Making Change and Building Community
MAP Youth at the 2017 People's Climate March in Washington D.C.
We believe everyone has a right to nutritious, affordable, accessible and culturally relevant food. We believe people and communities should have access to power, land and resources to to define their own food and agricultural systems in harmony with natural systems. We believe growers, local markets and eaters should drive local food systems and not corporations and policies that favor destructive and extractive practices.
MAP’s Food Justice and Climate Justice work is based on these beliefs. We work to educate, engage and build youth leaders, provide greater access to nutritious food, provide opportunities to advocate for change towards a just economy and engage in meaningful work in service to our community and the earth.
Current Initiatives
MAP is fostering the development of the Good Food Buffalo Coalition (GFBC) comprised of organizations representing food, farming, labor, environmental and animal welfare sectors committed to advocating for the adoption of the Good Food Purchasing Program by the Buffalo Public School District.
The Good Food Purchasing Program is a national initiative that seeks to transform the way public institutions purchase food by creating a transparent and equitable food system built on five core values: local economies, health, valued workforce, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. The Program is the first procurement model in the country to support these food system values in equal measure and provides a flexible framework in developing a values-based supply chain that works in tandem with existing efforts to expand good food in the region.
On Tuesday, April 18, Massachusetts Avenue Project, Grassroots Gardens, the Crossroads Collective, the WNY Environmental Alliance, and other local organizations met with the Food Chain Workers Alliance for an informational meeting on how to bring the Good Food Purchasing Program to Buffalo. The meeting included a meal featuring menu items from the BPS Child Nutrition Services' Farm-to-School program, a local initiative that demonstrates a commitment to several of the values identified in the Good Food Purchasing Program.
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Click here to watch an introductory video about the program;
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Click here visit the Good Food Cities website and here for the Buffalo specific page; and
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Click here to learn more about the program from Diana and Christina of the Food Chain Workers Alliance.
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Click here to read about supporting the values-based food procurement bill for NYS
As a member of the Crossroads Collective, MAP also supports the adoption of the NYS Climate and Community Protection Act for good jobs, healthy communities, and a just transition to a fossil-free NY.