Need help with food? Visit the Food Bank of CNY, or call 211

About SOFSA

SOFSA is a network of food system stakeholders and a catalyst for change. 

Our mission is to strengthen our food system so that it works for all people in Syracuse and Onondaga County. We bring communities together to foster relationships, develop projects, align resources, and advocate for policies to improve the health of our neighbors and our environment.

In addition to our mission, SOFSA is deeply committed to transformative change and aims to embed these values at every level of our work. Our Equity & Justice Statement articulating these values is a central piece of our council’s bylaws and its day-to-day operations.

This statement was collaboratively developed by SOFSA’s Equity, Inclusion, and Accountability Committee with input from the Advisory Board. The statement is included in SOFSA’s bylaws which were ratified by the membership in June 2021.

Learn more about SOFSA:

SOFSA Overview PDF

SOFSA Advisory Board

Brandy Colebrook

Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment
(RISE)

Julia Carboni

Syracuse University

Jeremy DeChario

Syracuse Cooperative Market

David Knapp

 Onondaga County Legislature,
Onondaga Agriculture Council

Christina Hudson Kohler

Hudson Egg Farms

Estelí Jimenez-Soto

Syracuse University

Jessi Lyons

Brady Farm

Emilija Postolovska

M. S. Hall & Associates

Peter Ricardo

Food Bank of Central New York

Rachael Ristau

CNY Regional Market

Jonnell Robinson

Syracuse University, Syracuse Grows

Caitlin Toomey

Upstate University Hospital

Rachel Viens

Syracuse City School District

Curtis Waterman

Onondaga Nation Farm

SOFSA Staff

Maura Ackerman

Facilitator & Project Director

maura@syrfoodalliance.org

Julie Capito

Food & Environment Intern

Manika Gautam

Community Liaison

Brittany Taylor

Senior Community Liaison

Isabel Valentín

Food Policy Intern

Avalon Gupta VerWiebe

Equity & Inclusion Organizer

avalon@syrfoodalliance.org

SOFSA Members

PRODUCTION

  • Brady Farm
  • Hudson Egg Farms
  • Jubilee Homes Southwest Community Learning Farm
  • Onondaga Earth Corps
  • Onondaga Nation Farm
  • Refugee and Immigrant Self- Empowerment (RISE) Syracuse
  • Salt City Harvest Farm

MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION

  • Brady Market
  • CNY Regional Market Authority
  • Farm to Fork 101
  • Food Bank of Central New York
  • Salt City Market (Allyn Family Foundation)
  • Syracuse Cooperative Market
  • Syracuse City School District Food & Nutrition Services

GOVERNMENT

  • Onondaga County Agriculture Council
  • Onondaga County Health Department
  • Onondaga County Legislature
  • Onondaga County Soil & Water District
  • Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency

HEALTHCARE & HIGHER ED

  • St. Joseph’s Health
  • SUNY – ESF
  • Syracuse University – Nutrition & Food Studies
  • Syracuse University – Community Geography
  • Upstate Medical University

NONPROFIT

  • American Heart Association
  • CenterState CEO
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Farm Bureau of Onondaga County
  • Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E.
  • Healthcare Education Project
  • HealtheConnections
  • Northeast Organic Farming Association – NY
  • Syracuse Grows
  • Transforming Communities Initiative Syracuse

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER?

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Remembering Evan Weissman (1978–2020)

Advocate, Educator, Justice-Seeker

Evan Weissman was a driving force behind the formation of SOFSA and a tireless advocate for building a thriving food system in Onondaga County. Our partnership’s ongoing work to fulfill this vision is just one of the many pieces of the enduring legacy of the life Evan lived and the values he held so deeply. We will be forever grateful for his many contributions to the cause of food justice in Syracuse and well beyond its borders.
Make a gift to SOFSA in Evan’s memory:
Donate

Get involved, make your voice heard

JOIN US

Participate in building a better food system

TALK TO US

Share your experiences and vision for the future

SUPPORT US 

Fund our collaboration

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