good practice with other local organisations as the project develops. There is no time to wait until the end of the project! These updates will allow us to share learning around implementation, uptake and impact, including facilitators and barriers (i.e. things that worked and why, and things that didn't work and why). As you may imagine there is a lot to do in order to ensure that fresh, locally grown produce, can be accessed and used by people is some of the poorest wards in the NE of England. Many of you will appreciate the scale of this challenge and we acknowledge that UK government policy reform is required to lift people out of poverty. But in the meantime, whilst we wait for policy reform, we have a crisis in terms of household food insecurity, health and nutrition, so we feel that any local action we can do to improve access to fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables that also brings different communities together will be beneficial to all involved. This project is about bringing together different communities and residents (of all ages) for Community Harvest, community cooking and eating. More about that later. In the meantime, I would like to introduce our collaborators The Cedarwood Trust Joe Scrase Feeding Britain Joan Hoult Newcastle West End Food Bank (pantries). The weather was not the best but it did not discourage us from pulling beetroot. Although a little damp it was great to be outdoors; but a former farmer did comment on the fact that my city wellies would not be any good in the winter. A lesson already learnt! Alongside the beetroot, we had donations of cooking apples, and carrots, all freshly harvested.

So many things to post about today! Check out this story. Everyday, I'm working to elevate the voices of our communities. Food cost is too high. More and more people, many of which are children, are being priced out of healthy meals. Food banks have less resources yet are expected to feed more people. You can help by sharing this post! Our #PAsenate and #PAhouse can help by strengthening #SFPP and #PASS in the #PAbudget. Our #USCongress can help by strengthening #TEFAP and #SNAP in the #FarmBill. #NWPAfoodbank ***The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Second Harvest Food Bank.

Thanks to Susan Lightfoot Schempf and team for this great work! ... "Wallace Center has been working to better understand and support the people and organizations implementing #values-based, equity-centered Farm to Food Assistance (F2FA) programs since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this first of its kind comprehensive report on the emerging field of F2FA, the Wallace Center and our research partners Rachel Dannefer and Alison Cohen share the findings and insights from four years of research, peer learning, and field building. “'Farm to Food Assistance: A Model for Values-Based, Equity Centered Approaches to Transforming the Food System' makes the case for how Farm to Food Assistance can contribute to the transformation of a food system from one that produces commodities and derives wealth for a few to one that produces food, health, and #wellbeing for all. We explore how values-based, equity-centered Farm to Food Assistance reveals and works to overcome the contradictions inherent in the food banking economy, and delineate the core values and strategies that move the food assistance system from charity to justice. We also enumerate the most pressing challenges and offer recommendations for practitioners and supporters to advance the goals and outcomes of Farm to Food Assistance efforts across the county." https://lnkd.in/e6BbMkHc