SOFSA Blog
Recapping the SOFSA Urban Garden Tour
On Saturday, August 26th, 2023, SOFSA and community partner, Chellsea Jones of Sweet Venus Farm collaborated to host SOFSA's first Urban Garden Tour. The Garden Tour took inspiration from neighborhood garden tours taking place in Syracuse and regionally, and past...
Recapping the New York State Food Policy Council Summit
On Wednesday, August 16th, 2023, SOFSA hosted the first in-person gathering of New York State food policy councils and food systems organizations. This gathering of networks, collaborations, and coalitions working to improve our food system was sponsored by SOFSA, the...
In the news: “CNY Regional Market pulls back the curtain to show deteriorating infrastructure.”
On Thursday, August 4th, 2023, the CNY Regional Market hosted a tour for political representatives, media, and county agricultural partners. The event took place with partnership from SOFSA, the New York Farm Bureau, and Onondaga Grown. The event took place at the...
In the news: “Onondaga Grown campaign kicks off 9th year of promoting local farms”
A recent news article SOFSA’s plans to bring transportation solutions to the 2023 OnFarm Fest. Now in its ninth year, the OnFarm Fest allows the public to tour farms to learn about the diverse forms of agriculture in the county. This year, SOFSA will work to provide...
Request for Proposals: Strategic Planning
We are pleased to announce a search for a consultant to lead a To conduct a community-engaged strategic planning process for SOFSA alongside partners to craft a five-year plan for our food policy council to ensure equitable access to healthy, affordable,...
Evaluating SOFSA
During the 2022-2023 academic year, SOFSA's Evaluation Intern, Ellen Pitstick, developed a plan to evaluate SOFSA and its impact. Evaluating a food council like SOFSA is important because it allows members and leaders to understand how the network operates, how it is...
In the news: ‘JUST SURVIVING’: The end of pandemic SNAP benefits has pushed Syracuse toward a hunger crisis
A recent article in The Daily Orange chronicled the impact of the end of a pandemic-era boost to SNAP assistance. The enhanced benefit ended in March, leaving consumers with less to spend on food each month and leading to even longer lines at area food pantries....
SOFSA Site Visit Recap: OCRRA Amboy Compost Site
On Wednesday, May 10th, SOFSA celebrated International Compost Awareness Week by hosting a tour at Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCCRA), a large-scale compost facility in North Syracuse. A total of 26 attendees signed up for the event to learn about the...
In the news: “State Budget Helps Expand Double Up Food Bucks NY – Funding helps combat food insecurity and supports New York farmers“
SOFSA was featured alongside our partners at Field & Fork Network for advocacy to support Double Up Food Bucks NY, which supports people using SNAP to purchase more local fresh fruits and vegetables through a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $20 a day. With...
On the Horizon: Syracuse-Onondaga Food Justice Fund
Beginning in fall 2023, SOFSA and our partners will begin a community-driven participatory grantmaking process to support small-scale food justice projects across the city of Syracuse, Onondaga County, and Onondaga Nation. What is Participatory Grantmaking?...