Project Title
Building the Capacity and Collaboration of Healthy Food, Healthy Lives Food Planning Grantees
Grant Amount
$200,000
Priority Area
Healthy Food, Healthy Lives
Date Awarded
June 16, 2022
Region
Outside New York State
Statewide
Status
In Progress
Website
Robust regional food systems support healthier residents; resilience and food security; jobs and economic growth; and New York State’s agriculture.
Food systems planning is a collaborative process among farmers, retailers, consumers, nonprofits, health systems, and government to develop priorities and implement policies and practices that shape how local or regional food systems operate. Changes in food procurement at public institutions, revisions to urban gardening codes, and better access to local food are some examples of improvements that have resulted from food systems planning. NYHealth is supporting a cohort of local and regional groups to develop local healthy food plans tailored to their regions. In 2022, NYHealth awarded Farm to Table a grant to provide technical assistance to these grantees and help them build their capacity as they undertake their projects.
Under this grant, Farm to Table partnered with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future’s Food Policy Networks to assess each of the grantees and develop tools and support tailored to their needs. For example, grantees received assistance with: community outreach and messaging, strategic planning, outreach to policymakers and public agencies, and evaluation metrics. Farm to Table provided consultations, led in-depth learning sessions and workshops, and participated in monthly co-learning circles with the grantees. It met regularly with grantees to work on joint problems, share lessons learned and best practices, and fostered collaboration. Through this project, grantees acquired tools and resources to further accelerate their plans as well as collectively advocate for policies that result in a stronger food system in New York State.
The grantees who participated in the healthy food systems planning initiative are: Adirondack Health Institute, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Common Ground Health, Equity Advocates, Good Food Buffalo Coalition, and Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative.