SOFSA is proud to work in partnership with Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now! (FAHNN), a grassroots organization working to bring food access to Syracuse’s Southside/Valley neighborhoods. The neighborhood is one of the most low-income, low-access neighborhoods in Syracuse, especially since the former Tops Supermarket in Valley Plaza shut down in 2018. Rhonda Vesey, SOFSA Community Liaison and FAHNN Valley Plaza Farmer’s Market Manager, has been working tirelessly to bring this issue to light for the past couple years.
On Monday, January 22nd, 2024, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand came to the Valley Plaza for a press conference, advocating for food access, transportation access, and support for the community. Mayor Ben Walsh said his team has reached out to numerous grocery store operators about opening on the south side but nobody’s interested. Gillibrand’s proposed bill would fully fund the USDA’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative, and double the allocation to $50 million in future years. The program provides grants and loans to fresh food retailers and supermarkets.
Read more in the articles below:
- CNY Central: Syracuse and Washington leaders address food deserts with community solutions, Jan 22 2024
- WAER 88.3: Sen. Gillibrand proposes measure to end food deserts at Syracuse visit, Jan 22 2024
- CNY Business Journal: Gillibrand Proposes Bill That Could Help Bring Grocery Store To Syracuse’s South Side, Jan 22 2024
- Syracuse.com: Gillibrand visits Syracuse’s South Side to highlight effort aimed at luring grocery stores, Jan 22 2024
- WRVO 89.9: Gillibrand proposes legislation to end ‘food deserts’, Jan 23 2024
- Finger Lakes Daily News: Gillibrand Talks Ending Food Deserts in Syracuse, Jan 23 2024
- NewChannel 9: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand proposes $50M plan to combat food deserts in CNY, Jan 22, 2024
- FingerLakes1.com: Gillibrand advocates for major funding to address food deserts, Jan 23 2024
- Spectrum News 1: Gillibrand seeks funding boost for federal healthy food initiative
“This week I’m sending a letter to the senate appropriators asking that we fully fund this program. We need to make sure that it is fully funded and we want to make sure it’s actually a mandatory program.”
– Sen. Kirsten gillibrand