Apply to join our Buffalo Bypass steering committee – deadline Octo!ber 26
The white supremacist attack at Tops Market on Jefferson, which took the lives of 10 beloved community members and permanently changed the lives of thousands more, was an act of hatred enabled by food apartheid that has long plagued Buffalo’s east side communities. To combat that history, and envision and realize a community rooted in justice, we at Food for the Spirit, a Black and people of color, and women-led worker collective founded in 2018 to advance racial healing, ecological justice, and equitable food systems, are building the Buffalo Bypass Network. The Network is a community-driven, systems-change initiative focused on advancing food and economic justice for the east side of Buffalo and surrounding region is helping to build something powerful: a food system controlled by and for residents of Buffalo’s east side.
It’s critical that this work is led by those most impacted and embedded in our vibrant community, so we are seeking five people to join our Buffalo Bypass Network steering committee. We’ve been working with East Side residents and activists for many years as proud collaborators on the Juneteenth Agricultural Pavilion, partners on Buffalo Public Schools farm to school efforts, and advocates to bring the Good Food Purchasing Program for Buffalo institutions.
We envision a food supply chain that sources from Black farmers and other farmers of color across New York State, ensuring our children eat healthy, fresh food both at home and in school. We center the voices of those facing the greatest barriers: Black farmers, LGBTQIA communities, immigrants, and Latinx and Indigenous people. When we create systems that work for those with the hardest time accessing resources, we create systems that work for everyone.
As a steering committee member, you’ll receive compensation for your leadership while learning about food supply chain development and building relationships with farmers of color statewide. We’ll work together to design and implement small pilot projects in our first year, with facilitated meetings where your community expertise and connections are essential.
We are looking for people who are part of the east side community, who bring lived experience, local connections, and a commitment to learning and sharing. You’ll work alongside team members with experience in food supply chain development, transportation, and distribution.
Help us shape a food system that ensures our communities control where their food comes from while supporting farmers who look like us and share our commitment to justice.