What We’re Reading – Civil Eats: Bolstering Your Local Food System

Here at Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB), we do a lot of reading to keep up with current topics regarding food access. One of our favorite resources is Civil Eats, a digital news organization that reports on food policy and its many intersections. The other day, we came across a quote in one of their newsletters that resonated:

(Nessa) Richman was working at a farmers’ market that she had helped establish with the nonprofit Sustainable Food Center. As she watched families standing in line to buy fresh peaches and tomatoes, something clicked…“I thought, ‘This is the environmental piece, the public health piece, and the social piece, all wrapped up into one.”

WCFB Advocacy Work

We have always considered advocacy to be part of our core mission. Long ago, we recognized that providing emergency food to people, as important as it is, is not enough. If we were to be serious about creating a hunger free community, we needed to eliminate the root causes of hunger. Over the years, that has led to us advocating for living wages, affordable housing, urban agriculture, addressing racial inequity in our service area, and supporting the programs that help support people. 

This holistic approach is part of our organizational DNA. In 2006, it led us to establish the Worcester Food Policy Council (WFPC) one of the longest, continuously running food policy councils in the country. WFPC advocates with city, state, federal, and institutional leaders to improve food access for all our neighbors. It has worked on issues that include urban agriculture, SNAP access, DTA support, affordable housing, living wages, farm to school, food rescue, grocery store access, and food procurement policies.  

Who Should Join

Every month, WFPC brings together people and local organizations throughout Worcester County who are working on areas affecting food access to get updates and learn how they can effectively advocate for policies that make it easier for people to get the food they need for their families. The only requirement for attending and participating in the meetings is an interest in working together to create a more accessible, more resilient, more equitable local food system. For our Partner Agencies, it offers an opportunity to weigh in on policies that are important to you and get more support advocating for them.

How to Get Involved

In 2023, WFPC officially joined with the City Taskforce on Food Security and the Central Mass SNAP Coalition as part of the Center on Food Equity (CFE). Bringing the three together under the fiscal sponsorship of WFCB gives the Center flexibility to meet emergent needs identified by community and front line providers, while planning for longer term stability and scalability. 

To get involved with WFPC or other Center on Food Equity projects, send an email to casey@healthygreaterworcester.org or admin@centerfoodequity.com asking to be added to the WFPC meeting invitation list.