We are a coalition of organizations working to foster a healthy and just food system and active community environment in Worcester, Massachusetts. We do this through public education, policy advocacy, working to eliminate inequity and collaboration.
Who would have thought that “food waste reduction/management” would make it onto a list of Top 20 Food Trends compiled by the National Restaurant Association? But there it sits at #19 on the list of the hottest menu trends forecast for 2016. The NRA (not THAT NRA, this one is about food!) polled its member … Continue reading
Today’s the day! We need everyone to step up and get your dialing fingers ready. The MA Senate Budget Committee has released their version of the FY17 MA budget, and it’s missing some very important funding to continue anti-hunger efforts here in Massachusetts. Many, many thanks go out to our Senate Food Policy Champions, Sen. … Continue reading
If we don’t get out there and talk about what’s important to Worcester’s neighborhoods and residents, the folks who make the decisions will be listening to a room full of people who think improving food access means allowing food trucks to sell on Worcester Common. Continue reading
With the MA legislature working on our state’s budget, annual food drives, the new Food Hub and the start of farmers market season, it’s been a couple of crazy busy months here at the Worcester Food Policy Council – so busy that we haven’t even had a chance to formally announce a couple of pretty … Continue reading
In January, the Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously voted the 2016 Improving Child Nutrition and Access Bill out of committee. The House has yet to consider it or to offer one of its own. That’s because funding for school lunches and other child nutrition programs have become a huge political football since the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Act in 2010. Continue reading
The unfolding tragedy in Flint is keeping the issue of lead in inner cities at the top of the news cycles. Last month, we noted that Worcester, as an older industrial city, is one of the places where lead contamination is an issue, and posted resources to help urban gardeners identify lead contamination in their … Continue reading
Yes, it’s January in New England – hardly prime gardening time – but it’s the perfect time to start your planning for the spring and summer. If you’re gardening in the city, soil quality is an important consideration. The concentration of lead and other heavy metals can be especially high in urban soil, particularly in … Continue reading
Dear Friends of the Worcester Food & Active Living Policy Council, Happy New Year! I hope that you are all entering into 2016 with excitement and energy – I know I am! A New Year is a great time to make change in our lives, and I’m about to embark on a change that I’m … Continue reading
We’ve often said that there are two words that should never be spoken together – homeless veteran. Nor should there be such a thing as a hungry veteran. For 25 years, Veterans Inc has been working toward the day that both of those concepts are inconceivable. Continue reading
Jeremiah’s Inn is a model social recovery program for men in Worcester. The Inn also operates a food pantry for eligible families within its service area (zip codes 01610, 01602 and 01603. In 2012, Jeremiah’s Inn provided food assistance to nearly 6,000 households, representing more than 13,000 individuals – 30% of them under the age … Continue reading
Worcester Food & Active Living Policy Council 