Advocacy, Action, and Food Distributions!
April was a whirlwind for Farm2People, as I’m sure it was for many of you as well! We got involved in a statewide policy advocacy effort, celebrated Earth Day, and popped up with free food distros at multiple community events. Plus, we have a call to action for all of you! Read on to dig in.
ADVOCACY
A few weeks ago, one of our Farm2People team members (yours truly, actually!) headed up to Sacramento to join other food hubs and small farmers in advocating for the continuation of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) as a California state initiative! LFPA – a recently expired federal program – allocated money for food banks to purchase locally grown produce, and it was extremely impactful, both for family farmers and for people in need of healthy, fresh food.
Our group of food systems advocates in the Capitol on April 9!
CAFF and Fresh Approach organized the policy action day in support of the $45M state budget ask that would facilitate the continuation of LFPA in California. Our goal was to demonstrate to our California Senators and Assemblymembers just how impactful the program has been, and we accomplished this goal by providing public comment and meeting with reps. (It was actually my first time personally giving public comment and it was pretty thrilling!)
Here I am providing public comment in the Senate budget committee hearing. You can view a recording of all of the LFPA advocates giving testimony here. Scroll to the entry from 4/09/26 titled “Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 4.” Public comments regarding LFPA start at 2:50:10 (I speak from 3:04:20-3:05:14!)
Farm2People shared that thanks to LFPA we supported over 80 regenerative, independent family farms in California! We also procured 3.3M lbs of fresh produce for Los Angeles food banks, which is enough to feed 12,000 people their 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables for a YEAR! Farm2People was proud to join our fellow food systems advocates at the Capitol, and we were so glad to have the opportunity to demonstrate to our state representatives that LFPA is worth saving!
Want to join the effort to save LFPA and strengthen California’s local food systems?
→ Read on for a call to action below!
ACTION
Help us keep LFPA alive in California!
Information via CAFF and Fresh Approach:
What is LFPA? The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program connects small farmers with food banks, bringing fresh, local, culturally relevant produce to families in need while giving farmers a fair, stable market.
So far, LFPA has:
→ Supported 833 small farmers in California
→ Purchased $60 million in local food
→ Fed Californians in 53 counties
→ Provided a fair and stable market channel for farmers
→ Distributed nutrient-dense produce to 55 Food Banks & Community Organizations
Take action Call your CA state rep and urge them to fund LFPA. Script and instructions can be found here!
FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS
Farm2People also recently facilitated two community food distributions through our wonderful partner organizations!
United American Indian Involvement (UAII) is the largest nonprofit provider of health and human services to Native and Indigenous communities in Los Angeles. We joined them at their Children’s Health Fair a month ago, bringing 200 boxes of certified organic, regeneratively grown fruits and vegetables to give out to the families attending the fair. It was a beautiful and nurturing family event on a sunny Spring day; you can find more info about it here if you’re curious!
Anna, our ED, with one of the boxes we distributed at UAII!
Farm2People also tabled at SCOPE LA’s 5th annual Earth Day celebration, the Seeds of Unity Fest! The theme this year was Rooted and Rising in South Central, and the festival brought together performances, community, conversations about climate justice, resources, and free food. Farm2People gave away 200 organic mixed produce boxes from Riverside and chatted about the importance of regenerative agriculture! It was such a fun and energizing day, and we are glad SCOPE invited us! Find more info about the event here.
Farm2People’s booth at the Seeds of Unity Fest 🌱
Remember, even if April 22 has passed, every day is Earth day! Let’s keep working to strengthen local food systems and protect our planet 🌎💚
