December 9, 2020
The pandemic has exposed the stark gaps in this country’s social safety net. Healthy food access is one of those holes that families now struggle to fill. This year Next City has elevated numerous examples of the public health crisis spurring changes to food benefits, including online innovations that make SNAP more accessible, the advent of grocery vouchers and more. And in this time of food insecurity, the urban farming movement has leveraged city mutual aid networks to distribute seedlings, soil and produce to vulnerable populations. Each of the year’s best solutions addresses an immediate community need while illuminating a possible way forward after the economic and social devastation of the pandemic has lessened. These solutions represent not a return to “normal,” but a better path in which anyone — regardless of race, class or zip code — can access healthful food. Join us to learn how policymakers can pivot existing programs to respond to unexpected crises, and how mutual aid networks are key to recruiting and training a new generation of urban farmers. This program, made possible with support from the Reinvestment Fund, will take the form of rapid Pecha Kucha-style presentations, followed by a Q&A session hosted by the event moderator.