Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance on LinkedIn: The Joe family foundation is another of the recipients of this year’s Food… (2024)

Join us on Thursday, June 20th, from 3:30-5pm for our 💥June Open Meeting💥Rachel Murphy-Viens, Director of Food and Nutrition at Syracuse City Schools will be talking about Farm-To-School programs and their potential to better meet the nutritional needs of students while supporting a more robust local food system.New to SOFSA? Join at 3pm for an introduction to our work. Join at bit.ly/624OpenMeeting

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Let your voice be heard! Join us this Thursday, June 13, from 5:30-7:30pm at Living Water Church for a Community-Candidate Dialogue on Hunger, Housing and Health. The dialogue is an opportunity for community members to ask questions of and hear directly from electoral candidates for NYS Assembly, Senate and Common Council.Confirmed candidates include John Mannion, Sarah Klee Hood, Rachel May, Caleb Slater, Tom Drumm, Chris Ryan, Ian Phillips, William Magnarelli, and Pamela Hunter. Let's let them know we're paying attention to their policy positions on these critical issues!Where: Living Water Church, 121 Huron StChildcare, interpretation and transportation available. Reach out to Micah at micah@syrfoodalliance.org or (315) 552-0470 to inquire.

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What is SOFSA's role in our food system? 🤔 Hear from some of SOFSA's leadership to learn more about how and why we do our work. ~*~*~We are excited to share that we have been selected as a recipient for the Better Food Policy Fund inaugural grant. We are so proud to be part of the ten food policy councils that make up this year's cohort, and are directing these funds to support our civic engagement work. This branch of our work-- the advocacy, policy education, listening sessions, convening of stakeholder partners-- is critical in creating a more supportive system upon which grassroots organizing can be more successful. In this way, SOFSA is a "weaver" of relationships and connections, and a broadcaster of these teachings, resources and tools back out to our communities. This footage is part of our application for the Better Food Policy Fund. Funds from the grant will be directed towards programs like our upcoming Candidate-Community Dialogue on Hunger, Housing and Health. And towards increasing organizational capacity to do more of this work through supporting our new Food Policy Intern. 15% of the funds will be regranted to our community through the Food Justice Fund.

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So much of our emergency food system relies on nonperishable foods to meet the nutritional needs of under-resourced folks. In a beautiful example of how strategic partnerships can help get fresh produce into the hands of folks who otherwise couldn’t access it, Delaney Farms is partnering with @peaceincsyr, to provide locally sourced vegetables to households across four different Syracuse neighborhoods. This project, “Feeding Families,” is the third recipient of our 2024 Food Justice Fund. The grant will increase PEACE, Inc.’s ability to purchase produce from Delaney farms, ensuring both food for the families they serve and a sustainable source of income for the farm. As part of the project, Delaney Farms will also host their “Farmer for a day” program, which invites 50-75 children from PEACE Inc. to visit Delaney Farms, experience what it is like to be a farmer and learn some gardening practices that they can share with members of their communities.Partnerships like these inspire our work: connecting organizations to maximize the impact of our collective resources? Sign us up! If you’d like to sign up to support our work, join our membership and/or donate to our Plant a Seed Campaign today at bit.ly/Plant-A-Seed-2024. 75% of Funds will go back into the Food Justice Fund to support more projects like this one.

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Food Insecurity and unstable housing, symptoms of poverty and lack of safety nets, often go hand in hand. Together they contribute to poor health outcomes for adults and, especially, children. With these issues on the rise, we know we must move into action-- collective civic engagement that holds our elected officials accountable to enacting measures that support our neighbors living with higher precarity. This Op-Ed, submitted by SOFSA Director Maura Ackerman alongside 15 signatory organizations and even more individual advocates, outlines the need for expedited action on this front. Read the article at bit.ly/children-cant-wait. Then, join us at Living Water Church on June 13 for a Candidate-Community Dialogue to learn more about how our NYS electoral candidates plan to tackle these crucial issues.Food Bank of Central New York, InterFaith Works of CNY, Healthy Alliance, Syracuse City School District, Syracuse Northeast Community Center, Kitchen Literacy Project, Urban Jobs Task Force, and many others!#FoodInsecurity #UnstableHousing #Housing #Health #HealthRelatedSocialNeeds #elections

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🗓️Join us June 13th for a Candidate-Community Dialogue on Hunger, Housing and Health! Co-moderated by the talented Cjala Surratt and Victoria Coit, the conversation will give space for candidates to share their position on policy affecting these critical topics, while also making space for community members to influence the conversation by voicing their own questions. This nonpartisan dialogue will engage candidates running for US Congress, NYS Senate, and NYS Assembly. When: June 13th, 5:30-7:30Where: Living Waters Church, 121 Huron St, Syracuse NY 13207.Light bites will be provided for folks to take with them. Interpretation services, transportation and childcare will be provided. Reach out to micah@syrfoodalliance.org or (315) 552-0470 to inquire.Co-hosting organizations: Central New York Community Foundation, Housing and Homeless Coalition of Central New York, Lead Safe CNY, Food Bank of Central New York, Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now, JUBILEE HOMES OF SYRACUSE, INC., CNY FAIR HOUSING, INC.

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Last year's Plant a Seed campaign led to the creation of the Food Justice Fund, our community grantmaking project! As a result of your generous donations, we were able to award $22,000 in small-scale grants to 7 projects. Asha Laaya Farm is one of them! Their grant will support them in covering their water bill, so they can have a bountiful harvest. Asha Laaya Farm is run by and for Deaf New Americans, folks who have been displaced from their countries of origin and are working to make Syracuse their new home. Asha Laaya was dreamed up as a place for these folks, many of whom have backgrounds in traditional agriculture, to be able to connect with each other, get outside, and earn supplemental income through the selling of produce.Asha Laaya coordinates social events, healthy eating/cooking workshops, group outdoor activities and more. In doing so, they aim to address some of the challenges these farmers face: diet-related health conditions, social isolation brought on by language and transportation barriers, lack of access to land, and lack of access to fresh and culturally appropriate produce. We work with Asha Laaya throughout the year through our Urban Ag Working group meetings and other partnership opportunities, and are so excited that we get to materially support this project. You can support their work by volunteering at the farm, organizing fundraising events, or making a direct donation. You can help us continue to support projects like these by donating to our Plant a Seed campaign at bit.ly/Plant-A-Seed-2024 or at the link in bio. Let’s keep growing together!

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SOFSA is seeking a new Urban Agriculture Intern! 🪴🥦🌽 We're looking for someone with agricultural experience to support the development of our Urban Agriculture Working group and related projects. An ideal candidate would have strong interpersonal skills, interest in developing skillsets related to project management and facilitation, and dedication to the tenets of racial and economic justice. This role would provide support to SOFSA's staff in convening and facilitating the activities of the Urban Agriculture Working group, through meeting facilitation, notetaking, outreach, follow ups, event planning, and other support roles. 5-10 hrs/month at $18/hr. For more information read the job description at at bit.ly/UrbAgIntern. Apply online at https://wkf.ms/3UIC1Ib or through the link in bio.

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