City Council To Hear Resident Priorities at 2 Public Hearings on the $335m American Rescue Plan.

Add Your Voice to the Call for a $10m Pittsburgh Food Justice Fund

July 10th @10am

July 12th @ 6pm

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The City of Pittsburgh will soon be deciding how to spend the $335 million they received from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The draft budget, released by Mayor Peduto and the Pittsburgh Recovery Task Force last week, contains almost no investment in our local food system.

The pandemic proved that the food system is critical infrastructure, and recovery from the pandemic requires public investment in our local food system. We call on the city to invest $10 million to:

Increase the City’s capacity to lead food systems initiatives With an investment in senior-level staffing, the City could more effectively support this critical sector, bringing public leadership to food business growth and development, streamlining access to existing resources, strengthening farmer’s markets, turning more vacant land into food growing spaces, and championing our region’s food systems development.

Establish the Pittsburgh Food Justice Fund The Pittsburgh Food Justice Fund will increase our City’s capacity to produce food, support food businesses and workers, and uplift community led solutions to food security in communities that have experienced historic disinvestment, food apartheid conditions and the harshest impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. A joint board of community leaders and City employees will set parameters for, make decisions about, and generally oversee the fund.

More details about this proposal can be found here, but we need you to make this proposal a reality! There are two ways to get involved.

Speak at Public Hearing City Council is hosting 2 public hearings on the ARPA budget. Sign up here to speak for 3 minutes on the following dates: Saturday, July 10th at 10 AM Monday, July 12th at 6 PM

Contact Your City Councilperson TODAY! If you can’t attend one of the public hearings, let your City Councilperson know that you support the Pittsburgh Food Justice Fund! Find your Councilperson’s contact information here.

Some suggested talking points can be found here. If you have any questions, contact Sam Applefield at sam@pittsburghfoodpolicy.org. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in the critical infrastructure needed to advance a just, equitable, and sustainable food system in Pittsburgh, so make sure your voice is heard!