GrowNYC’s Post

Hey Local Food Producers, let's discuss how you can build social capital together within your communities as local food growers, processors, makers, and retailers. 1. Community Engagement: Host events like farm-to-table dinners, workshops, or open days at your facilities. These events foster community connections and showcase your commitment to local food production. 2. Collaboration: Partner with local schools, community groups, and charities. Initiatives like providing fresh produce to school cafeterias or organizing joint events can cement your role in the community. 3. Education: Offer educational programs about sustainable farming practices, food processing, or cooking with local ingredients. This not only builds knowledge but also trust and respect in the community. 4. Local Employment: Prioritize hiring from within the community. This not only provides jobs but also strengthens local economic ties. 5. Sustainability Practices: Implement and promote sustainable practices in your operations. This demonstrates your commitment to the environment and the well-being of the community. 6. Feedback and Involvement: Actively seek feedback from community members and involve them in decision-making. This can be through surveys, community meetings, or suggestion boxes. By bringing these into your work, you're not just running a business but nurturing a network of trust, support, and mutual growth. #LocalFood #LocalFoodKC #KCFoodways #NationalAllianceOfLocalFoodProducers #LocalFoodUnity

We couldn't have done it without you ❤️ To read our full 2023 impact report, click the link below. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dN6Tij_h #FoodCycle #CharityImpact #CommunityDining

https://lnkd.in/e2WVgiKr CHASM’s Kayleigh Garthwaite has supported the delivery of a key report.   FIAN International, the Global Network for the Right to Food and Nutrition, and the Global Solidarity Alliance for Food, Health, and Social Justice released a report ‘A Human Rights Perspective on Corporate Food Aid’. https://lnkd.in/esy89Xdf.   The report addresses the problems with corporate-backed charitable food aid; the globalisation of the corporate food bank model; and the human rights perspective. Amongst its ‘Strategies and solutions for true solutions’ the report proposes public policies that address and overcome structural food access barriers that people face, along with programs that realise the right to food along with other intersecting rights to health, social protection, housing, living wages, and education.   CHASM - Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management - is delighted to have been involved in this collaboration, as part of our objectives to deliver research on poverty and debt, including its impact on marginalised groups.   #rightsnotcharity

It’s Joy of Giving month at Fortnum’s - when we encourage all our people to give their time to help out. Yesterday morning I joined Alex, Amy and Georgia from the team here in Piccadilly to sort and distribute surplus food at The Felix Project’s Deptford Depot in south east London.   Seeing Felix in action for the first time, the scale of our food waste problem is breathtaking. According to the founder of Felix the wonderful Justin Byam-Shaw “our food industry generates 223,000 tonnes of edible food surplus each year - but only 7% of this reaches the people who need it.” A lot of this surplus is unnecessary. We all know that perfectly good fruit and veg is rejected by our supermarkets (and to be fair, by their customers) all the time for being wonky or marked or inconsistently sized, but until you actually see what that rejection means in pallet-loads, it’s easy to assume that the system of food production and distribution in the U.K. is highly efficient. Well it isn’t. And we saw thousands of examples in just one shift yesterday.   The opportunity to help put that good quality food into the hands of those who really need it - individuals, social kitchens, schools and hostels, the elderly - seemed a chance too good to miss. We sifted through vast quantities of fresh produce, sorting the good from the bad (nearly all perfectly good) and grocery products by Use By and Best Before dates, so that they could be delivered in green Felix vans as a high priority. We worked hard - I’m not sure Georgia, Amy and Alex need to see another potato for a while, and I feel the same.   In terms of Fortnum’s contribution, we are hoping that by the end of September, our people will have completed 300 hours’ worth of volunteering time for 3 fantastic organisations: The Felix Project; Centrepoint UK (combatting youth homelessness) and The London Wildlife Trust. Not bad for a relatively small business, and I know alot of fun has been had and new friendships forged along the way.   If you have given up your time this month to help others, 👊 good on you.   #teamFortnums #volunteering #thefelixproject #sustainability #foodwaste #joyofgiving

We are thrilled and humbled to be listed alongside 11 other incredible nonprofits as a Food Justice Funding Initiative awardee from The Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. The Food Justice Funding Initiative is a multi-year initiative, designed to advance food justice by ensuring access to healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant foods without barriers. Funded projects reflect community-led strategies to address food insecurity and support Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian Pacific Islanders, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders in creating equitable change to local food systems. FFEN's funding will help to support our goal to advance a culture in hunger relief centered on shopper (food shelf client) priorities. We will focus on creating avenues for individuals accessing food shelf services to have more input, influence, and voice in food shelf sourcing and programming decisions to increase food access and fresh food availability, while simultaneously improving the food shelf shopper experience and overall organizational health. Learn more about all of the critical work funded by the Food Justice Funding Initiative at: https://lnkd.in/g-_8ENc8

Can healthy be affordable? Everytable, a concept restaurant that offers healthy and affordable meals, just secured $25m in a Series C-2 round led by impact investors. The company prepares fresh food in ghost kitchens and delivers them to retail locations, where prices vary depending on the neighborhood income. Everytable aims to become the healthy McDonalds of the 21st century, challenging the fast food industry that contributes to chronic diseases and obesity. With over $112m raised since 2016, Everytable is on a mission to make food as medicine accessible to everyone. Read more about Everytable’s story and vision here: https://lnkd.in/dWtGz75T Well played Everytable #foodasmedicine #healthyfood #socialimpact #fundingnews #everytable

Important report on the right to food and nutrition implementation.

Have you ever wondered if #tech could revolutionize food donations? In the U.S., nearly 40% of all #food is wasted, while millions are food-insecure. It's a stark contrast. @Land O'Lakes, Inc., a leading dairy company, recognized the need for change. Their sales operations manager, Jim Spaight, explained, "No one wants to throw away quality food, but the process is time-consuming and each day matters because dairy products are more perishable than shelf-stable foods.” The solution? Partnering with Spoiler Alert, which uses #automation to make the process more efficient. The partnership resulted in "64% less time and effort are being spent on the secondary sales and #donation processes, helping free up valuable hours for the teams at Land O’Lakes that can be redirected toward other important initiatives." Discover how they are making a difference in the community: https://lnkd.in/gRTV8hmP

Have you ever wondered if #tech could revolutionize food donations? In the U.S., nearly 40% of all #food is wasted, while millions are food-insecure. It's a stark contrast. Land O'Lakes, Inc., a leading dairy company, recognized the need for change. Their sales operations manager, Jim Spaight, explained, "No one wants to throw away quality food, but the process is time-consuming and each day matters because dairy products are more perishable than shelf-stable foods.” The solution? Partnering with Spoiler Alert, which uses #automation to make the process more efficient. The partnership resulted in "64% less time and effort being spent on the secondary sales and #donation processes, helping free up valuable hours for the teams at Land O’Lakes that can be redirected toward other important initiatives." Discover how they are making a difference in the community: https://lnkd.in/eVcdbnH9