Tompkins Food Future

05/26/2026

Call Hochul today!

🚨 𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓: 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐥’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐭 $𝟓𝟐 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 — $𝟐𝟑 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 $𝟕𝟓 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞.

Nourish New York helps food banks provide fresh local food to families while supporting New York farmers, growers, and producers. Now is not the time to scale this program back.

📞 Contact Governor Kathy Hochul today at (518) 474-8390 or via email at governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form.

Ask her to:
• Fully fund Nourish New York at $75M
• Fully fund HPNAP at $75M

Suggested message:
“My name is [NAME], and I urge Governor Hochul to fully fund Nourish New York and HPNAP at $75 million each in the FY2027 budget. The Legislature has already committed to this level, and these programs are essential for families, food banks, and New York agriculture. Thank you.”

Thank you to the legislators continuing to champion these critical programs and advocate for communities across New York.

Please share and help amplify this message.

05/09/2026

Free food available at Stewart Park right now, Sat 5/9 until 2pm. Come out for Better Together and celebrate community mental wellness. Luna Food Truck, Babes Burgers, Purity. Great family event.

05/04/2026

"What brought you here today?"
Those who gathered at the 3rd Annual Spring Food System Forum share what brought them to the table.

04/30/2026

More than 60 community food system partners, including farmers, community gardeners, food justice advocates, educators, business owners, food waste reduction specialists, policy experts, public health workers, elected officials, and more, gathering at the Foundation of Light for the 3rd Annual Spring Food System Forum hosted by Tompkins Food Future. The theme, Relationships as Resilience, invited participants to explore how strengthening relationships can strengthen our food system through sessions on developing a grower’s cooperative, seeding a food justice fund, building a climate victory gardening movement, reducing trash in the food system, deepening connection to the land, addressing racial realities, and building trust into our systems.

To get involved and stay in the loop about future events, become a member of Tompkins Food Future at tompkinsfoodfuture.org.

04/30/2026

Read on to learn more about an exciting development in our food system from our friends at Van Noble Farm. Don't miss the opportunity to support our local food and farming economy while increasing food access in our community.

03/24/2026

Looking forward to this workshop with Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming. A great chance to learn and build skills towards a stronger food future.

Join Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming Wednesday, April 8, at 6 pm on Zoom to learn how you can take action for food system policies that support equity and climate action.

Claire Walsh Winsler, Director of Food, Agriculture, and Land Use at Environmental Advocates NY, and Chair of Groundswell’s Board of Directors, will host this online workshop.

Learn about:

- important food and agricultural policy being considered at the state level
- how to take action
- impactful strategies to share your story and perspectives as a farmer and/or someone passionate about local food systems and justice. 🌱

Register here:
https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/KKp322jRu5x0rHL5S1dMVw

🌾

03/24/2026

An important gathering is around the corner. Please read on for more information from who are bringing BLACC to Ithaca this spring.

The movement continues 🌿✊🏾

April 10–12 | Ithaca, NY 📍

BLACC is more than a conference — it’s a space to connect land, policy, and people.

This gathering brings together small-scale farmers, food entrepreneurs, advocates, and community leaders for:

🌱 Hands-on skillshares
🧠 Policy-driven workshops
🚜 Farm tours
🛍️ Marketplace & tabling
🤝 Networking + collaboration

Let’s build a stronger, more connected food system—together.

03/11/2026

The Advocates in Action program is a great opportunity for those looking to create meaningful change in the food system.

📣 𝐍𝐞𝐰: 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

Want to help strengthen food access in the Southern Tier? Join our new 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 training series and learn how to turn your passion into meaningful change.

This series is open to anyone in the Southern Tier, and we especially encourage those with firsthand experience with food insecurity to attend.

🕠 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝟓:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌

📦 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟐 – Intro to the Food Bank
💬 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟕 – Storytelling for Change
🗳️ 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟒 – Intro to Advocacy
💛 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟐 – Trauma-Informed Care

Attend one session or all four—each offers valuable insights and tools to help you make an impact.

🔗 𝐑𝐒𝐕𝐏 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲: https://ow.ly/BsPt50YruXe

Participants who complete the series and have lived experience with food insecurity may be eligible to join our Community Advocates Program.

📧 Questions? [email protected]

Together, we can help build a stronger, more food-secure community. 💚

03/10/2026

Funding Alert: The next round of Beginning Farmer Grants will go live March 14th. Applications are due June 14th. There are several info sessions coming up. Check out the link for more info and for access to free technical assistance.

A Strong Future for New York State Agriculture

03/05/2026