We Won a Food Justice Fund!
After a year and a half of advocacy, we are thrilled to share that $3 million was included in the City of Pittsburgh’s 2023 budget to create a Food Justice Fund. Thank you to everyone who testified at public hearings, attended Food Justice Fund Committee meetings, and helped to make this major victory possible! Now that funding has been secured, we will work with City Council to ensure that those funds are distributed through an equitable and transparent process that truly benefits those most impacted by inequities in access to affordable, healthy food.
What is the Food Justice Fund?
The Food Justice Fund is a way to invest in grassroots, community-led projects to address food apartheid. The following documents provide more detail on the fund will operate.
Join the Food Justice Fund Committee
The Food Justice Fund (FJF) Committee continues to meet each Monday at 11 AM. The Committee’s current focus is working with the City of Pittsburgh to develop a plan for how the FJF will operate. The plan must be presented and approved by City Council by June 2023. The FJF Committee is a public group comprised of community leaders and activists, urban farmers, community gardeners, food security advocates, entrepreneurs, public health specialists, and invested community members. FJF Committee meetings are open to anyone who would like to attend. Register here to attend the next FJF Committee meeting.
Take the Food Justice Fund Survey!
The City of Pittsburgh is working with the Food Justice Fund Committee to present a Food Justice Fund Plan to City Council in July. We are looking to gauge broad community input to better understand how the community interacts with the local food system. Please take a moment to complete this brief survey. Your input is important as we complete this process in order to address neighborhood-based food access challenges.